Inside Penn State’s Recruiting Meltdown After James Franklin’s Firing (Part 1)

The impacts of Penn State Football’s decision to fire James Franklin have been pretty unimaginable.

Franklin’s 12-year tenure coming to a screeching halt on October 12th, sending shockwaves into the college football world.

The effect has been felt by many.

Many players. Many coaches around the country. Many people at Penn State.

Penn State Football, James Franklin — Penn State and head football coach James Franklin’s firing have torpedoed the Nittany Lions’ recruiting efforts over the next two classes. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images)

When it comes to impact, though, nothing has been more directly impacted by James Franklin’s firing than the Nittany Lions‘ recruiting efforts.

Prior to October 12th, Penn State had 25 committed prospects in the class of 2026. Now they are down to 15. A class that had once looked like a potential top 12 class is not treading water to stay in the top 25.

Likewise, the class of 2027 had 4 commitments prior to Franklin’s firing.

Now the class of 2027 does not hold any commitments.

Firing Franklin has resulted in an empty 2027 class.

Tracking the Chaos of Penn State Football’s Recruiting Exodus

It’s been a few weeks.

The dust is finally starting to settle. With so much movement, it can be hard to keep up with.

Here is a list of what each former Penn State commit is doing.

Class of 2026

QB Troy Huhn – Decommitted

RB Messiah Mickens – Soft Penn State Commit

WR Davion Brown – Decommitted

WR Jahsiear Rogers – Flipped to Oklahoma

WR Lavar Keys – Decommitted

TE Pierce Petersohn – Soft Penn State Commit

OL Kevin Brown – Soft Penn State Commit

OL Marlen Bright – Soft Penn State Commit

OL Benjamin Eziuka – Soft Penn State Commit

OL Jack Fuchs – Decommitted

DL Jackson Ford – Soft Penn State Commit

DL Tavian Branch – Soft Penn State Commit

DL Isaac Chukwurah – Soft Penn State Commit

DL Alex Haskell – Flipped to Syracuse

DL Tyson Harley – Soft Penn State Commit

LB Elijah Littlejohn – Decommitted

LB Terry Wiggins – Soft Penn State Commit

LB Mathieu Lamah – Soft Penn State Commit

CB Amauri Polydor – Soft Penn State Commit

CB Julian Peterson – Decommitted

CB Jaziel Hart – Flipped to North Carolina

S Matt Sieg – Soft Penn State Commit

S Darrell Carey – Decommitted

ATH David Davis – Soft Penn State Commit

K Adam Mccan-Gibbs – Penn State Commit

Class of 2027

RB Kemon Spell – Decommitted

WR Khalil Taylor – Decommitted

OL Layton Von Brandt – Decommitted

ATH Gabe Jenkins – Decommitted

What is a “Soft” Penn State Commit?

The label “soft commit” is the term I prefer to use.

What has happened is that those 15 prospects have remained committed, but are hearing from other programs. These players have to look out for themselves. Penn State is fine with that.

“Be Patient” is the Message from Penn State

Following a dominant win over Bishop Shanahan, 2026 Linebacker “soft commit” Terry Wiggins said the message from Penn State is to “be patient.”

“They just told me to be patient a little bit.” Wiggins told NittanyCentral. “I know that it’s tough, there is a lot of moving parts going on.”

This has been the theme with the rest of the committed guys as well.

The 2026 class remains the primary focus of the coaching and recruiting staff. The 2026 soft commits have been saying that they are getting the same message.

The route most players are choosing to go is just like Wiggins. Take some other visits, look out for yourself, hear out other schools, and see what Penn State does.

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Bad Timing for Penn State

One of the big issues with firing James Franklin in the middle of the season is that the class of 2026 is at major risk of being a nearly empty class.

Obviously, the class of 2026 is not the reason to keep or fire Franklin.

However, had Pat Kraft waited until the end of the year, things could have played out differently.

Right now, the recruits will likely have at least 2 full months to look around. They have a lot of time to check out other schools and to see what they have to offer. Had Penn State waited to fire Franklin until after the season, many recruits would only have a week or two to make a decision.

There is an argument to be made that firing Franklin when Kraft did has significantly crippled Penn State’s recruiting efforts.

That is the challenge the Nittany Lions are currently facing.

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Ian Purdy

Penn State Football Recruiting Analyst at NittanyCentral

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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