Former Penn State commit shares positive update Matt Campbell desperately needed

The 2027 high school class in Pennsylvania is one of the best, if not the best, that the state has seen in years. It’s loaded with blue-chip talents, and that presents a huge opportunity for Matt Campbell to lay the foundation of a future national championship roster in Happy Valley. However, it hasn’t gotten off to a great start. 

The state’s top recruit, five-star running back Kemon Spell, has committed to Georgia, and Campbell has yet to land a commitment in the 2027 class. So, he and his staff desperately needed the positive update that former James Franklin commit Layton Von Brandt shared on social media this week. 

The four-star offensive tackle recruit from Middletown, Delaware, posted his schedule for spring visits, and included a return trip to Happy Valley on April 18. Of course, Virginia Tech cracked the itinerary as well. 

Layton Von Brandt schedules return trip to Happy Valley for April 18

While not an in-state recruit, as a former Nittany Lion commit, Von Brandt is a key piece for Campbell in the 2027 class. The 6-foot-6 offensive tackle is the 38th-ranked player in the country according to 247Sports Composite and the fifth-best at his position. 

Von Brandt committed to Penn State in November 2024, but decommitted after Franklin was fired. Once Campbell was put in place, he and general manager Derek Hoodjer quickly extended an offer to Von Brandt and presumably have worked to fix that relationship. 

That work doesn’t fall on their shoulders alone, however. According to Ryan Snyder’s reporting for On3, Von Brandt has developed a strong relationship with Penn State’s new offensive line coach, Ryan Clanton, since he replaced Phil Trautwein in Happy Valley. 

Trautwein poses another threat to the Nittany Lions in this recruitment, though. The former Florida Gator made his way to his alma mater after the season, joining Jon Sumrall’s staff in Gainesville, and has already brought former Penn State offensive linemen Eagan Boyer and TJ Shanahan Jr. with him. 

With Franklin and Trautwein both in the mix for Von Brandt’s recruitment, it won’t be an easy battle to win, but sometime soon, Campbell must prove his chops as a high-level four and five-star recruiter because developing three-stars worked at Iowa State, but unless you’re Curt Cignetti, it’s a tough way to win in the Big Ten.