Penn State has lost 24 commits since firing James Franklin in October and is amid the most embarrassing start to the Early Signing Period of any program in the country. With just two commits left in the 2026 class and no head coach in place, Penn State’s class ranks last in the Big Ten and 150th in the country behind South Dakota State and McNeese.
Yet, whoever is currently running the operation and leading the recruiting into what has now become the de facto national signing day has avoided getting shut out. Despite the uncertainty in Happy Valley, in-state four-star edge rusher Jackson Ford signed with the program on Wednesday, and his faith in the Nittany Lions turning things around might be unmatched.
4⭐️ Malvern (PA) DE Jackson Ford has signed with Penn State. He will likely be the only 2026 recruit to do so in the early signing period.
— Dylan Dawson (@PSU_Dylan) December 3, 2025
Our hero. Already a fan favorite. #WeAre pic.twitter.com/zaTZAnrrCt
4-star EDGE Jackson Ford is still all-in on Penn State
“Penn State, obviously, has had a big coaching change before Franklin, and they managed to get out of that. I strongly believe that they’ll be able to do it again,” Ford told 247Sports’s Bud Elliot. “The people in that building are great people, the program itself is just built on greatness, it’s built on family, and a tight connection. There’s just no doubt in my mind that everyone in that building and their abilities. I 100 percent believe they’re going to be able to build it back up, and that’s why I want to stay.”
Ford may have more faith in the program than even the most passionate fans, a day after athletic director Pat Kraft failed in his attempt to hire Kalani Sitake away from BYU. Even before that embarrassing misstep, much of the 2026 class had dissipated, and Wednesday brought two more high-profile flips with four-star safety Matt Sieg leaving for WVU and four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins joining Franklin at Virginia Tech.
Even once Penn State hires a full-time head coach, either bringing in Jeff Brohm from Louisville or Manny Diaz from Duke or removing the interim tag from Terry Smith, it will be impossible for them to construct anything resembling a competitive 2026 recruiting class. So, overhauling this season’s veteran-laden roster will have to be done almost exclusively through the transfer portal, and still, a missing recruiting class will inevitably have long-term ramifications.
Rebuilds happen faster than ever in the transfer portal era, but Penn State may take multiple years to get back to competing for the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff. Hopefully, that happens while Ford is still around because, as potentially this year’s only signee, he’ll deserve it more than anybody.