Penn State Football fans should remember Koa Farmer.
Linebacker, Las Vegas Raiders.
Started at Penn State.
Before that? From California.
Penn State dipped into California again to land its current top-ranked commitment for 2025, 4-star cornerback Daryus Dixson, and its quarterback of the future in 4-star 2026 prospect Troy Huhn.
James Franklin has been gutsy in going after talent far and wide.
Penn State Football’s national hunt didn’t end there. Jayden Woods hails from Kansas, typically uncharted territory before the Nittany Lions hired former Kansas Jayhawks’ offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki in December. Franklin coached Woods’ father, Justin, in 2007 while he was Kansas State’s offensive coordinator.
Penn State also dipped into Texas for the first time in three recruiting cycles to land Max Granville, a native of Sugar Land who became the program’s highest-rated recruit from the Lone Star State.
The Nittany Lions bolstered their edge with Woods, Granville and Harris; all that’s left is to add some viable defensive tackles to round out Barnes’ line. Three-star lineman Randy Adiriki, a teammate of quarterback commit Bekkem Kritza, has been heavily tied to Penn State and could help address the issue.
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James Franklin Elevating Penn State Football Nationally
The takeaway is that Franklin, while still going after local and regional talent, boasting a 50 percent recruit success rate with in-state top talent, has absolutely gone full throttle on the national scene.
And is definitely having success.
In today’s new world of NIL and power conferences, regional focus has shifted. Of course, some recruits may decide to go somewhere else, somewhere closer to home.
But, you have to go after them, compete. And to compete nationally, you need to recruit nationally. So far, James Franklin has done a superb job.
MORE: Recapping Penn State’s Program-Altering Month of June
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He has been recognized for his work as a photographer and has also contributed to various publications including PennLive and The Weather Channel.
Brad is an Air Force veteran, coach and competitive runner that grew up a Nittany Lions fan as his family is originally from the State College area.
His diverse skillset and experiences provide for interesting perspectives on the college football, and sports topics of the day.
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