Without a head coach in place, Penn State limped to an embarrassing Early Signing Period with just two recruits, Jackson Ford and Peyton Falzone, putting pen to paper. However, since being officially installed, Matt Campbell is doing his best to save the 2026 recruiting cycle by raiding his Iowa State recruiting class.
Over the weekend, Campbell landed his first commit as the Penn State head coach, three-star defensive back Bryson Williams, who was released from his Iowa State signing. Then, on Sunday, Campbell added three more with three-star quarterback Kase Evans, three-star safety Tyrell Chatman, and three-star punter Lucas Tenbrock all joining the Nittany Lions’ 2026 class after being granted their release from Iowa State signings.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 QB Kase Evans has Committed to Penn State, he tells me for @rivals⁰⁰The 6’3 195 QB from Lexington, TX was released from his signing with Iowa State 3 days ago⁰⁰“Proverbs 4:25-27 WE ARE!🦁”⁰⁰https://t.co/XafxynEJox pic.twitter.com/3Fwox7hoWk
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 14, 2025
Matt Campbell adds Bryson Williams, Kase Evans, Tyrell Chatman, and Lucas Tenbrock to 2026 recruiting class
It shouldn’t be a surprise that two defensive backs were among the first players to flip from Iowa State to Penn State because Campbell brought secondary coach Deon Broomfield with him to Happy Valley. Broomfield spent five seasons coaching the safeties in Ames and has spent 10 years coaching defensive backs at the collegiate level.
Like most of Campbell’s Iowa State staff, Broomfield has a reputation for developing three-star talent, most notably Iowa State sophomore safety Marcus Neal Jr., who had a breakout season in 2025 as one of the best defensive backs in the Big 12. Neal will almost certainly be one of Penn State’s top targets when the transfer portal opens on January 2.
Possibly the biggest surprise of the commitments was Evans, a three-star QB from Lexington, Texas. The 6-foot-2 passer is the 60th-ranked quarterback in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite. He joins a class that already includes the 20th-ranked QB in the country, four-star Peyton Falzone, who flipped back to Penn State from a commitment to Auburn on signing day.
While Evans isn’t nearly as highly-touted as Falzone, if Campbell believes in him, then he’s an interesting prospect to monitor. Both Brock Purdy and Rocco Becht were ranked outside the top 30 at the position in their respective recruiting classes, but developed into multi-year starters for the Cyclones. Purdy, of course, is now the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, while Becht has one season of eligibility remaining and could be heading to Penn State if he opts to explore the Transfer Portal.