The 2025 cycle has been an interesting one for Penn State regarding missing on high-profile in-state recruits they have been landing during [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s tenure, while also dealing with some decommitments that have also been rare since he’s been in charge.
The changing landscape of college football that includes an influx of finances through NIL has altered how programs around the country approach recruiting and how many prospects deal with their own recruitment.
Still, despite this recruiting cycle being different from ones in the past, the Nittany Lions have put together a very solid 2025 class they’re hoping to expand before early signing day on Dec. 4.
Penn State hosted four of their top flip targets this past weekend against UCLA, one of them being current Duke linebacker commit [autotag]Bradley Gompers[/autotag].
The Pittsburgh native popped up on the radar of the Nittany Lions late in the process, only getting a scholarship offer from Franklin on Sept. 17 of this year, but they have also had success with senior risers in the past that not only committed to the program, but also became good players during their careers.
Sean Fitz of BlueWhiteIllustrated laid out where Penn State stands in this process after getting him on campus (subscription required).
According to him, there’s a good chance the Nittany Lions can pull this one off even though he doesn’t want to go back on his word to Duke and their head coach Manny Diaz. However, Penn State is leaning on the local angle and how former teammates of his at Central Catholic are flourishing within the program, something that could also happen for him.
Gompers is a four-star recruit per On3’s Industry Ranking and the No. 11 player in the state of Pennsylvania, so they are going to push hard until signing day.
His visit last Saturday was unofficial, so he can still come back in an official fashion at some point during the upcoming weeks.
Fitz seems to be confident that this will go the way of Penn State at some point, marking the second successful flip they pulled off from Duke after another in-state linebacker, Cam Smith, also announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Aug. 8.