The Penn State football team had an interesting month of recruitment and unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they struggled to stay afloat in the competition.
Head coach James Franklin lost a key commit and added seven new recruits to his class of 2026 roster. While that frenzy was going on, Penn State was also in the midst of losing out on recruits as they committed to different colleges.
These are the major shifts in Franklin's recruitment and what lies ahead for the Nittany Lions.
Four-star QB Peyton Falzone flipped his commitment
It seemed that Penn State had quarterback Peyton Falzone on lock after he flipped his commitment from Virginia Tech in April. The location was perfect for Falzone to stay close to his family and quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien felt like the right fit for the rising senior.
However, on June 26, the Nittany lost one of two quarterbacks to Auburn. This left them with Troy Hunh, but despite having another four-star quarterback, losing Falzone definitely stung as Happy Valley seemed to be the perfect place for him.
Nittany Lions added seven new recruits, including three four-star commits
Penn State landed Jackson Ford, Elijah Littlejohn, Pierce Petersohn, Jack Fuchs, Amauri Polydor, Benjamin Eziuka, and Adam McCann-Gibbs in June.
Ford, Littlejohn, and Petersohn are the three four-star commits Franklin rallied. Ford was a huge win for the Nittany Lions as he was their first edge recruit. After Falzone flipped his commitment, it was a breath of fresh air to land a different Pennsylvania native and keep the recruitment class competitive. As for Littlejohn, he became the newest commit to "Linebacker U" that Penn State beat North Carolina State for that had home-state advantage. Petersohn was another "first" for the Nittany Lions' class of 2026 and filled the vacancy in the tight end position.
Penn State was basically a shoe-in for offensive tackle Fuchs as his father, Scott Fuchs, used to coach with the Nittany Lions' offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and has a strong relationship with to this day. Fuchs joined three other offensive linemen in the class. Polydor and Eziuka are two three-star commits that announced their decisions earlier in the month.
To cap off the commitments in June, Penn State picked up an international kicker. If he signs, McCann-Gibbs will be the first overseas player for Penn State football. Especially since punter Riley Thompson is entering his final NCAA season, having a specialist in this pool of commits will be beneficial for the Nittany Lions long-term.
Penn State couldn't keep up with Notre Dame's recruitment momentum
The Nittany Lions struggled against the Fighting Irish with recruitment in June. Khary Adams, Joey O'Brien, and Grayson McKeogh all chose to take their talents to Notre Dame and left Penn State in a sticky situation as they were top targets.
Both Adams and O'Brien teased Nittany Lion fans on social media, but despite that, the Fighting Irish always had a slight edge on Penn State for these two battles. The cornerback and safety were impressed on their visits to Notre Dame and felt at home. McKeogh felt the same way, seeing himself fitting in with the Fighting rish program long-term. He originally was set to announce his commitment on July 1, but bumped it up well in advance to June 18.
The Nittany Lions also lost out on edge rusher Luke Wafle and cornerback Brandon Arrington. These elite recruits would've pushed Franklin's class of 2026 from good to great. Arrington, though, didn't put Penn State in his top two schools as he narrowed down his list and Wafle committed to USC despite his older brother entering his first season with the Nittany Lions.
Class of 2027 elite wide receiver shuts down his recruitment
The backhalf of June was more unkind to Penn State than not, but there was a glimmer of hope as elite wide receiver from the class of 2027 Khalil Taylor announced that he was shutting down his recruitment.
The four-star wideout from Pennsylvania is the No. 72 overall recruit, No. 14 in his position, and No. 3 student-athletes from the state. He received an offer from the Fighting Irish late in June and soon after, Taylor made it clear that Happy Valley was where he wanted to be.
Immanuel Iheanacho is the next top target Penn State is hoping to land
Immanuel Iheanacho is set to announce his commitment on Aug. 5. He's a five-star offensive lineman who put Penn State in his top four schools alongside Oregon, LSU, and Auburn. It seems that Iheanacho is leaning towards the Ducks and the Nittany Lions, but anything can happen.
Penn State has an edge on the recruit, though. Franklin made it clear to Iheanacho that Happy Valley is a much better location for his family. Instead, his family can watch every game if he were a Nittany Lion and soon. Penn State laid out a plan for the offensive lineman that would get him playing as early as possible.
Now entering the dead period, the only thing Franklin and his staff can is stay in contact with high school recruits and await commitment decisions as they roll out.