Penn State has two in-state commits in the 2028 recruiting class, and they moved in different directions in Rivals’ rankings update this week. Four-star cornerback Deonte Flemings Jr. from McDowell High School in Erie dropped 50 spots to No. 184, while four-star quarterback James Armstrong from Hopewell High School in Aliquippa jumped 40 spots to No. 61 overall and the No. 7 QB.
Head coach Matt Campbell and his staff don’t care much for outside ratings, but Armstrong trending up is good news for his trajectory, might make him more appealing as the centerpiece of the class for other 2028 recruits, and is just another reason to feel good about the start of the Campbell era in Happy Valley.
James Armstrong is proving Penn State’s evaluation edge
How do you have a successful 10-year run at Iowa State? Well, at least for Campbell, the other successful coach in the history of that program, it started with being better than just about everyone at identifying and developing talent.
That program routinely had players outperforming their recruiting rankings, and while that may not happen in Happy Valley as frequently because a Penn State commit is typically going to get a bit of a boost from the industry, there’s still plenty of value to early identification, especially at quarterback.
Quarterbacks are typically the first to commit and also carry the most risk if they start to trend in a negative direction close to signing. If you made a bad bet on a sophomore QB who begins to stagnate, it’s often too late to change gears once their senior season comes around. So having a junior like Armstrong locked in and trending up is the best possible place to be in, and you’d imagine it won’t be an anomaly for Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer now that they have Penn State’s resources to help land the recruits they identify.
Armstrong’s rise won’t matter to Campbell but will to other recruits
In the loaded 2025 recruiting class, which included Byce Underwood and Keelon Russell, Campbell admitted that he and his staff had Alex Manske rated as a top-four QB in the country. The highest any ranking had him was No. 25, but now, as a redshirt freshman, he’s QB2 to Rocco Becht at Penn State and the clear heir apparent.
So, Armstrong jumping into the top 100 and top 10 QBs won’t do anything to sway Campbell and Hoodjer’s opinions. It will, however, make Armstrong more marketable as the centerpiece of the 2028 class, especially to in-state players.
Penn State struggled to capitalize on a loaded 2027 in-state class, currently holding just one commitment from a top-20 player in PA. The 2028 class isn’t quite as loaded, and the No. 1 player, Jett Harrison, Marvin Harrison Sr.’s other son, is already locked in with Ohio State, but it’s still a good group.
Campbell needs to make a statement in PA in 2028, and having Armstrong and Flemings, even if Flemings’ stock is fading a bit and his commitment doesn’t appear as solid, is a great start. He just needs to start putting the other pieces into place around them.
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