Penn State Adds 4-Star Edge Rusher to 2026 Recruiting Class

Jackson Ford, one of the top-ranked players in Pennsylvania, commits to the Nittany Lions.

Penn State football coach James Franklin celebrates with students following a Nittany Lions win at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State added another top-10 player in Pennsylvania to its 2026 recruiting class, as 4-star defensive end Jackson Ford announced his commitment. Ford became the 21st player, and the seventh from Pennsylvania, to join the Penn State football 2026 class.

Ford chose Penn State from a top-4 list of Big Ten schools that included Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. Ford also has offers from USC, Maryland, Michigan State, Stanford, Indiana and West Virginia, among others.

Ford was a second-team, all-state player at Malvern Prep, where he plays defensive end. Ford is the eighth-ranked player in Pennsylvania and the No. 31 edge rusher nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is a consensus 4-star prospect according to the major recruiting sites and a Pennsylvania top-10 player per On3. Andrew Ivins, 247Sports' director of scouting, called the 6-4, 240-pound Ford a "force-based "edge defender" who will get bigger before arriving at Penn State in 2026.

"[Ford] tends to create most of his pressures with pure effort and further technical development should only make him more valuable on passing downs as he’s still learning how to work in secondary moves after initially billing himself as more of a tight end," Ivins wrote in his scouting report. "Could fit into a variety of different fronts and already has experience attacking from both a two and three-point stance. Projects as a potential multi-year contributor with all-conference upside at the Power Four level that can help set the edge and create negative plays."

Ford's commitment on Penn State's 2026 recruiting class

Penn State's class has gone through it recently, with several commitments, a decommitment and some missed opportunities. The top news of the week was quarterback Peyton Falzone's decision to decommit from Penn State's 2026 class and switch to Auburn. Falzone had committed to Virginia Tech in 2024 before flipping to Penn State in April.

Penn State also received a commitment from 4-star Minnesota athlete Pierce Petersohn, who likely will play tight end for the Nittany Lions. Petersohn chose Penn State over his home-state Golden Gophers.

With Ford's commitment, Penn State's 2026 class moved to eighth in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Penn State has 11 4-star players committed to its 2026 class. The Nittany Lions rank third in the Big Ten behind USC (No. 1 overall) and Ohio State (No. 5). More commitments are likely soon, as recruiting enters the dead period for July.