James Franklin’s biggest rivals are landing all Penn State’s 2027 QB targets

With four commits, three of them in-state recruits, Penn State is off to a hot start in the 2027 recruiting cycle with the No. 1 class in the country. However, James Franklin and his staff continue to strike out at the most important position and to their most hated rivals. 

First, four-star Teddy Jarrard chose Notre Dame over Penn State. Then, the Nittany Lions’ top QB target in the class, four-star Peter Bourque from Marion, Massachusetts, committed to Michigan. Now comes the news that Penn State, along with Big Ten foe Oregon, tried to flip four-star Brady Edmunds from his Ohio State pledge, to no avail. 

Edmunds, the No. 8 QB in the class, remains committed to the Buckeyes and is helping in their recruiting efforts while Franklin and his staff appear to be flailing in their pursuit of a 2027 QB. 

Only one QB target remains for Penn State

When Bourque, the No. 6 QB in the class, came off the board on August 11, it became clear that Penn State had to turn its attention fully to No. 10 QB Keegan Croucher, a four-star recruit from Cheshire, Connecticut. It was hard to foresee that Franklin would attempt to flip Edmunds so early in the process, but after that failed attempt, the Nittany Lions should remain focused on Croucher. 

Throughout his tenure in Happy Valley, Franklin has remained loyal at the quarterback position, with just four full-time starting quarterbacks across his first 11 seasons: Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley, Sean Clifford, and Drew Allar. 

Allar’s career will come to an end at the conclusion of the 2025 season, his final year of eligibility, and the reins will likely be passed to 2024 four-star Ethan Grunkemeyer, assuming he can hold off Jaxon Smolik for the QB2 job throughout the year. 

If Grunkemeyer does take over as QB1 for 2026, he will do so with three years of eligibility remaining. That would provide Frankin with the stability he’s accustomed to at the position, as long as he plays well enough to justify it.

That long-term approach to the position alleviates some of the pressure other head coaches around the country are feeling, diving into the Transfer Portal for a stop-gap solution year after year, or amassing the NIL dollars it takes to land a top high school recruit who is expected to take over the program as a true freshman. 

However, it can also dissuade recruits who believe their path to playing time could be blocked by an incumbent who has earned the staunch backing of the head coach. It’s hard to know if that’s the reason that Penn State continues to strike out in the 2027 cycle. Maybe Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State just had a better pitch to the recruits they landed. Maybe it’s all about revenue-sharing and NIL dollars. 

Regardless of the explanation, it’s a situation that Franklin needs to rectify quickly to land Croucher because the 2027 recruiting cycle is heating up, and the quarterbacks always come off the board first.