Penn State misses on highly coveted five-star plus recruit to Oregon

Penn State football was awaiting the commitment decision of five-star plus recruit Immanuel Iheanacho. The Nittany Lions were up against Oregon, LSU, and Auburn for the elite offensive tackle.

On Thursday, July 3, almost one month ahead of when Iheanacho planned to announce his commitment, he announced his commitment to Oregon.

Five-star plus offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho commits to Oregon over Penn State

This is a heartbreaking loss for Penn State. June was not kind to the Nittany Lions in terms of recruitment, suffering quarterback Peyton Falzone's flipped decision and a group of recruits deciding against Happy Valley. Iheanacho is another "what could have been" scenario, especially considering how logical Penn State's pitch was to the rising senior.

If he opted to take his talents to Pennsylvania, it wouldn't have been a surprise, though the Ducks appeared to be the most obvious choice. Against all three schools head coach James Franklin had to battle, he had one thing they didn't. That was proximity.

“They told me that I don’t have to fly seven hours away to Oregon to do what I want to do, but I can do it all at Penn State where my parents can see each game,” Iheanacho said to On3, according to Pro Football Network. “They really showed me their plan for me, how I can play early there and all of that was big for me.”

Ihenacho also visited Happy Valley multiple times outside of his official visit on June 13. The Nittany Lions were also one of the, if not the top, teams to recruit Iheanacho the longest. Since it seemed the Ducks had the upper hand in this battle, he made it clear that Penn State shouldn't be ruled out. He even posted multiple photos on X and Instagram from his official visit in Happy Valley, hinting that Franklin's team was one of the top two contenders in the mix.

Between location and recruitment pressure, missing out on this recruit definitely stings.

Where does Immanuel Iheanacho's Oregon commitment leave Penn State at?

Iheanacho is the No. 8 overall recruit from the class of 2026, No. 1 interior offensive lineman, and No. 2 student-athlete out of Maryland. Obviously, he would have been a recruitment-saving addition for the Nittany Lions.

All of these losses are piling up on Penn State now. Losing three recruits to Notre Dame — Grayson McKeogh, Khary Adams, and Joey O'Brien — an elite edge Luke Wafle to USC, and now Iheanacho to Oregon is just hit after hit for the Nittany Lions. They have no five-star recruit to headline their class of 2026 and just lost a four-star quarterback.

While Penn State still has a solid class, these misses make the difference between a good recruitment cycle and a great one. It seemed that Franklin was on his way to a great class, but he's falling short and it's not looking like that will change anytime soon.