Penn State makes a pre-White Out splash with elite 2027 commitment

For the second straight gameday, Penn State has landed a four-star commitment before kickoff. Last week, four-star 2026 safety Matt Sieg announced his commitment to James Franklin’s program, and on Saturday in Week 11, the Nittany Lions landed four-star 2027 offensive tackle Layton Von Brandt. 

Von Brandt is the No. 42 player in the 2027 class according to 247Sports and the 6-foot-6 255-pound offensive tackle from Middletown, Delaware is the No. 4 ranked tackle in the class. Von Brandt is the second commit in Penn State’s 2027 class, joining McKeesport, Pennsylvania running back Kemon Spell. It’s early in the process, but that two-player class is the second-best in the nation behind Alabama. 

James Franklin has recently prioritized early recruiting and landing long-term commitments. Only three teams have landed 2027 commitments, Alabama, Penn State, and Oklahoma. In 2026, Penn State’s seven-commit class ranks No. 3 in the country and is headlined by another offensive tackle. Four-star Kevin Brown is the No. 80 player in the class and second-ranked player in Pennsylvania. 

With Penn State’s NIL collective lagging behind Big Ten powerhouse programs Oregon and Ohio State, the Nittany Lions lean on early identification and loyalty to build elite recruiting classes. Now after earning a commitment from Von Brandt, comes the hard part, keeping him in the fold for the next few years until he heads to Happy Valley.

Early commitments from offensive linemen are a good sign for the health of the program. Penn State has as much offensive line depth as any program in the country after landing an elite class in 2023 that has still yet to make a huge impact on the field, outside of right tackle Anthony Donkoh. However, Franklin will still need to attract quality skill players to bridge the gap between Penn State and Ohio State.