Interim head coach Terry Smith helped propel Penn State to bowl eligibility after stunning early season disapointment. (Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
In the midst of what has been a crazy season thus far for Penn State football, early national signing day is knocking on the door. Beginning on December 3rd, recruits have 3 days to sign with their respective colleges. This is the earliest window in which a 2026 prospect can sign for their school.
Later this winter will be the final deadline for all 2026 recruits to sign. That day is February 4th.
The vast majority of recruits prefer to sign in the December period, leaving only a handful of recruits to sign on February 4th.
Penn State finds itself in nearly uncharted territory, without a head coach, with the early signing period set to begin.
Early Signing Period: Why December 3rd is a Day of Crisis for Penn State
Penn State is positioned poorly.
Before firing James Franklin, the Nittany Lions boasted the 13th-ranked class in the land, good for the 4th-best in the Big Ten.
Now, the Lions are dead last in the conference, and 100th in the nation. The crazy part is, that number will only continue to plummet.
Sources have strongly indicated that they do not anticipate Penn State signing anyone on early national signing day.
This is a historic recruiting class, or lack thereof.
As far as I can tell, the only other power 4 classes that comes close to Penn State’s situation is SMU and Washington’s classes in in 2024 and 2022. Both teams signed only 10 prospects in those classes. Safe to say, a blue blood like Penn State has never been in a situation like this.
Franklin Effect: How Virginia Tech Gutted Nittany Lions’ Class
The unprecedented recruiting downfall comes largely due to James Franklin getting a head coaching job at Virginia Tech before Penn State made a hire.
Franklin has already officially taken some of the once Penn State bound gems like Messiah Mickens, Troy Huhn, Pierce Petersohn and several others.
Given such a pitfall, it begs the question: What was Pat Kraft’s plan for these 2026 recruits?
“Terry and I talked, and one of the reasons I was comfortable in doing this now is because of Terry. Terry is an elite recruiter.” Kraft told reporters, after firing Franklin. “He has relationships with those kids. He and I talked about many things. That is a part of it. We have to continue.
“I think what we will show is what we’re such a big and historical program, we are going weather the storm. We have weathered far worse than this. I think once Terry gets settled in; now, let’s just talk about me, and our coaches know this. I’ll talk to any recruit, whether it’s fencing, football, wrestling, basketball, volleyball, I don’t care, and I will continue to be active in that process.”
Terry Smith’s recruiting abilities are not in question.
Smith is, in fact, an elite recruiter.
But it makes you wonder, what was Kraft’s plan from the top down? Did he not anticipate the NIL bumps these recruits would likely receive? Is he more focused on the portal?
Regardless, Penn State Football is set to make history on December 3rd by not signing any players in the class of 2026.
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Ian Purdy covers Penn State Football Recruiting for NittanyCentral.
Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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