James Franklin had all of his attention focused on beating FIU on Saturday as the No. 2 Nittany Lions hosted the Panthers of Conference USA in Week 2. However, as Penn State held a 10-0 lead at halftime, the program picked up a big win, flipping three-star lineman recruit Tavian Bryant from Rutgers.
Bryant announced his commitment on Saturday afternoon, saying, “Don’t they say, the Best in PA Stay in PA?” The 2026 recruit was previously committed to Rutgers, but de-committed on August 29 before announcing his intention to stay home and play for Franklin’s Nittany Lions.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL Tavian Branch has Committed to Penn State, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 6, 2025
The 6’5 300 DL from Taylor, PA was previously Committed to Rutgers
“Don’t they say, ‘The Best in PA Stay in PA?’”https://t.co/eUCMrys3xG pic.twitter.com/Smc2UXRiZa
Tavian Bryant becomes Penn State’s 25th 2026 commit
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman from Riverside High School in Taylor, Pennsylvania, plays both ways, as a defensive lineman and offensive tackle. He is listed as a defensive lineman by 247Sports and is likely to play on that side of the ball for the Nittany Lions and defensive line coach Deion Barnes.
If Bryant does opt to play defense, he will be the third interior defensive lineman that the Nittany Lions have added in the 2026 class, joining Isaac Chukwurah and Alexander Haskell. Bryant is the 21st-ranked player in the state of Pennsylvania and the Nittany Lions’ seventh in-state commit in 2026.
With the addition of Barnes, Penn State’s class is 16th in the country and the 4th highest ranked class in the Big Ten, trailing USC, Oregon, Ohio State, and Michigan.
As the other Northeast program in the Big Ten, Rutgers has been surging on the recruiting trail under Greg Schiano in recent seasons, but Penn State has held its place as the conference’s East Coast powerhouse. Maryland also made a splash in the 2026 class with five-star edge rusher Zion Elee, who has been a flip target for Penn State since he committed to the Terrapins in December of 2024.
Bryant is a nice addition for the Nittany Lions and is the program’s first 2026 commitment since early July. James Franklin typically makes a strong push early in the cycle, and since that surge, the Nittany Lions have been sinking in the national rankings as other programs built steam over the summer.
Franklin shared a moment with Bryant after the Nittany Lions' 34-0.
James Franklin sharing a moment with Tavian Branch postgame.
— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) September 6, 2025
Branch committed to Penn State during halftime of today’s game pic.twitter.com/olNHgwfexK