Tag: penn state football recruiting

Penn State officially lands coveted 2025 four-star Max Granville

Penn State lands a massive four-star commitment from Max Granville.

The wins keep coming for Penn State, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], and his staff.

After the early part of their official visit season started out slow on the commitment front, it has completely taken off with many of their top targets jumping on board.

The Nittany Lions were hovering around one of the top classes nationally, and with some of the players they have already landed, they should be able to secure that by the time the 2025 class rankings are finalized.

One player who is certainly going to give them a boost is their newest commit [autotag]Max Granville[/autotag].

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A four-star edge rusher and linebacker from the state of Texas, the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has been high on the wish list of Penn State for a while. This was a process that many recruiting analysts thought would be tough to win with Texas A&M and Oklahoma so involved in his process.

However, there continued to be great feedback coming out regarding out Granville felt about the program and coaching staff as a whole. That continued to be the case when he was on campus for an official visit during the weekend of May 31.

But with two more scheduled officials to A&M and Oklahoma following his departure from State College, there were many who didn’t think Penn State could get this done.

Instead, they landed one of their biggest wins of the cycle by picking up a commitment from No. 167 player in the 2025 class.

Granville has NFL pedigree with his dad spending four years playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was a major part of the recruitment process of his son and liked what the Nittany Lions had to offer.

Ultimately, though, a huge deciding factor was his mother, and after his official visit, Penn State left a very good impression upon the 2025 recruit and his family.

Now, they have Granville on board as their 18th commit in the class.

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Penn State storms ahead of Oklahoma and Texas A&M in recruiting predictions for four-star linebacker

Penn State has stormed ahead of Oklahoma and Texas A&M for a four-star linebacker from Texas.

It was once thought that Penn State securing a commitment from a four-star linebacker out of Texas might be a bit of an uphill battle. Perhaps it still is, but there could be some reason to begin feeling optimistic about Penn State’s chances of winning a commitment from [autotag]Max Granville[/autotag].

Granville is a four-star linebacker from Sugar Land, Texas, and Oklahoma has been considered the favorite for his commitment, as one might expect for the traditional southwestern powerhouse program in this particular region. But Penn State may be about to steal Granville from underneath Oklahoma’s noses as he approaches his decision date.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine has swung wildly in Penn State’s favor ahead of Oklahoma in the past 24 hours with four predictions from On3’s staff being cast for Penn State. Among those predictions made came from Steve Wiltfong, On3’s vice president of recruiting and transfer portal, and three others staffers including recruiting analyst Ryan Snyder, who always has a good pulse on the Penn State recruiting scene.

All four of these predictions were recorded Monday afternoon, suggesting Penn State is very close to getting a major commitment out of Texas. Penn State has gone from having the third-best odds of getting Granville’s commitment to the leader in the race with a 90.7% chance in their favor according to the updated On3 recruiting prediction machine calculations.

Granville was offered by Penn State in May 2023. He made an unofficial visit to Penn State in March of this year and took an official visit at the end of May. He has since been scheduled to officially visit USC, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma (this past weekend).

Stay tuned. Penn State’s recruiting class could be about to get a nice commitment.

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Where Penn State’s 2025 class ranks after a busy weekend on the recruiting trail

Will Penn State once again have a top-10 recruiting class in 2025?

It was a busy weekend on the recruiting trail for the Nittany Lions, with a few commitments and a couple of de-commitments.

Several people expected Penn State’s recruiting activity to pick up around this time, and they were correct. Commitments came in from safety Braswell Thomas and running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman. Those were significant commitments for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and Penn State as they filled holes in spots where Penn State recently had de-commitments.

Regarding the rest of the Big Ten, Penn State has held its no. 3 position in the 247Sports Composite Ranking for a while now, and this past week did not change the Nittany Lions’ conference standing. Nationally, Penn State began the month of June at no. 8 in the national recruiting rankings for the Class of 2025, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. A couple of weeks ago, Penn State dipped out of the top 10, but the last week or so of activity saw the Nittany Lions move up slightly to no. 11.

Related: Penn State’s 2025 commitment tracker

On Monday afternoon, Penn State ranked 11th in the updated 247Sports composite rankings. Ohio State and Rutgers are the only two Big Ten teams ranked above the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions fell slightly in the On3 Class of 2025 rankings and now sit at no. 15 nationally. Rivals rank Penn State’s class the highest out of the three major sites, slotting the Nittany Lions all the way up at no. 8.

Penn State seems capable of a top-10 recruiting class in 2025, and it is all but guaranteed to have one of the best recruiting classes in the conference once again.

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Four-star edge rusher Cortez Harris commits to Penn State

Penn State concludes wild recruiting weekend with commitment from edge rusher Cortez Harris.

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.

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.

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Penn State loses Class of 2025 LB DJ McClary to Rutgers

Penn State is down a four-star commitment in the Class of 2025 after a new flip to another Big Ten program.

For the second time in a matter of days, Penn State has lost one member of its Class of 2025. Days after losing a four-star running back to an SEC school, Penn State has now lost a four-star linebacker to a Big Ten rival. [autotag]DJ McClary[/autotag] announced on his social media profile on Sunday that he has committed to Rutgers, flipping from his original Penn State commit from last September.

McClary committed to Penn State on September 24, 2023. The timing of the flip is interesting given McClary just visited Penn State within the last two weeks, which followed a visit to Rutgers in late May.

The loss of the commitment from McClary stings a bit on the defensive side of the recruiting class. Penn State is down to just one linebacker in the Class of 2025 at the moment with Dayshaun Burnett, from Pittsburgh. Burnett is a four-star recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals, but has just a three-star rating from On3.

This is the second four-star player to flip from his Penn State commitment in the past few days. Running back Alvin Henderson, from Alabama, announced he flipped his commitment from Penn State to Auburn. In both cases, the player backing away from his commitment to Penn State is staying closer to home with an in-state program.

Penn State did pick up a couple of commitments this weekend, though. Penn State picked up a commitment from running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman out of Philadelphia and safety Braswell Thomas, from Cape May, New Jersey.

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Penn State picks up commitment from safety Braswell Thomas

New Jersey safety Braswell Thomas is heading to Penn State in the Class of 2025 as the latest commitment on the board.

Penn State has been picking up some good news on the recruiting trail this weekend. A day after adding a commitment from an in-state running back out of Philadelphia, Penn State is adding a safety to the Class of 2025 out of South Jersey. Braswell Thomas, from Cape May, New Jersey, announced his commitment to Penn State on Sunday afternoon.

Thomas is rated as a three-star safety according to his recruiting profile from 247Sports and On3. Rivals rates Thomas as a four-star receiver. The 6′-2″, 185-pound chose the Nittany Lions over West Virginia following this weekend’s official visit to the Penn State campus.

Thomas has long been a key target for Penn State. Penn State extended an offer to Thomas in March 2023 and looked to be a solid Penn State lean for the duration of his recruiting process. Thomas took visits to Penn State five times between unofficial visits and football camps prior to his official visit this weekend.

Thomas made official visits to West Virginia and Nebraska prior to his official visit to Penn State in June.

Penn State’s Class of 2025 also includes commitments to help out the defensive secondary with cornerbacks Daryus Dixson, Jahmir Joseph and Xxavier Thomas, and safety Antonio Branch Jr.

Here is an updated look at Penn State’s Class of 2025 commitment tracker.

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In-state four-star RB Jabree Wallace-Coleman commits to Penn State

Penn State picks up four-star RB commitment days after another flipped to an SEC school.

Penn State saw one running back commitment flip from the Nittany Lions to Auburn last week, but that spot in the Class of 2025 has already been filled by another running back recruit. [autotag]Jabree Wallace-Coleman[/autotag], from Philadelphia’s Imhotep Institute, committed to Penn State on Saturday evening.

Wallace-Coleman, a 6′-0″, 205-lb running back, committed to the Nittany  Lions following his official visit to the campus this weekend. The visit with Penn State followed official visits to Michigan State and North Carolina last week. Wallace-Coleman visited Penn State for a Junior Day event in late January and was offered by James Franklin and his staff back in December 2021. Penn State was among the first handful of offers to be extended to the Philadelphia recruit, and the first Big Ten program in the mix.

Wallace-Coleman previously had been committed to Georgia but he backed off that early commitment in December 2023. Once Georgia was seemingly off the table, Penn State became a trendy pick for his commitment, although North Carolina and Michigan State were the other top contenders, with the Tar Heels likely being the more viable threat to the Nittany Lions.

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Wallace-Coleman’s commitment days after watching Alvin Henderson, an Alabama native, flip his commitment from Penn State to Auburn. Wallace-Coleman is rated as a four-star recruit by On3, Rivals, and ESPN, but just three stars by 247Sports. The 247Sports composite rankings does have Wallace-Coleman rated as a four-star player, however. Wallace-Coleman is one of Pennsylvania’s top 10 players overall in the Class of 2025. Penn State also has commitments in the Class of 2025 from running backs Kiandrea Barker and Tiqwai Hayes.

Penn State has been working to keep a pipeline open at Imhotep Institute. Penn State already has Keon Wylie, Kenneth Woseley, and Tyseer Denmark in the program. Penn State is hoping to be able to flip another one of Wallace-Coleman’s teammates, edge rusher Zahir Mathis. Mathis, a four-star edge rusher, is currently committed to Ohio State but did reportedly visit Penn State this weekend.

Here is an updated look at Penn State’s Class of 2025.

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Penn State running back commit flips to SEC program

Running back Alvin Henderson has decided to walk away from his commitment to Penn State to stay closer to home.

Penn State was riding the wave of good news when they added two new members to their 2025 recruiting class. While verbal commitments aren’t binding, it indicates that these players will likely suit up for the Nittany Lions.

However, the process is never over until a prospect officially signs a letter of intent. Until then, other schools can continue working on players with the possibility of flipping the recruit’s commitments.

That just happened to Penn State.

According to Greg Pickel of On3, [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] has flipped from the Nittany Lions to Auburn. Henderson has since confirmed his commitment update via social media.

“Auburn is home. I really appreciate Penn State and I love it up there and their coaches, but Auburn is home. It always has been,” he told Auburn Live.

Henderson is an Alabama native and it was really surprising for many in the recruiting world that he gave his commitment to the Nittany Lions in the first place. There was always a possibility that this could happen considering how much the Tigers wanted him and how hard they continued to recruit him.

In fact, Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong of On3 both logged their picks that Auburn would be able to flip this recruitment on Thursday following his trip back home.

Something clearly changed his mind, but those around Penn State might be taken aback based on the comments the running back made just a few days ago.

“Coach [James] Franklin and [Ja’Juan] Seider know that I am locked in and I don’t really feel like they are even worried about anything. It was a great visit from the time I got there up until I left. I really loved everything about the visit and was mainly just happy that I could get around my brothers and everyone else that’s committed, as well as a few dudes who could potentially come and play at Penn State. Me and a few others tried to do some convincing with a few other recruits,” he told BlueWhiteIllustrated after his official visit to Happy Valley last weekend.

This highlights just how quickly things can change on the recruiting trail, but it also is surprising that these comments were made when there was clearly some things going on that led to this decision.

Penn State already has two other running backs committed to them in this class, but Henderson was the highest-ranked as a four-star. Tiqwai Hayes and Kiandrea Barker are both listed as three-stars heading into their senior seasons.

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Four-star CB Antonio Branch commits to Penn State

Penn State is on a roll with another four-star cornerback in the Class of 2025 with Antonio Branch.

It’s been a good week so far for Penn State on the recruiting trail after suffering a couple rough defeats in the battle for top targets in the 2025 class and beyond.

However, that’s not going to stop James Franklin and his staff from turning the page and going after others who they want to get into their program.

The run this week started with four-star cornerback from New Jersey, Jahmir Joseph, verbally committing to the Nittany Lions, and they have now landed their second commitment of the week in four-star defensive back [autotag]Antonio Branch[/autotag].

The Florida native is listed as a cornerback in his class but is likely going to become a safety at the next level as he’s already 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds heading into his senior high school season.

This is a big win for Penn State.

He took an official visit to Happy Valley the weekend of May 31 and that left enough of an impression on him to decided this was the program for him.

Branch talked about the relationships he established with the coaching staff during his process, and that became even more prevalent when he was on campus.

The four-star decided to cancel his official visit with the University of Florida when he cut his list of schools down to three, leaving Penn State to battle it out between Louisville and Nebraska.

Branch is scheduled to take an official visit to Louisville this upcoming weekend, but there is no word if that has been cancelled following his verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions.

This marks another win for Franklin and his staff down in Florida as they have really been able to land some top talent coming out of that state. The connections [autotag]Ja’Juan Seider[/autotag] and new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] have in the state should only allow them to continue recruiting that area well.

Branch’s commitment now brings Penn State’s 2025 class up to 16 players.

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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