All across the country, programs are making some final pushes for prospects in the class of 2025 with early signing day only a couple months away on Dec. 4. Penn State is no different after they hosted multiple flip targets this past weekend to try and bolster their own class.
It’s been a different cycle than the Nittany Lions have become accustomed to since [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] took over, missing out on multiple elite in-state prospects and seeing some of their recruits decommit and head elsewhere.
Penn State has done a good job of flipping their own priority players, namely four-star Pennsylvania linebacker Cam Smith and four-star wide receiver Matthew Outten.
They could be close to landing another one after cornerback [autotag]Josh Johnson[/autotag], who was once seen as a lock to join this 2025 class, decommitted from Louisville and seems to be headed towards committing to the Nittany Lions.
Someone who became a target of theirs is four-star safety [autotag]Byron Baldwin[/autotag].
Interest in him really picked up after Antonio Branch flipped to Colorado coming off his official visit to Boulder.
Baldwin had been committed to Indiana since April 17 before announcing his own decommitment on Oct. 2 that put one of the best secondary players in the cycle back on the market. The Baltimore native is listed as the 190th-best player in the class and No. 17 at his position by On3’s Industry Ranking.
Penn State is firmly in the mix to land him, although they have some major competition by way of Colorado, who are the overwhelming favorites per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine after his second visit; Florida, Missouri, UCLA, and Virginia Tech are also in the conversation.
Baldwin spoke with Phillip Dukes of On3 about his recruitment, sharing that he’s eyeing Nov. 15 as his new commitment date.
“Really I’m just looking at everything from a developmental standpoint and what really makes the most sense as in like, environmental wise, personnel wise, depth chart wise, just taking everything into consideration,” he said regarding what is going into his decision making process.
Penn State has not had him on campus since 2023, and with only two home games coming before he announces his commitment, that is not a lot of time for them to make a late push.
Still, the Nittany Lions seem to have interest in Baldwin and will likely see this one through until the end even if they can pull off some other flips in the meantime.
