This is the time of the recruiting cycle when a few non-Power Conference commits improve their stock at the start of the senior season, and the powerhouse programs battle to pick them off. That’s what’s happening with Ohio 3-star running back Jordan Hall, who recently decommitted from Miami (OH).
Hall was crystal-balled by Steve Wiltfong to commit to Ohio State, which is hosting him for another visit this weekend for an expected blowout of Kent State. However, before the Buckeyes got into the mix, Penn State became the first Power Four program to offer Hall, who is now the No. 60 running back in the country and No. 30 recruit in Ohio for the 2027 class.
It may seem odd - Penn State and Ohio State fighting so late in the process for an under-recruited running back - but this is a consequential recruitment for both programs, and seemingly, one that is going to end in a victory for Ryan Day’s Buckeyes.
Penn State would still like to add a RB after Aiden Gibson flip
Ohio State’s problems at the running back position in the 2027 class are more recent and have garnered a much bigger spotlight. Tennessee beat the Buckeyes out for 2027 five-star David Gabriel Georges, paying him a massive three-year deal worth around $6 million.
That commitment left Day without a running back in the 2027 class, and there aren’t many uncommitted players to choose from. Plus, a high-profile flip at this point would be costly, though we’re still two months out from the early signing period.
Penn State was operating at a different level in its pursuit of four-star Aiden Gibson, but it still stung when he flipped to Rutgers and reclassified to the 2026 class this summer.
While Gibson could be a transfer option for the Nittany Lions this offseason, especially considering the wretched start in Piscataway has put Greg Schiano on the hot seat, Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer would presumably still like to add a replacement to their 2027 haul.
Currently, three-star Chukwuma Odoh is Penn State’s lone running back in the class, ranked No. 43 at his position. Hall would be an ideal supplement, but Ohio State has the in-state card to play, and, as was made definitive on Wednesday when The Athletic released its roster spending report, has much more money to spend.
It’s harder to hide a hidden gem in Happy Valley
This situation is one of the problems with transporting Campbell and Hoodjer’s model from Penn State to Ohio State. When Iowa State identifies an underrecruited talent that could be a hidden gem and extends an offer, few take notice. But when Penn State does it, either with the same caliber of player or one a level or two up who may be drawing Iowa State-like offers, it turns heads in Columbus, Ann Arbor, South Bend, and pretty much everywhere in the country.
Penn State even beat Cincinnati to offering the Cincinnati product, who went for 176 yards and three touchdowns in his senior season debut for Princeton High School. Yet, it appears that Ohio State will win the day.
In certain cases, first-mover advantage is still valuable for Campbell and his staff relative to their Power Four peers, as it was with David Tarawallie, their top recruit in the class, who was a zero-star at the time of his commitment, but not every time. The added attention that comes with a Penn State offer could, at least in some cases, negate one of their biggest recruiting advantages as astute talent evaluators with an eye for the overlooked.
If Hall does commit to Ohio State over Penn State, that won’t make or break Penn State’s class, or knock it off course as a program. It’s an Ohio kid wanting to be a Buckeyes afterall. But it is a noteworthy outcome, and, hopefully, not part of a trend.
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