Penn State misses out on two top 2026 quarterback targets

One of Penn State’s desired quarterbacks in the Class of 2026 is heading to a Big Ten rival.

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is coming together nicely and the early work on the next recruiting cycle for 2026 is already underway as well. Plenty of top targets are left uncommitted as they departed Happy Valley following their official visits and are out seeing other schools before making their decisions.

The Nittany Lions were able to land two cornerback targets which was a great win for them, and they are expecting more to come down the chute in due time.

But even though the headlines are centered around 2025 recruits, that’s not stopping some of the best players in the 2026 cycle from announcing where they have committed to right now.

Unfortunately for Penn State, two of their top quarterback targets have decided to verbally commit elsewhere.

The one that stings the most is [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag].

Son of former NBA player Raja Bell, they had developed a fantastic relationship with the Florida quarterback who is ranked as the No. 2 player at his position by On3.

He had taken four trips to Happy Valley, and it looked like Penn State was a school he was seriously considering, but after one visit to Texas, Bell decided to commit to the Longhorns.

Elsewhere on the recruiting trail, another Florida product in [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag] was high on Penn State’s board after he visited in March.

His recruitment really took off after getting bumped up to the No. 92 player in his class and he was all over the country taking trips to top schools.

After one visit to see Michigan, he decided that was the place for him and verbally committed to the Wolverines.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that their recruitments are shut down.

These are early commitments entering their junior years of high school football and there is plenty of time for things to change regarding their decisions.

Coaching staffs and coordinators could find themselves taking opportunities elsewhere that could cause decommitments, plus there’s always a chance they continue visiting schools before they sign their letters of intent.

Still, this gives Penn State a good idea about how the dominoes of the 2026 quarterback class might settle when it’s all said and done.

This at least allows them to start targeting others who are high on their list in hopes that they land one of the top remaining players.

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