Penn State football came up short in a number of battles for five- and four-star, Class of 2027 recruits. On Sunday, Feb. 8, though, another popped up on the Nittany Lions radar.
Brandon Lockley Jr., a four-star recruit from Philadelphia, Penn., is the No. 13 linebacker from his class. He's ranked 222nd nationally and eighth out of Pennsylvania, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
Ryan Snyder of On3 reported that Penn State linebackers coach Tyson Veidt extended an offer to Lockley on Feb. 4 and that the program is back as a serious contender for him.
Assistant coach @TysonVeidt extended an offer to four-star linebacker Brandon Lockley earlier this week.
— Ryan Snyder (@RyanSnyderOn3) February 8, 2026
The in-state prospect updates his visit schedule and when he might return to Penn State.
Link ➡️ https://t.co/eP3Z43T6Mf pic.twitter.com/12SPQoucjP
Penn State extends offer to and picks up interest from four-star linebacker Brandon Lockley Jr.
Before head coach Matt Campbell's era, Lockley took two unofficial visits to Penn State, once in 2024 and again in 2025. During the January contact period, Campbell visited the outside linebacker at St. Joseph's Prep as well. Veidt's call came after the visit with the offer.
Alongside the Nittany Lions, Lockley has offers from other schools, such as Alabama, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Nebraska, and Duke.
The news of Lockley's interest came at the right time.
Five-star running back Kemon Spell and wide receiver Samson Gash officially locked it in with a commitment and signing, respectively, with other teams. Spell committed to Georgia on Feb. 2 and Gash signed with Michigan State two days later on Feb. 4. On Saturday, Feb. 7, five-star interior offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller also revealed that Penn State did not make the cut for his top four finalists.
The Nittany Lions received some good news in the mix as three-star defensive lineman Stanley Montgomery de-committed from Syracuse. He reopened his recruitment, as per his social media post, with Penn State highly favored to pick Montgomery up.
Recruiting hasn't been all bad news, despite the recent chain of events. The Nittany Lions are still surging, continuing the momentum from their aggressive Transfer Portal approach and the group of signees and enrollees that came in. Campbell now has two prospects out of Pennsylvania giving the blue and white a shot. He has yet to earn a commitment from a Class of 2027 recruit.