Hugh Freeze is out at Auburn as the coaching dominoes continue to fall, leading into what will certainly be a chaotic offseason. The chaos, though, won’t be confined to the coaching carousel. It will inevitably set off a chain reaction of de-commitments, flips, and transfer portal moves, reshuffling the deck at nearly every program in the country.
One of those moves, and hopefully many more, could benefit the Nittany Lions. With Freeze gone, Auburn’s 2026 class is likely to fracture, and that could reignite the possibility of four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone staying home in PA. The former Penn State commit flipped to Auburn over the summer. Now, he may reopen his recruitment and give the Nittany Lions another chance.
Penn State can restart its pursuit of 4-star QB Peyton Falzone
At one point this past summer, Penn State had two four-star quarterbacks committed to its 2026 class, Falzone and California native Troy Huhn. Falzone flipped to Auburn, then, after James Franklin was fired, Huhn de-committed, leaving the remnants of his staff empty-handed with the early signing period fast approaching.
Penn State isn’t exactly in a more stable situation than Auburn at the moment. Both are searching for their next head coach, and it's entirely unclear who will be retained on either staff. Still, it’s a somewhat safe bet that Penn State quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien will stay put in Happy Valley, and O’Brien has an impressive record as a recruiter, helping to land Ethan Grunkemeyer in 2024.
Will Grunkemeyer be the future of the position at Penn State? That’s another question that has to be answered. If so, adding a 2026 QB isn’t quite as pressing an issue, though the QB room has become quite thin with the injury that Jaxon Smolik suffered against Iowa. If not, the Nittany Lions will likely have to pluck a veteran out of the transfer portal and hope a young player, like Falzone, can develop quickly before taking over.
There’s also the possibility that the next head coach brings a quarterback with him, like Eli Drinkwitz, who could bring Beau Pribula back to Happy Valley from Missouri. Drinkwitz also has 2025 PA four-star Matt Zollers, who will be starting the rest of the year after Pribula suffered a season-ending injury.
Will Falzone reconsider Penn State? It largely depends on who the next head coach is. The same goes for whether he’ll stay committed to Auburn. Regardless, this is an opportunity for the Nittany Lions to make a push for a talented young player and see if they can gain any ground before making the crucial head coaching hire.