Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
5 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State's 2026 recruiting class was the butt of jokes when the early signing period opened on Dec. 3. Technically, the window to sign wouldn't close for two more days, but the opening of the December period has essentially become the new National Signing Day, with most of the nation's top programs officially locking up their entire class in a matter of hours. Over the past decade, the opening day of the early signing period has often been a celebration for Nittany Lion fans. This year, however, it was more like a reality check, with only one of the players who had been committed to Penn State prior to James Franklin's firing — four-star de- fensive end Jackson Ford of Malvern (Pa.) Prep — following through on his pledge. A coaching change at Auburn allowed in- terim head coach Terry Smith to also add four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone, but the damage was already done. Penn State ultimately ranked well out- side the top 100 when the signing pe- riod closed. And while everyone knew the Lions would begin adding players once they made their full-time coaching hire, including prospects who had been committed to that coach's previous in- stitution, the options were certain to be limited with most prospects off the table. Penn State ended up hiring Iowa State's Matt Campbell. At his introduc- tory presser on Dec. 8, he noted that he was eager to begin making use of the re- cruiting perks that PSU has long enjoyed. "I think one of the great reasons for being here is that you're in one of the most fertile grounds of the excellence of high school football in a six- to eight- hour radius," Campbell said. "Every- thing will start with building around high school football and continuing to do a great job in this state and our sur- rounding states. Nobody is going to at- tack more than us." It will take some time before we truly know how well Campbell and his staff can adjust to the Mid-Atlantic recruit- ing scene. The good news for PSU is that Pennsylvania's 2027 class is stacked. The Rivals Industry Ranking lists the state as having 14 four-star players. Junior days were expected to begin at the end of January, but with the transfer portal having so much of their focus when they arrived, realistically, it won't be until March and April that we truly get a feel for how Campbell and his staff are doing. Their plan in the meantime has been to add the former Iowa State signees who they believed could truly play at the Big Ten level. That netted them 10 players who had previously planned to be Cy- clones, all of whom are listed as three- star prospects by Rivals. That was never going to help Penn State much in the rankings — the Nittany Lions were 73rd as of Jan. 19 — but it did help fill some big holes at key positions. Fans will expect to see more coveted names in the future. However, at least for this class, they'll have to trust that Campbell and his staff have the eye for talent and will continue to maximize player development the way they did at Iowa State. Campbell touched on this theme at his introductory presser, noting that his program produced San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy, along with numerous other pro players, in- cluding running back Breece Hall and New Coaching Staff Works To Rebuild 2026 Class RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Wide receiver Ben Whitver had been committed to James Madison before Penn State flipped him on Dec. 27. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS RIVALS INDUSTRY 2026 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Jan. 19 Rk. School Commits 1. USC 35 2. Notre Dame 29 3. Oregon 21 4. Georgia 32 5. Alabama 24 6. Ohio State 28 7. Texas A&M 27 8. Miami 31 9. Tennessee 27 10. Texas 23 73. Penn State 14