Penn State Passes Ohio State in 2027 Recruiting Rankings With Latest Commit

Jamir Dean, a 3-star receiver from Tennessee, lifts the Nittany Lions' 2027 class in the national rankings.

The Penn State Nittany Lions mascot entertains during the crowd at the Blue-White Spring Practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Jamir Dean, a 3-star wide receiver from Tennessee, committed to Penn State on Friday, lifting Matt Campbell's 2027 recruiting class ahead of Ohio State in the national rankings. Dean became the 14th player in the Nittany Lions' 2027 recruiting class, which ranks fourth nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Dean (6-2, 180 pounds) is an intriguing wide receiver from Alcoa High in Tennessee. He is the 18th-ranked player in the state and a top-50 receiver nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Dean, who visited Penn State in late-April, chose the Nittany Lions from an offer sheet that includes Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue and Arkansas, among others.

🏠🏠🏠 https://t.co/jxtiTLcXSd

— Jamir Dean (@JamirDean4) May 1, 2026

A 3-sport athlete at Alcoa, Dean is a two-time, first-team all-state wide receiver, earning Class 4A honors as a junior and in Class 3A as a sophomore. Dean recently made the Tennessee Sports Writers all-state basketball team after helping Alcoa win the Class 3A state title. Dean averaged 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds during the state-title run. He also runs track and recently ran a time of 10.8 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

Dean is the second wide receiver in the class, joining 4-star prospect Landon Blum of Iowa. His commitment continued the upward trajectory of Penn State's 2027 class.

Penn State's 2027 class climbs Big Ten rankings

Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling dual meet against Nebraska. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When spring practice began, Campbell said that Penn State was behind in recruiting its 2027 class, having worked through a "very chaotic" winter building a new roster. The Nittany Lions no longer are behind.

In the past six weeks, Campbell has taken Penn State's 2027 class from vacant and unranked to No. 4 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. With Dean's commitment, Penn State passed Ohio State for second in the Big Ten rankings behind USC. Only Oklahoma, Texas A&M and the Trojans rank ahead of Penn State in the latest 247Sports Composite.

Penn State's 14-player class, which includes four 4-star prospects, ranks 14th nationally, according to On3. A day before Dean's commitment, Penn State received a pledge from Philadelphia-area defensive lineman Stanley Montgomery, the highest-ranked player in the class.

The promise of "elite resources" at Penn State has helped Campbell build the highly ranked class so quickly. However, Campbell has said that he continues to recruit based primarily on fit.

"The financial aspect I think is certainly unique," Campbell said. "One of the great things that we have here is the sacrifice that [Athletic Director] Pat [Kraft] and his team have made to be competitive at the highest level to give yourself a chance to build the best team. Now, I think sometimes in college football we can get lost on the financial piece of it. Do I think it's important? Absolutely. But I think the reality is that cannot be priority No. 1. I want young men that want to be here at Penn State and want to win championships at Penn State. It has to start there."

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