Matt Campbell is getting closer to reeling back in former 4-star Penn State OT commit

Throughout his tenure at Penn State, James Franklin tended to get off to a hot start on the recruiting trail, and before he was fired midway through last season, the 2027 class was no different. That class fractured, and the top commit from it, five-star running back Kemon Spell, has since committed to Georgia, but Matt Campbell is getting closer to reeling back in four-star OT Layton Von Brandt. 

On Sunday, Von Brandt named the four finalists in his recruitment. The top-five ranked offensive tackle by 247Sports Composite included the Nittany Lions along with Notre Dame, Auburn, and Florida, where former Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein now coaches. 

Penn State named as finalist for 4-star OT Layton Von Brandt

Von Brandt was an early commit to the Nittany Lions, making that announcement in November of 2024. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound rising senior from Middletown, Delaware, is a top-100 recruit in the country, and as the composite rankings' 64th overall player, would be the top-ranked recruit in Campbell’s class if he were to rejoin the fray. 

Securing a commitment, however, will not be an easy task. While geographically, Penn State has a clear advantage over its competitors, Florida has the Trautwein connection, which looms particularly large with James Franklin’s Virginia Tech Hokies not in consideration, and Notre Dame has been a constant thorn in the side of the Nittany Lions. 

Since returning to his alma mater, Trautwein has already secured a commitment from five-star Maxwell Hiller, the top overall recruit in Pennsylvania in the 2027 class and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country. Notre Dame’s class is headlined by top-five PA recruit, James Halter, a four-star offensive tackle ranked one spot ahead of Von Brandt in the national positional rankings, and just last week, the Irish bested Penn State, among others, for four-star New Jersey edge rusher Aidan O’Neil. 

Remaining in Von Brandt’s top four as his commitment nears is significant for Campbell and his staff as they work to rebuild the 2027 class. The reconstruction effort so far has yielded 14 commitments, but Von Brandt would be the biggest, and not just because he’d become the top-ranked. 

His commitment would signal to other former 2027 commits, including in-state four-stars Khalil Taylor and Gabe Jenkins, that the program is in good hands with Campbell. Von Brandt was one of the first to commit to Franklin in the 2027 class. Now, he could be the first to return to the Nittany Lions since the coaching change.

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