On Monday, four-star offensive tackle recruit Kevin Brown announced his de-commitment from Penn State. On Tuesday, he made an even bigger splash, committing to West Virginia, where his father Tim played for Rich Rodriguez years ago, and celebrated that decision by lighting a couch on fire on the Pat McAfee Show.
Kevin Brown commits to West Virginia
Brown was the top-rated player in Penn State’s 2026 class, even when it was whole before James Franklin’s firing. Then, in the wake of Franklin’s dismissal, the Nittany Lions held onto Brown for weeks before it became clear that he was planning to flip before the early signing period.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound offensive tackle from Harrisburg, PA, is the 49th-ranked player in the country and the No. 2 rated recruit in Pennsylvania. Now that he’s no longer in Penn State’s class, the Nittany Lions have just four of the top 10 in-state recruits for 2026, but even that number will continue to drop until Franklin’s replacement is hired.
Matt Sieg, the top-rated in-state player who has remained committed, has already reopened his recruiting, and on Monday, he was reportedly in South Bend for an official visit with Notre Dame.
Major silver-lining for Penn State
It’s never a good thing to lose your top-ranked recruit, and losing him to a historic rival like West Virginia stings a bit worse. However, there is a major silver lining to this news because Ohio State was the other team that was in the mix for Brown.
The Buckeyes made a huge push for Brown while he was still committed to the Nittany Lions. Brown visited Ohio Stadium for the Buckeyes’ Week 10 win over Penn State, and came away very impressed with Ryan Day’s operation in Columbus.
Losing Brown is one thing, but having to play him potentially for four years straight is another. Penn State fans had to be rooting for WVU to pull the recruiting upset, and that the ties between Rich Rod and the Brown family were strong enough to draw him to Morgantown.
The momentum began to move away from Ohio State and back to West Virginia in recent days. Brown even wore WVU gloves for Harrisburg High School’s district playoff win. Penn State does not play either Ohio State or West Virginia next year, but the Buckeyes, as Big Ten rivals, are a regular fixture on the Nittany Lions’ schedule. After playing a home-and-home in 2023 and 2024, Penn State and West Virginia do not have a rivalry renewal on the books for anytime in the near future.