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Penn State Early Signing Day Tracker: Every Player Coming to the Program in 2026

Penn State could have a very quiet Early Signing Period, as the program continues to operate without a full-time head coach.
Mark Wogenrich|
A general view of the end zone at Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions.
A general view of the end zone at Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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When he became Penn State's head coach in 2014, James Franklin made Signing Day a holiday. He held an early morning party at the Lasch Football Building, had former players and staff members introduce the new Nittany Lions and even played ESPN's "Pick Is In" jingle from the NFL Draft. Often, there was an omelet bar.

But Penn State has nothing scheduled for the start of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday. The football program remains in limbo without a full-time head coach, and recruits have reacted by committing elsewhere.

Nevertheless, we're here in case anything happens. Follow along as Penn State builds, or deconstructs, its 2026 recruiting class during the Early Signing Period. This real-time tracker features every official signee, individual breakdowns, position group insights, and how the class stacks up nationally.

RELATED: What they're saying about Penn State's puzzling coaching search

Full List of 2026 Early Signees

As of Wednesday, two players have signed with Penn State, one a bit of a surprise. Peyton Falzone, a 4-star quarterback from Nazareth Area High in Pennsylvania, circled back to sign with the Nittany Lions. Falzone had been committed to Penn State before decommitting from its 2026 class in April for Auburn.

Falzone recently decommitted from Auburn's class following the firing of Hugh Freeze and returned to Penn State to sign Wednesday.

Prior to Falzone's announcement, Jackson Ford, a 4-star defensive end from Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania, said on CBS Sports College Football's live show that he has signed with the Nittany Lions.

"Penn State obviously has had a big coaching change before [James] Franklin and they managed to get out of that," Ford said on the CBS Sports live stream. "I strongly believe that they'll be able to do it again."

Ford, a 4-star edge rusher, is the nation's 25th-ranked player at his position and the 256th-ranked player overall, according to the 247Sports Composite. He has remaind committed to Penn State since announcing his decision in June.

"The people in the building are great people," Ford said. "The program itself is just built on greatness, it's built on family. ... I 100 percent believe they're going to be able to build it up, and that's why I want to stay."

Penn State has one more player committed to the class who has yet to announce his signing: Amauri Polydor, a 3-star defensive back from Saint Francis Academy in Baltimore.

Matt Sieg, a 4-star safety from Pennsylvania and one of the highest-ranked players in the class, announced Wednesday that he has committed to West Virginia. And Terry Wiggins, a 4-star linebacker from Coatesville (Pa.), signed with Virginia Tech.

Recruiting Surprises, Flips & Misses

Since Oct. 12, when Penn State fired James Frankin, the recruiting class has been nothing but decommitments and flips. At one point. Penn State had 27 players committed to its 2026 recruiting class.

But since Frankin was fired, 22 players have decommitted from the Nittany Lions' class. Ten of those players have committed to Franklin at Virginia Tech. The list includes 4-star running back Messiah Mickens, 4-star quarterback Troy Huhn, 4-star receiver Davion Brown and 4-star edge rusher Tyson Harley.

"I want to make sure that this is interpreted right," Franklin said during his Signing Day press conference at Virginia Tech. "By no means were we out looking to take commits from any specific school. It really just came down to the kids that we had relationships with, that we’ve known for multiple years. That’s really what that was about."

Among the other top-rated players in Penn State's class who have committed elsewhere:

  • 4-star offensive lineman Kevin Brown flipped to West Virginia.
  • 4-star receiver linebacker Elijah Littlehjohn flipped to Georgia.
  • 4-star receiver Jahsiear Rogers flipped to Oklahoma.
  • 3-star receiver Lavar Keys flipped to Indiana.
  • 3-star defensive lineman Isaac Chukwurah flipped to Miami.

Historical Context and Class Ranking

A general view of Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Penn State Nittany Lions.
A general view of Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

There is no historical context for what's happening at Penn State. The program has never gone a recruiting cycle without signing a player. In the modern era of college football, it's unlikely any Power 4 program has.

Frankin's move to Virginia Tech certainly complicated Penn State's season, regarding staff changes and recruiting. Franklin took multiple staff members, who worked primarily in recruiting, with him to Virginia Tech. And Smith said that he knew Franklin would be recruiting his former commits.

“The immediate threat is to take Penn State players,” Smith said recently. “With the uncertainty of the next head coach, … the most important thing that we can do is to protect the locker room. When it comes to high school recruits, [Franklin] has an advantage right now because we don't have a permanent head coach.”

And Franklin has taken advantage of that. Virginia Tech entered the Early Signing Period with the nation's 30th-ranked recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite, in part because of the players Franklin flipped from Penn State.

Meanwhile, Penn State's 2026 class ranks 150th nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, and last in the Big Ten. Teams that rank above Penn State include FIU (91st) and Nevada (112), which Penn State beat to start the season.

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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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