Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / H I G H S C H O O L R E C R U I T S / / / / / / / quarterback, and we're going to develop him and pour everything we can into him to be the best quarterback possible. He has so much room to grow in every aspect. He's a big dude who's long, su- per athletic and can run fast. Our big- gest deal right now is how big, fast and strong he can get. "But he's working his tail off as a quarterback. I think he has a chance to be a really good quarterback. He's got room to grow, just like everyone, though. There are areas in every quar- terback's game that we need to grow. With a guy like that, obviously, you do have the athleticism to do more, but quarterback will be where he's at, and we'll pour everything we have in there." When their class disintegrated fol- lowing Franklin's ouster, the Nittany Li- ons didn't have enough players to even earn a spot in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings. Campbell and his staff ended up making headway in their efforts to build the class back up — enough for PSU to surpass Wisconsin and Nebraska among Big Ten teams. Still, fans will never accept another 16th-place fin- ish moving forward. Campbell, Hoodjer and the entire coaching and recruiting staffs are well aware of that. At the same time, Penn State didn't take players down the stretch just to take players. Campbell had an oppor- tunity to add others from Iowa State's recruiting class — including a few pros- pects who were ranked much higher by the recruiting services — yet chose not to. That trend could continue in 2027. Penn State's coaches will lean on the relationships they built in the Midwest while also building ties in the Mid-At- lantic region, where more highly ranked players tend to reside. The 2026 class is likely to go down as an outlier because of the circumstances. Moving forward, high school recruiting will once again take precedence over the transfer portal. "We always want to sign a large high school class," Hoodjer said. "That will always be our philosophy. I think the nucleus of our program is always going to be high school recruiting and devel- opment along the way." ■ Penn State's 2026 High School Class Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Home School Rating* Christian Askew Saf. 6-4 185 Kathleen, Ga. Veterans HHH Previously signed with James Madison before switching to Penn State following coach Bob Chesney's departure for UCLA … Totaled 48 tackles, 15 pass breakups and 2 interceptions as a junior. Mason Bandhauer OL 6-6 260 Fort Collins, Colo. Fort Collins HHH Is the son of former Iowa State quarterback Todd Bandhauer … Was a first-team Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A All-State honoree after helping Fort Collins average 232 rushing yards per game last fall. Tyrell Chatman CB 6-2 180 Lincoln, Neb. North Star HHHH Was promoted from a three-star to a four-star prospect in Rivals' final 2026 rankings … Totaled 88 tack- les and 4 interceptions in three varsity seasons. Pete Eglitis OL 6-7 295 Columbus, Ohio Bishop Watterson HHH Helped Bishop Watterson win back-to-back state Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III championships in 2024 and '25 … Was a finalist for the Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation's Ohio Offensive Lineman of the Year award. Kase Evans QB 6-3 200 Lexington, Texas Lexington HHH Totaled 11,640 yards passing and 120 touchdowns over four seasons … Originally committed to Okla- homa State, then signed with Iowa State before receiving his release and joining the Nittany Lions. Peyton Falzone QB 6-5 210 Nazareth, Pa. Nazareth HHH Totaled 1,176 yards passing, 216 yards rushing and 18 total touchdowns before suffering a broken clavicle just four games into his senior season … Threw for 2,136 yards and 23 touchdowns while rush- ing for 743 yards and 8 scores as a junior. Jackson Ford DE 6-5 240 Phoenixville, Pa. Malvern Prep HHHH Was the only 2026 commit to stick with the Lions through the transition from James Franklin to Matt Campbell … Finished with 30 tackles as a senior, including 6 for loss and 4 sacks, along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that he returned for a score. Amarion Jackson S 6-2 185 Omaha, Neb. Millard South HHH Led Millard South to back-to-back Nebraska state championships in 2024 and '25 … Totaled more than 3,300 yards and 40 touchdowns on 188 receptions during his prep career. Keian Kaiser LB 6-4 215 Sidney, Neb. Sidney HHH Finished his high school career with 352 tackles and 5 interceptions … Also competes in track and field and was the Nebraska Class B runner-up in the high jump as a junior with a leap of 6 feet, 4 inches. Elijah Reeder DE 6-6 210 Bayville, N.J. Central Regional HHHH Finished as the top-rated recruit in Penn State's 2026 class, coming in at No. 205 nationally in Rivals' rankings … Totaled 50 tackles, including 19 for loss and 8 sacks as a senior. D'Antae Sheffey RB 5-11 195 State College, Pa. State College Area HHH Switched commitment from Syracuse to Penn State following an official visit in January … Totaled 1,610 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior. Lucas Tenbrock P 6-6 210 St. Charles, Ill. St. Charles North HHH Averaged 43 yards per punt and was a Navy All-American Bowl invitee … Named the No. 1 punter in the 2026 class by Chris Sailer Kicking. Ben Whitver WR 6-2 190 Powhatan, Va. Powhatan HHH Set a Virginia high school record with 3,501 career receiving yards and ranks third all-time with 209 receptions … Originally signed with James Madison before receiving his release following the Dukes' coaching change. Bryson Williams Saf. 6-4 180 Omaha, Neb. Westside HHH Totaled 73 tackles, including 6 for loss, and 6 interceptions during his senior season … Also played quar- terback and had 1,858 yards of total offense his junior and senior years. Josiah Zayas CB 6-2 190 Piscataway, N.J. Piscataway Twp. HHHH Became a Rivals300 prospect in the final 2026 rankings, finishing at No. 245 nationally … Totaled 67 tackles, including 5 for loss, and 9 interceptions during his junior and senior seasons. * Rivals rating as of Feb. 23