It has been a rollercoaster for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and the Penn State football program on the recruiting trail this week.
There was a ton of momentum going in their direction as they landed some standout defensive backs who were at the top of their list. But after thinking they had a hard commitment from running back Alvin Henderson, he flipped to Auburn.
That was later followed by linebacker DJ McClary decommitting and joining Rutgers’ recruiting class.
Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, they had a backup plan in place for Henderson as they earned a commitment from instate four-star running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman while also landing safety Braswell Thomas.
Franklin and his staff continue to stay hot.
Penn State landed another four-star recruit in edge rusher [autotag]Cortez Harris[/autotag] out of Maryland. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound prospect was on campus for an official visit this past weekend.
#commited #happyvalley Love everyone who got me here and God Bless!! @DBarnes_18 @On3Recruits @RivalsFriedman @PSU_Dylan @calebtyler_psu @247Sports pic.twitter.com/del8Sn3der
— Cortez Harris (@34HARRIS_CORTEZ) June 23, 2024
Ranked as the 26th-best player at his position and No. 288 in the 2025 cycle by On3’s Industry Ranking, he becomes the first defensive lineman commit for the Nittany Lions in this class.
Following Harris’ commitment, Penn State is now up to 17 and is knocking on the door of being a Top 10 class.
From the sound of it, the relationship he established with [autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] was a big deciding factor in him picking the Nittany Lions over his other two finalists Maryland and Tennessee.
There was some pressure on Barnes to start landing some recruits on the defensive line since he hadn’t yet in this cycle, but all the intel that has been coming out is that Penn State was close to getting commitments, and Harris is the first domino.