James Franklin Lays Out Penn State Football Recruiting Flip Strategy | Names to Watch

Penn State Football has been hot on the recruiting trail as of late, picking up two key commitments this week following Penn State’s statement win over West Virginia Saturday.

One of the new commitments, four-star athlete Matthew Outten, comes in the form of a flip commitment from Virginia Tech.

Outten is Penn State’s second flip commitment of the 2025 class, joining in-state linebacker Cam Smith (flipped from Duke in August).

Wednesday after practice, Penn State Football head coach James Franklin laid out Penn State’s recruiting flip strategy during his media availability. Here’s what he said on the topic:

What are the key features of Penn State’s flip strategy? How does Penn State identify flip possibilities?

Franklin began the topic by discussing what makes Penn State continue to recruit a player after a player has committed elsewhere.

Franklin mentioned that Penn State begins by asking “is this a player that [the Penn State staff] felt like we were legitimately in [the recruitment for]?” Franklin continued that “if it came down to [Penn State] and another school and we reach out, or the kid tells us, ‘hey, I want you to keep recruiting me,’ then we’ll keep recruiting them.”

Franklin noted that Penn State only has so many resources that the staff wants to ensure that “the time you’re spending is well spent.” Franklin continued that the top questions for Penn State are “Were we legitimately in it? Is the kid receptive? And do you feel you got a legitimate chance to get him before signing day?”

Finally, Franklin outlined that Penn State is not a negative recruiting team and will not go after another team’s commits just to go after them. “It’s about a guy we’ve had a ton of time invested in, and they still want to be recruited, and we feel like we have a shot.”

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What to take away from James Franklin’s comments?

James Franklin and Penn State have already flipped two commits in the 2025 class, Matthew Outten and Cam Smith.

With Franklin outlining the Penn State strategy above, are there other players that Penn State could flip in the 2025 cycle?

Zahir Mathis

The top candidate on this list would have to be Zahir Mathis, the Ohio State edge commit from Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia. Mathis fits the bill perfectly for what Franklin described as a flip candidate. Since his commitment to Ohio State in January, Mathis has kept in contact with Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes and has visited State College a number of times, including an official visit in July. Since Penn State has continued to pursue Mathis and got him on campus a number of times, including for the official visit, Penn State sees him as a legitimate flip candidate in the 2025 class and will continue to pursue him until they don’t. Mathis also plays with Penn State commit Jabree Wallace-Coleman at Imhotep Institute, which could help the Nittany Lions in their pursuit of a flip.

Brandon Finney

Another player who would seemingly fit the bill on a flip candidate for Penn State would be Oregon Ducks cornerback commit Brandon Finney. Finney had Penn State in his final group and the Nittany Lions had Finney on campus multiple times this year, including an official visit in March. With Finney playing with current 2025 Penn State commit Jeff Exinor Jr. at McDonogh High School in Maryland, a school that Penn State has recruiting very well over the past decade, the Nittany Lions could feel like a legitimate threat to flip Finney this fall before signing day.

Lex Cyrus

Four-star wide receiver Lex Cyrus out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania surprised many when he committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks in July. Before committing to the Gamecocks, Cyrus held a 100 percent crystal ball from 247Sports to the Nittany Lions. With Penn State being in Cyrus’ final group and having him on campus as recent as May, Cyrus would also seem like a likely flip candidate for Penn State.

Penn State’s 2025 class currently sits 13th overall in the 247Sports rankings with 25 total commitments after the Outten flip and the Malachi Goodman commitment. With potentially few spots remaining, all eyes will be on these three and a few remaining uncommitted prospects for the final spots in Penn State’s 2025 class.

MORE: Penn State Calling on Young Safety to Breakout into Vital Role

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