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Penn State's 2027 Recruiting Class Braces for Key Decisions Week

Two of Penn State's top 2027 targets will announce their decisions in late June.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling match vs. Nebraska.
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling match vs. Nebraska. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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College football begins its six-week recruiting "dead period" Monday, giving coaching staffs a reprieve from the four-month grind of off-campus visits and on-campus hosting duties. But commitment season continues, and for Penn State several important targets remain in the 2027 recruiting class.

In particular, Penn State is waiting on decisions from at least four major prospects to round out the 2027 class. Matt Campbell isn't finished entirely, as he likes to save a 1-2 class slots for rising seniors, but these four players would help re-energize the Nittany Lions' class.

After rising as high as fourth nationally in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, Penn State has settled to 16th and fifth in the Big Ten behind Oregon, USC, Ohio State and UCLA. Nebraska, which is dueling Penn State for one of those key prospects, is on the Nittany Lions' heels at No. 17 overall.

Two players on Penn State's list are scheduled to announce their commitments this week, while another has an announcement scheduled for July 6. Here's a look at Penn State's top remaining 2027 recruiting targets.

Receiver Deshawn Hall

Hall, a 4-star prospect from Alabama, has scheduled a June 23 announcement, with Penn State and Auburn as his two finalists. Penn State has invested a lot of time and coaching hours into Hall's recruitment, sending five assistants on a home visit in May.

Hall became more important to Penn State's class after Jamir Dean, a 4-star receiver from Tennessee, flipped from the Nittany Lions to Georgia. Hall is the 20th-ranked receiver nationally and among the top two players remaining on Penn State's board.

The recruiting analysts at On3 currently lean toward Hall committing to Auburn over Penn State. Campbell and his staff have to trust that their financial package and June official-visit pitch were enough to pull the 6-5 receiver out of Alabama.

Cornerback Dhillon McGee

A 3-star cornerback from Texas, McGee will announce his commitment June 24, one day after Hall. He's down to Penn State, Texas and SMU, haviing visted the Longhorns most recently. McGee visited Penn State in mid-June and has been on cornerbacks coach Terry Smith's first page for a while.

As with Hall, McGee's annoumcement impacts Penn State because of recent decisions affecting the Nittany Lions' cornerback class. The first three commits of Penn State's 2027 class were cornerbacks. However, two of them, Semajay Robinson and Zachary Gleason Jr,. recently decommitted.

Penn State is in good position with McGee, though the official visit to Texas could change that. McGee is a top-50 player at his position nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Receiver Khalil Taylor

Taylor has been part of Penn State's 2027 recruiting plans for two years across two staffs. He committed to Penn State in March 2025, decommitted in October after James Franklin was fired and renewed his relationship with the program after Campbell took over.

Taylor, a 4-star prospect from Pine-Richland High in western Pennsylvania, has made multiple visits to Penn State, most recently for his official in early June. However, he also spent the final weekend of official visits at Nebraska being courted by Matt Rhule.

Taylor is the highest-ranked uncommitted Pennsylvania player remaining in the 2027 class. He's not only a major talent but also would represent a key in-state signing for Campbell. Taylor is scheduled to announce his decision July 6.

Linebacker Case Alexander

Campbell has been recruiting the 4-star linebacker from Oklahoma for a long time. He was the first coach to offer Alexander, back in 2024, as the head coach at Iowa State. Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser was part of Alexander's recruiting as well. Campbell re-offered Alexander in December after becoming Penn State's head coach.

Alexander has a long offer sheet. The nation's No. 22 linebacker, according to the 247Sports Composite, Alexander has received recent offers from Stanford, Arkansas, Missouri and Michigan and took an official visit to Oklahoma after visiting Penn State in June.

Penn State also hopes to gain a family edge. Alexander's brother Cooper is a redshirt sophomore tight end for the Nittany Lions, having transferred from Iowa State. Case Alexander doesn't have an announcement date scheduled.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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