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Previewing Penn State Football's First Official Visit Weekend of June

The Nittany Lions will host a major group of committed and uncommitted prospects.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell answers questions during a press conference at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell answers questions during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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Penn State will host a big group of committed players during its first official-visit weekend in June, giving much of the 2027 recruiting class a chance to bond in person early. Among those from Penn State's sixth-ranked recruiting class scheduled to visit, according to 247Sports, are quarterback Will Wood, 4-star wide receiver Landon Blum and 4-star tight end Cooper Terwilliger.

The Nittany Lions also will host multiple uncommitted prospects who remain priorities for head coach Matt Campbell, who will make his best and final pitch to them. In addition, a Penn State commit is scheduled to be on campus after making an SEC visit beforehand. Here's what to watch from Penn State's first weekend of official visits.

Penn State gets Khalil Taylor back on campus

Khalil Taylor, the 4-star receiver from Pine-Richland High in western Pennsylvania, has made multiple trips to Penn State. This might be the most important. Taylor is one of the top uncommitted receivers in the 2027 recruiting class, ranking 13th nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.

He has visited Colorado and Georgia and also has official visits scheduled to Nebraska and Alabama. Taylor was among the first players to commit to Penn State's 2027 class in March of 2025. Then things changed, but Campbell and his staff have recruited him diligently since.

Campbell's top pitch to Taylor likely will be development. At Iowa State, Campbell sent multiple receivers to the NFL, notably the 2024 duo of Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. And new receivers coach Kashif Moore can point to developing Skyler Bell into an NFL draft pick at UConn.

A short list of key players to watch

Deshawn Hall, a 4-star receiver from Alabama, is expected to be on campus, and Penn State has made him feel important. The Nittany Lions sent five assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters, on a home visit with Hall in May. A top-25 receiver nationally, Hall visited Auburn before heading to Penn State.

Ifeanyi Emedobi, a 3-star defensive end from Indiana, is scheduled to be on campus after taking an official visit to Minnesota. Emedobi has whittled his list to four Big Ten schools: Penn State, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota. He's the 37th-ranked defensive end nationally, according to the 247Sports Compposite.

Penn State also is scheduled to get a visit from 3-star defensive lineman Zahmar Tookes from Rochester, New York. Tookes is the state's top-ranked player in the 2027 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, and has visits scheduled to Georgia and Nebraska as well.

Weekend recruiting notes

Both On3 and 247Sports reported that receiver Jamir Dean, who committed to Penn State in early May, made a visit to Georgia before his scheduled trip to Penn State. The Bulldogs offered Dean, who is from Alcoa, Tennessee, after the receiver committed to Penn State.

Dean recently became a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and is a top-50 receiver nationally. Campbell got one commitment from Dean already, but a major SEC offer will be a challenge to counter. Penn State needs to get him on campus still committed.

Penn State's group of committed players making the first-weekend official visit also include 4-star defensive lineman Stanley Montgomery, the Philadelphia standout who is Penn State's top-rated player in the class; 4-star cornerback Kei'Shjuan Telfair from Ohio; 4-star running back Aiden Gibson from South Carolina; 3-star running back Chukwuma Odoh from New Jersey.

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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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