With eight commitments, Penn State’s 2026 high school recruiting class is currently ranked No. 4 in the country, and it could get a big boost after one of the top linebackers in the country included the Nittany Lions among his top five on Thursday night. Izayia Williams, a four-star recruit from Leesburg, FL listed Penn State along with Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Florida State.
NEWS: Elite 2026 LB Izayia Williams is down to Five Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 17, 2025
The 6’2 215 LB from Leesburg, FL is ranked as the No. 2 LB in the ‘26 Class (per On3)
Where Should He Go?⬇️
https://t.co/9eh3uS1OdZ pic.twitter.com/icBdnalqa7
The 6-foot-1 205-pound linebacker has had an interesting recruitment so far, which means that a commitment at this stage could be a tenuous situation. He first committed to Louisville in November 2023, then de-committed two months later. After that, Williams committed to Syracuse after receiving an offer in the Spring of 2024, only to de-commit from the Orange in August before the start of his junior season. A month later, on September 4, 2024, Williams committed to Florida State, still one of his finalists, and de-committed from the Seminoles in November.
Williams will be one to watch all the way up until signing day, but a commit would still be a big get for Penn State. James Franklin has recruited Florida exceptionally well and the history of successful linebackers in Happy Valley likely contributes to Williams’ interest in the Nittany Lions.
Penn State does not have a commitment from a linebacker in the 2026 class, but did land LaVar Arrington Jr. Cameron Smith, Dayshaun Burnett, and Alex Tatsch in 2025. Arrington is likely to move to edge rusher and Burnett was listed as a defensive lineman by Penn State on signing day, but, Smith and Tatsch should stay at off-ball linebacker.