Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
5 2 M A R C H 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 / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 6 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / A fter finishing at No. 62 in the Ri- vals Team Recruiting Rankings, Penn State's 15-member 2026 class won't go down as one for the re- cord books. However, it could prove to be an early litmus test of the staff's abil- ity to spot talent. Take defensive end Elijah Reeder, for example. A native of Bayville, N.J., Reeder had earned just two scholarship offers by the time his senior season at Central Regional High ended in early November. Both of the schools that were pursuing the 6-foot-6, 210-pound prospect at the time — Monmouth and New Haven — were from the FCS. So, imagine Reeder's surprise a few weeks later when he was called to his coach's office to discuss another school that was suddenly showing serious in- terest. "I remember that day like it was yes- terday, because it was such a big day in my life," Reeder said. "I was in class, and my coach called me down, which wasn't absurd because I had talked to schools before. But when I got down there and he told me that Iowa State was reaching out, it totally caught me off-guard. I was so surprised. "He then started showing me their fa- cilities and gave me their coach's num- ber. Later that night, I was talking to their D-line coach at the time, Coach [Eli] Rasheed. It happened so quick. It was honestly crazy." Less than two weeks later, Reeder was on his way to Ames for an official visit. He ended up signing with the Cyclones on Dec. 3, which also happened to be the first day of the early signing period. Within days of Reeder's commit- ment, Matt Campbell left Iowa State to become Penn State's new head coach. Reeder was released from his commit- ment to the Cyclones and immediately began to elicit interest from other Power Four schools, notably Missouri and Rut- gers. But he had made a good connec- tion with Campbell, and he opted to fol- low the coach to State College, joining Four-Star Quartet Headlines PSU's Recruiting Rebuild RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M New Jersey defensive end Elijah Reeder wasn't being pursued by any FBS programs until late in the 2026 cycle. His stock began to skyrocket following his senior year, and now he's the highest-rated player in Penn State's class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS