Takeaways From a Hectic June for Penn State Football Recruiting

The Nittany Lions had a busy, and uneven, month on the recruiting trail in June. Here's where Penn State's 2026 class stands.

Penn State football head coach James Franklin greets fans on Curtin Road outside Beaver Stadium before the Blue-White Game. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The recruiting term that college football coaches love to hear (the "dead period") has begun, which means they can (mostly) stand down from business. Coaches still can, and no doubt will, text with high school recruits but can't make off-campus visits nor host players on campus. Which means, vacation time before training camp starts in July.

June was a manic month for Penn State football recruiting, which picked up seven commitments for the 2026 class and lost a key one. Where does Penn State's 2026 recruiting class stand entering July? Here's a look at where the Nittany Lions are and what's ahead, including a calendar date to circle in the near future.

Where Penn State's 2026 recruiting class ranks nationally

Penn State's 2026 class, once top-5 in the national rankings, now sits at 10th in the 247Sports Composite. The Nittany Lions recently have fallen behind Miami, Clemson, Alabama and Michigan in the national rankings. Once third among Big Ten teams, Penn State is fourth behind USC (No. 1 overall), Ohio State (fifth) and Michigan (ninth). Penn State is 13th in the On3 rankings, behind Oregon in the Big Ten as well.

Penn State's class of 23 commits includes eight players ranked as 4-star prospects, according to 247Sports. The Nittany Lions' highest-ranked player is Pennsylvania safety Matt Sieg, who is No. 75 overall nationally in the 247Sports rankings.

Penn State has six players in the ESPN 300, led by 4-star wide receiver Davion Brown (No. 71) of Virginia. Pennsylvania 4-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown is 80th, Pennsylvania 4-star running back Messiah Mickens is No. 135 and Sieg is No. 152 in the ESPN 300. Also listed are California quarterback Troy Huhn (186 and Michigan offensive lineman Ben Eziuka (258).

What happened to Penn State commit Peyton Falzone?

Falzone, Pennsylvania's highest-ranked quarterback of the 2026 recruiting cycle, committed to Penn State in April in an apparent merger between a rising prospect and his home-state program. Falzone, who plays for Nazareth High in eastern Pennsylvania, has been working with Ohio-based quarterbacks coach Brad Maendler since January.

Maendler, who also trains Penn State quarterbacks Drew Allar and Ethan Grunkemeyer, said that Falzone had made significant strides in their short time together. He also called Falzone one of the best athletes he has worked with at the position.

However, Falzone changed course June 26 and switched his commitment to Auburn. He explained the decision in an interview with Keith Groller of the Allentown Morning Call newspaper.

“Auburn offered me in late May,” Falzone told the paper. "It was an intriguing offer. You know, being in the SEC down south, it’s big-time football. I had lots of conversations with them, and I had to look at which school is going to provide me with the best opportunities. Which school has high academics and has an offensive fit, a scheme fit, for me, and Auburn checked all of those boxes, more so than any other school I’ve been offered by. So, that led me to flip my commitment from Penn State.”

Falzone's commitment left Penn State's 2026 recruiting class with one quarterback in Huhn, who recently competed at the Elite 11 Finals in California.

Who were Penn State's key commitments in June?

Of the seven commitments Penn State received in June, the highest-ranked according to 247Sports was 4-star edge rusher Jackson Ford of Pennsylvania's Malvern Prep. Ford, a second-team all-state player last season, chose Penn State from a top-4 list of Big Ten schools that included Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Penn State also landed a commitment from Minnesota prospect Pierce Petersohn, who figures to play a role at tight end. Petersohn (6-5, 190 pounds) is listed as an athlete for now, since he could play tight end or linebacker, and On3 ranks him as the No. 8 athlete nationally.

Meanwhile, Eziuka is a player to watch. He's a 3-star prospect according to 247Sports and On3 but recently made the ESPN 300. The 6-3, 320-pound offensive lineman from Detroit Catholic Central could get a ratings upgrade in the fall.

The Nittany Lions also received a late-June commitment from kicker Adam McCann-Gibbs, an intriguing player from Northern Ireland who earned a 5-star ranking from Kohl's Professional Camps.

June was an uneven month for Penn State recruiting

Though the Nittany Lions added seven commits, they did lose Falzone and had a rough stretch of prospects choose to go elsewhere. That included 5-star safety Joey O'Brien, the top-ranked player in Pennsylvania who chose Notre Dame.

O'Brien was among several Penn State targets who committed to Notre Dame over Penn State. The list included New Jersey defensive lineman Luke Wafle, a top-100 player from New Jersey who committed to USC.

But there was some future good news. Khalil Taylor, a 4-star receiver from Pittsburgh committed to Penn State's 2027 class, affirmed his decision to On3 after receiving an offer from Notre Dame.

Potential Penn State commitments to watch

Visit season is over, but commitment season continues apace. Several Penn State targets are scheduled to announce their decisions in July and August. The most important arrives Aug. 5, when 5-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho has set his announcement. Iheanacho, one of the nation's highest-ranked uncommitted players, lists Penn State in his recruiting final four with Oregon, LSU and Auburn.

Two Penn State targets who have scheduled early July announcements are Tyson Harley, a 4-star edge rusher from Washington, D.C., and Marlen Bright, a 3-star offensive lineman from New Jersey.