Matt Campbell bests Ohio State for late-rising 2027 RB Jordan Hall’s commitment

Flip season is here, and it’s already been eventful for head coach Matt Campbell and Penn State. It began with 3-star QB Will Wood flipping to Boston College, and continued with multiple predictions logged for 3-star LB Blake Betton to leave the class for Wisconsin.

However, on Saturday, Campbell turned the momentum around with a relatively unexpected commitment from three-star running back Jordan Hall. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native had been trending toward the Buckeyes since de-committing from Miami (OH) earlier this fall, but after Campbell paid him a visit on Friday night, he announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Saturday, spurning Ohio State and Missouri. 

Hall is ranked as the No. 60 RB in the 2027 class, but has been rolling in the Power 4 offers during his senior season, with Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Maryland, and Louisville joining the three finalists. The 6-foot, 205-pound back is likely to be a late riser in the rankings and potentially an early contributor in a backfield that desperately needs an infusion of talent. 

Penn State finally landed its Aiden Gibson replacement

Even before the struggles of the run game this fall, with Carson Hansen, James Peoples, and Quinton Martin Jr. all averaging fewer than four yards per carry through Penn State’s 0-4 start to Big Ten play, Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer appeared intent on taking two running backs in the 2027 class. 

Hall now joins 6-foot, 220-pound three-star Chukwuma Odoh from New Jersey in the class. Odoh is the No. 43-ranked back in the class by 247Sports Composite. Odoh’s commitment has held strong since four-star Aiden Gibson flipped from Penn State to Rutgers this summer and reclassified to the 2026 class. 

There weren’t many options for the Nittany Lions late in the cycle, and they needed to bring more than just one back into the program. Hansen, Peoples, and Martin all have eligibility remaining, but Campbell and running backs coach Savion Huggins cannot run back the same group. 

Not all the blame for the issues on the ground belongs in the backfield; the left side of the line has been just as culpable. Still, that trio has underperformed, and Martin, who has often been the odd-man out, is likely to transfer out of the program 

The transfer portal could provide replacements, but replenishing the pipeline with high school talent will be important, especially at one of the easiest positions for true freshmen to make an impact. 

Penn State needs to keep the positive momentum going

Yes, Hall is just a three-star, but going head-to-head with Ryan Day and Ohio State, which is still without a running back commit in the 2027 class after whiffing on five-star David Gabriel Georges, is a big deal for Campbell.

Penn State is back up to 21 commits in the 2027 class, which has barely hung on in the top 20 through much of the cycle. However, if Betton does flip to Wisconsin, that total will dip, and Campbell and Hoodjer will need to fill the void. Taking just a 20-player class won’t be enough to raise the baseline talent of a program that has looked overmatched every time it’s taken the field against a conference foe. 

Four-star QB Braylen Warren is the pie-in-the-sky of flip season for the Nittany Lions, but three-star wide receivers Chase Guers or Jamar Taylor are more realistic targets who would be impactful for the class. 

Campbell will be busy holding this class together and looking to add until early signing day.

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