Penn State Football Recruiting Nuggets from the Weekend
James Franklin and the Penn State Football staff have had a busy weekend. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions hosted a large number of recruits during their third spring football practice. Three key things happened for Penn State Football recruiting over the weekend. The first key thing was landing 2027 Wide Receiver Khalil Taylor. Taylor is an absolutely massive target for Penn State to land. The second key thing that James Franklin and company were able to pull of was getting 2026 running back commit, Messiah Mickens to completely lock in with Penn State. Similarly, the Nittany Lions were able to get 2027 running back Kemon Spell to shut down his recruitment as well.
NittanyCentral is your home for Penn State football recruiting. As the busy weekend has wrapped up, I have been in touch with sources to provide the latest feedback from the recruits that Penn State hosted over the weekend. I will update this story as more feedback rolls in.
Update #1 3/31/25 4:52 pm
Update #2 3/31/25 8:25 pm
Update #3 3/31/25 10:25 pm
Class of 2026 Recruits Praise Penn State
Photo Courtesy of Edward Baker
2026 OL Edward Baker (St. Frances Academy)
On Saturday, 2026 St. Frances Academy Offensive Lineman Edward Baker picked up and offer from Penn State. Baker boasts an impressive top seven list which includes Alabama, Virginia, NC State, Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida. Even though Baker has a top seven, it sounds like Penn State could find its way up that list pretty quickly.
Baker described the visit saying “It was amazing, this is my first real time getting to have a sit down with the coaches… It was good to get up there and speak to Coach Franklin and Coach Trautwein.” Baker also detailed how it felt to receive an offer from Penn State saying “Coach Trautwein, me and him had a meeting. Just me and him. We stayed two hours after practice, we were just watching film and things like that… At the end of the meeting he said ‘we’re going to offer you’.”
Is Penn State within Baker’s top seven after receiving an offer? “Oh yeah 100 percent” Baker said. “Some things have changed in [my] recruitment since the top seven. So, them offering me and showing me their interest, they’re definitely in there now.”
Penn State will have to compete with Tennessee, NC State, Auburn, Arkansas, Virginia and others to land Baker. However, Baker seemed to enjoy his time in State College.
2026 LB Rodney Colton (Newnan)
One of the nation’s premiere 2026 linebackers made his way up from Georgia to visit the Nittany Lions. The former South Carolina commit, Rodney Colton was a priority on campus Saturday.”It was good, it was pretty cool.” Colton said describing the visit. “We really just watched practice and they took me out to eat you know? I watched film, went over the defensive scheme and all that.”
Colton told me that Penn State has a message for him. He can be an impact player. He said “They said I can have a spot, [that] I can play early due to the linebacker room… Just talking about getting in the playbook, getting in the scheme of their defense. I feel like I fit in pretty well.”
Penn State’s biggest competition for Colton is Ole Miss. Colton visited the Rebels on March 22nd. He compared Penn State and Ole Miss, saying “For Penn State it’s like, I [would] say, like, I love the development part. They tell me [they will] develop me. You need development in college football. But it’s a player led team at Ole Miss and everything. I feel like the best teams are player led teams, you know?”
Penn State will be in the mix for Colton. He is planning an official visit to State College at the end of May. That visit could set up to be a crucial visit for the Nittany Lions.
2026 CB Amauri Polydor (St. Frances Academy)
Baltimore native Amauri Polydor, visited Penn State over the weekend. This was Polydor’s first spring practice ever. Polydor raved about his time at Penn State. “It went amazing. I loved it… It was pretty good.” He said.
Polydor earned an offer from Penn State back in Feburary. The staff seems to have fallen in love with Polydor. He said that the pitch to him was a convincing one. “Honestly they told me they really want me. I was in for it as well. They were saying how they could see me playing on their field. I also could see myself playing on their field. Just the way they were practicing and everything.”
From Penn State’s perspective, the race for Polydor is not complete. Polydor told me “So we have Michigan State right now, South Carolina and Indiana. Wisconsin, they’re trying to get me down. I will be headed to Maryland and I’m pretty sure that’s it as of right now.” Those are the visits he plans to take for spring practice in April. Polydor also said that his timeframe for a commitment is not set in stone, but it will be before his senior football season starts. This is one to keep an eye on for Penn State
Class of 2027 Recruits Talk Penn State Visit
2027 RB Kemon Spell (McKeesport) (Penn State Commit)
Some of the best news of the weekend came from Penn State commit, Kemon Spell. Spell is a highly talented Running Back out of Pittsburgh. The McKeesport star told NittanyCentral that he has in fact shut down his recruitment. Spell is completely locked in with the Nittany Lions. He said “[The visit] went good. Meeting Coach Drayton and I got to sit down and talk with Coach Franklin. It was a good time. You know, I shut down my recruitment.”
Getting to know Coach Drayton played a big part in Spell shutting down his recruitment. Spell loved his time with Coach Drayton, saying “I love him, as a coach I love him. You know, I sat down in the running backs rooms and him and my Dad and my Step Mom talked. It just felt like home. He said he’s gonna treat me like one of his own kids when I get up there… It just felt so good.”
Spell also told me he has know Khalil Taylor for a few years now. He was happy to have Taylor on board. “That’s my boy. I can’t wait for us to get up there.” Spell said. The two will have the chance to be a terrific duo for the Nittany Lions in the future. Being that they are both from Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t be surprised if they both try to convince a few other WPIAL elites to join them at Penn State.
2027 WR Bryan Porter (Bergan Catholic)
On the same day Penn State landed Khalil Taylor they also hosted another talented 2027 wideout. New Jersey native, Bryan Porter talked about the Penn State visit saying “I had a great time, I enjoyed it a lot. We watched spring practice and went to meetings.”
Porter stated that he and Wide Receivers Coach, Marques Hagans have a strong relationship. This strong relationship is something that will only help the Nittany Lions in their quest to land Porter.
Porter isn’t ready to name a leader or anything like that, but he talked about Penn State’s place in his recruitment saying “It’s too early to tell, but Penn State is high on my board.”
2027 DB Jonathan Galette (St. Joseph Regional (Montvale))
Galette was another player that Penn State offered over the weekend. The New Jersey defender made the trip over to State College where he was offered by James Franklin. “It was great. It definitely felt good” Galette said about earning a Penn State offer.
Galette said Coach Franklin told him that “He’s gonna recruit the hell out of me and that he loves my game.”
When it comes to a leader in his recruitment, Galette doesn’t have one just yet. “I wouldn’t say I have a leader right now, I’m still young and enjoying the process.” Galette told me that Illinois and North Carolina are two other schools he will visit this spring. Given Coach Franklin’s recruiting pitch to Galette Penn State will likely be in on his recruitment for a long time.
2027 EDGE Abraham Sesay (Downingtown East)
Another 2027 prospect who received a scholarship offer over the weekend was Pennsylvania edge rusher, Abraham Sesay. Sesay said this about the scholarship offer. “I mean it was surreal. I grew up watching Penn State football so finally being in that position really is amazing.”
The visit left Sesay impressed. He said “It was great, great atmosphere, great getting up there, talking to the coaches. It was amazing.”
The Downingtown East product can see himself with the Nittany Lions. Sesay described it this way. “I’m definitely interested in Penn State Football just because it’s close to home. I wanna stay close to home, close to my family. But I also just wanna get the best opportunity [that] I can.”
The newly offered Sesay described his game saying “I feel like I’m a high motor player. I’m always ready to compete. I play with violence and agressiveness. Nobody will ever work harder than me on the field. So I think I just bring that hard work and mentality to any team or program.” That sounds like the type of player Penn State is looking for.
Other schools involved in Sesay’s young recruitment are Rutgers, Syracuse and possibly Pitt. Sesay is scheduled to visit Rutgers and Syracuse and is working on a Pitt visit. Penn State is in a good spot in Sesay’s young recruitment.
Extra Recruiting Notes
Not only did Penn State secure an impressive weekend of recruiting, some key targets have also made some announcements.
2026 Linebacker Mathieu Kanu announced his top six on Sunday. That list included Penn State, Kentucky, Michigan, UNC, Virginia Tech and Rutgers. Kanu plans on visiting Penn State this fall as Penn State tries to secure Kanu.
A pretty new name popped up on Monday as a guy to watch for the Nittany Lions. Alabama commit Jamarion Matthews announced he will be taking official visits to Penn State, Auburn and Alabama. The edge rusher might be a name to keep an eye on this summer.
Read More Penn State News at NittanyCentral:
Khalil Taylor goes in depth on Penn State Commitment
26′ Quarterback Peyton Falzone Breaks Down Penn State Visit
27′ Receiver Talks Penn State Visit
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.