Four-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown is the top-ranked commit in Penn State’s 2026 class, but as other former members of the class flip their commitments in the wake of James Franklin’s firing, Brown is testing the waters at one of the Nittany Lions’ historic rivals.
Brown’s father, Tim, played his college football for Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia before a brief NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, with Rodriguez back in Morgantown, Kevin Brown, a PA native from Harrisburg, is taking a visit to Milan Puskar Stadium in Week 10 as the Mountaineers host No. 22 Houston.
Can confirm that Class of 2026 4-Star OL prospect and Penn State commit Kevin Brown will be visiting WVU this week.
— Joe Smith (@joesmithwrites) October 27, 2025
The Harrisburg, Pa. product's father Tim Brown played at WVU before spending time in the NFL w/ the Steelers. Brown is the 4th-ranked OT nationally in his class. pic.twitter.com/McDjV0o16x
4-star OT Kevin Brown taking gameday visit to West Virginia
Brown is the 59th-ranked player nationally by 247Sports Composite Rankings, and the top-rated player in the Penn State class ahead of Harrisburg four-star running back Messiah Mickens. Brown, Mickens, four-star safety Matt Sieg, and most of the class have reopened their recruiting, and two former Penn State recruits have already announced commitments to new programs.
Three-star defensive lineman Alexander Haskell was the first to change his allegiances, flipping to Syracuse last week, and on Monday, four-star wide receiver Jahsiear Rogers flipped to Oklahoma. Brown would be the most devastating blow, and though Penn State’s rivalry with West Virginia wasn’t renewed beyond their 2024 matchup, losing a top recruit to the Mountaineers would be devastating.
Maryland, Syracuse, Pitt, and now West Virginia are all hoping to seize on Penn State’s weakness as the Nittany Lions transition from Franklin, who dominated the region on the recruiting trail for 11 years. It won’t be easy for Penn State to keep those programs at bay until Franklin’s replacement is in place, and even then, the 2026 class could be a lost cause.
In 2025, Penn State’s veteran offensive line was expected to be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Through the 3-4 start, the group has underperformed, and the program will need to replace both starting tackles, Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci, because both are in their final season of eligibility.
Brown was supposed to be a building block for the next regime, but now he could be West Virginia's highest-ranked recruit since five-star Noel Devine in 2007.