One of Penn State Nittany Lions' 4-star recruits was back at Beaver Stadium on Friday, June 13 for Penn State's second Big Man Challenge featuring various high school football teams across the region.
Offensive tackle Kevin Brown with his Harrisburg High School teammates came out on top with Brown earning MVP honors for the day. Per 247Sports' highlight reel of Brown's performance in the Big Man Challenge, the offensive tackle consistently led the way for his teammates during drills.
His skills on Friday, though, only amplified what head coach James Franklin and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein have been seeing all the way back since Brown was a freshman at Harrisburg. During his first high school season in 2022, the Nittany Lions set a target on the offensive tackle to land his commitment. The class of 2026 recruit was extended an offer that year.
“I like the way [Trautwein] has gone about recruiting me," Brown told Blue-White at the time of his commitment. "I feel like he’s pretty laid-back and just overall a nice guy.”
Brown is the No. 1 prospect out of his home state, Pennsylvania. According to 247Sports Composite, he's ranked No. 45 overall and No. 4 overall in the offensive tackle position.
Ahead of his senior season at Harrisburg, Brown faced 17 offers, but the Nittany Lions scooped up the recruit well beforehand.
On July 27, 2024, he declared his commitment to Penn State and only scheduled one official visit in 2025 to see his soon-to-be home. Brown was considered a top target for the early wave of class of 2026 commitments.
We are...#107kstrong#PSUnrivaled@coachjfranklin@CoachTrautFB @psufootball pic.twitter.com/zhCETXYBb2
— Kevin H. Brown (@KevinHBrown07) July 27, 2024
Brown wasn't the only recruit to be on campus this weekend. Offensive linemen Immanuel Iheanacho, Charlie Thom and Benjamin Eziuka, tight end Brayden Fogle, running back Brian Bonner, and linebacker Terry Wiggins all had official visits scheduled with the Nittany Lions. Wiggins and Eziuka are members of Penn State's recruitment class of 2026 alongside Brown.
The Big Man Challenge was the second event happening as the latter group of recruits with other visitors were participating in a minicamp during their visit. Quarterback commit Peyton Falzone, in particular, stood out in his drills with quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien. Brown was also joined by 3-star offensive tackle recruit and commit Roseby Lubintus when working with Trautwein on Friday.
The recruitment roll is not over yet for the Nittany Lions, though. Even with top-tier talent in committed players, like Brown and Falzone, Franklin is still scanning the pool to enhance the program's near future.