Penn State football's former four-star safety commit Gabe Jenkins had a lineup of official visits ahead of him. After just one, though, Jenkins pulled the trigger and announced his commitment for the second time in his recruitment.
Jenkins was previously committed to the Nittany Lions for about two months from August to October 2025, decommitting once now Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin was fired. After head coach Matt Campbell re-offered Jenkins, he was back in Happy Valley on Jan. 24 for Junior Day.
Penn State was back in the mix as one of Jenkins' top schools in this second phase of his recruitment.
Once Colorado put its program in the hat, though, the Nittany Lions starting losing traction with the Class of 2027 safety. Jenkins received his offer from the Buffaloes on Jan. 28 and took an unofficial visit on March 13.
Four-star safety Gabe Jenkins commits to Colorado over Penn State after official visit
He lined up official visits with five schools: Colorado (May 16), Virginia Tech (May 29), Penn State (June 5), Pittsburgh (June 11), and Michigan (June 19). After his first visit, though, Jenkins pushed up his commitment date, which was initially scheduled for late June, and went with the Buffaloes.
BREAKING: FOUR-STAR (‘27) Safety Gabe Jenkins is committing to play for @cubuffsfootball, he tells me for @247sports.
— Riley Alberts (@CfbRalb) May 20, 2026
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Jenkins attends Imani Christian Academy in PA. He is the #17 overall Safety and chose the Buffs over PSU, Michigan, and Georgia.
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Welcome Gabe home Buffs fans!… pic.twitter.com/B4QiBpGgRS
Jenkins is ranked 321st in the Class of 2027 and 33rd among safeties, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He's also the No. 12 recruit from Pennsylvania.
His skills on both sides of the ball makes him effective in speed and aggressiveness in the defensive backfield. In 2025 as a junior, Jenkins logged 24 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery over 13 games.
Penn State and Pittsburgh were the other top contenders among those Jenkins had official visits with. Initially, he was set on completing his round of visits in order to weigh his options fairly and see where he could develop the best.
Though both the Nittany Lions and Panthers had in-state advantage, leaving the area was enticing to Jenkins and something only Colorado could offer when considering those three programs.
"They are one of the top ones on my board. It's just different out there," Jenkins told 247Sports of the Buffaloes. "It's out of the way. There are not too many distractions, a lot of [similar people] that fits my scene. It's a DB school."
Penn State's group of defensive backs isn't shallow, despite not having a big group of safeties in particular. Its Class of 2027 includes four-star cornerback Kei'Shjuan Telfair, three-star cornerbacks Ka'ron Ceaser, Zachary Gleason Jr., and Semajay Robinson, and three-star safety Jonathan Galette. The Nittany Lions have the No. 7 overall recruiting class as of Wednesday.
Moving forward, Campbell has a few options at safety to prioritize. Four-star Cooper Ohnmacht and three-star Zayvon Miller are all high on Penn State. Both have the blue and white in their top four teams with official visits in their calendars. Ohnmacht and Miller will be in Happy Valley on June 19, and Miller's commitment is scheduled soon after on June 24.
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