It’s been just over a week since James Franklin added to his program’s loaded 2026 recruiting class, and that short-lived dry spell could end as soon as Thursday when three-star cornerback Jaziel Hart is expected to announce his commitment.
Hart has cut his list of finalists down to Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech, but six lead 247Sports experts have logged projections for Hart to choose the Nittany Lions and become the 17th member of the 5th-ranked class in the country.
Jaziel Hart set to announce commitment on Thursday, expected to choose Nittany Lions
Hart is scheduled to make his official visit to Happy Valley on June 6, with a visit to Virginia Tech slated for May 30, and trips to Tennessee and Michigan coming later in June. That could mean that if the Roanoke, Virginia native does choose Penn State on Thursday, he could immediately become a flip candidate as he navigates his official visit season.
Hart will join David Davis and Julian Peterson as the third cornerback committed in Penn State’s 2026 class, but cornerbacks coach Terry Smith could quickly be adding others. Hart’s prediction to land with the Nittany Lions came about 11 hours after 247 experts logged predictions for four-star cornerback Khary Adams to head to Happy Valley and about two hours after On3’s Steve Wilftong announced a prediction for Penn State to land four-star cornerback Dorian Barney.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Hart is the 547th-ranked recruit in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings and the 44th-best cornerback in the 2026 class. At that size, he’ll certainly need to redshirt his freshman season to add strength before taking the field in Big Ten play, but his tape reveals a player with impressive ball skills, a great feel for zone coverage, and remarkable top-end speed. Those traits were enough to catch the eye of the Penn State coaching staff and will make him an intriguing development prospect on the outside.
Franklin and his staff have amassed plenty of depth in the 2026 class, so the rest of the cycle will primarily be focused on locking down a headlining four or five-star talent, and that’s not Hart. However, he will add to the depth at an important position that Penn State has been forced to address in the transfer portal multiple times in recent years.