Penn State football landed its first edge recruit from the class of 2026 on Friday, June 27 after offering the rising senior an offer about one year ago. Head coach James Franklin lost an in-state commit on Wednesday, as Peyton Falzone flipped his commitment to Auburn. However, he landed a different Pennsylvania native and filled a hole among the positions in his current class.
Jackson Ford, a four-star ranked No. 306 overall, has joined the Nittany Lions' No. 8 recruitment class across the country. He's also the No. 31 edge overall and No. 8 recruit from the state. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote in Ford's scouting report:
"Force-based edge defender that has proven to be rather effective against the run as he slips off blocks and gets to the ball carrier . . . Not the most limber athlete, but has flashed the ability to plant and redirect as he flows forward. Can win with snap anticipation and will use an above average first-step to get into opponents. Quick to shoot the hands as a pass rusher and holsters a nifty spin move. Tends to create most of his pressures with pure effort and further technical development should only make him more valuable on passing downs as he’s still learning how to work in secondary moves after initially billing himself as more of a tight end. Could fit into a variety of different fronts and already has experience attacking from both a two and three-point stance. Projects as a potential multi-year contributor with all-conference upside at the Power Four level that can help set the edge and create negative plays."
Four-star EDGE Jackson Ford commits to Penn State
Especially as Penn State has been dealing with a lot of unfortunate scenarios in the back-half of June, such as losing out on edge recruit Luke Wafle or falling to Notre Dame time and time again in recruiting battles, this commitment is a huge win. The four finalists in Ford's decision were all Big Ten schools as well. The Nittany Lions and Wisconsin were the frontrunners, but Michigan and Ohio State were in consideration as he narrowed down his offers.
Ford was a highly sought out recruit, receiving 20 offers in total. However, Penn State was consistent throughout the year since having extended him an offer. A big factor in his commitment, according to On3, was those connections the coaching staff made with him. Ford visited Happy Valley five times since July 2024. Being close to home also helped him make his decision as Penn State is only three hours away from his home in Malvern, Penn.
At the moment, the Nittany Lions' group of defensemen is strong, and an addition of another four-star will help round out that side of the ball. The class aside from Ford consists of four-stars Matt Sieg (safety), Terry Wiggins (linebacker), and Elijah Littlejohn (linebacker), and three-stars Darrell Carey (safety), Isaac Chukwurah (defensive lineman), Julian Peterson (cornerback), Alexander Haskell (defensive lineman), Jaziel Hart (cornerback), Mathieu Lamah (linebacker), and Amauri Polydor (cornerback).