Penn State Football continued its tradition of landing the top talent from Pennsylvania, especially at the running back position, on Saturday night.

This time, it was in the form of a 2026 recruit in running back Messiah Mickens from Camp Hill, Pa.

#AGTG COMMITTED 🔵⚪️ #Happyvalley @Hayesfawcett3 @Coach_JHiII pic.twitter.com/oaDNO1l43s

— Messiah Mickens (@Messiah_1M) August 19, 2023

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While it is extremely early for the 2026 rankings, Mickens is currently rated as the No. 30 player in the nation and No. 1 player in the state by 247 Sports.

For being just a high school sophomore, Mickens already has solid size for a running back, listed at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds.

Why Messiah Mickens is a Major Get for Penn State Football

The hope is that he can grow into the next star running back at Penn State.

While this may seem like an early commitment – Mickens is just the fourth recruit to commit to a school in 2026 class – an in-state kid playing the running back position is very unlikely to waiver on his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

Mickens already posses an elite offer sheet, with the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan and Tennessee. To have offers like that this early into a recruitment says a lot about Mickens’ potential.

Penn State Football has become a destination school for elite running backs since James Franklin arrived on campus. This is especially true for running backs from Pennsylvania.

Since 2014, Franklin has landed Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Journey Brown, Nick Singleton, London Montgomery and 2024 commit Quinton Martin.

This is a great start for the Nittany Lions in the 2026 cycle, but work still remains in the 2024 and 2025 classes before the focus will really turn towards Mickens’ class

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Alec Whitaker

Penn State Football Recruiting Analyst at NittanyCentral

Alec Whitaker is a 2021 graduate of Penn State University earning a BA in Journalism and a minor in History. He is an avid sports fan and spends his free time co-hosting podcasts on his YouTube channel, Whitaker Media. Prior to arriving at NittanyCentral, Whitaker covered Penn State Football and Penn State Football recruiting for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.

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