After losing an elite Harrisburg wide receiver to the SEC, Penn State has a recruiting problem and it starts in PA

2025 four-star wide receiver recruit Lex Cyrus narrowed his options down to Penn State and South Carolina to conclude his recruiting journey. Then, in a shocking move, the Harrisburg-native chose the Gamecocks over the Nittany Lions today, continuing James Franklin's in-state recruiting struggles.

Cyrus, a 5-foot-10 wide receiver from Susquehanna Township, is the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in Pennsylvania, and the No. 8 recruit in the state. His only two official visits he took were to South Carolina and Penn State, and there was a major push over the past few weeks from the Gamecocks to land him. Their efforts paid off as Cyrus is the highest ranked commit in their 2025 class.

Missing out on Cyrus is significant for Penn State. The Nittany Lions just have two wide receivers committed in 2025, Jeff Exinor Jr. and Lyrick Samuel, and they are both tall and big wide receivers. Cyrus would have complemented them well with his athleticism and extraordinary speed.

Per 247sports, Cyrus said that South Carolina, “felt like home to me even though it is the farthest school." Continuing, "It felt like a place I wanted to be. It is hard to explain but it is the feeling you get while you are there."

He also mentioned that South Carolina wide receivers coach Mike Furrey was influential in his decision to head to Columbia. Cyrus will have immense opportunities at South Carolina, and the chance for additional reps early in his career played a factor in the decision as well.

What should Penn State do from here?

There is no doubt that the 2025 Penn State recruiting class is spearheaded by defensive players. Among the top four recruits in the class, two are cornerbacks, Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph, and two are edge rushers, Jayden Woods and Max Granville. 

At the wide receiver position, it is just Exinor and Samuel, but who are some potential 2025 wide receiver recruits that Franklin and his staff might turn to next? There are still two receivers on Penn State’s radar who could salvage this recruiting cycle for Andy Kotelnicki's offense.

Taz Williams

Williams is a 6-foot 190-pound four-star wide receiver from Red Oak, Texas. He is ranked 275th nationally by the 247sports composite rankings, and the 38th overall wide receiver.

Last week, Tyler Calvaruso, Lions247 staff writer, dropped a crystal ball on Williams to Penn State. Williams took official visits to Penn State, Texas A&M, and Michigan last month. Things seem to be trending in the right direction for the Nittany Lions, however, fans have learned with Cyrus and many others, that crystal balls are just an educated guess.

Naeshaun Montgomery

Montgomery is a 6-foot-1 165-pound four-star wide receiver from Miami, Florida. He is ranked 184th nationally and is the 19th overall wide receiver recruit in 247sports’ composite rankings.

He currently has two crystal balls placed on him, one to Penn State and one to Florida. It seems to be a two-horse race between the Nittany Lions and Gators, but Montgomery also has significant interest from LSU as well.

Why wide receiver is an ongoing issue for Penn State

Wide receiver is certainly a concern for the Nittany Lions, and it will most likely continue to be in the next few seasons. 

In 2023, Penn State had just one wide receiver, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, eclipse 300 yards, and he chose to transfer to Auburn. Trey Wallace had the most receiving yards for Penn State wide receivers who will be returning for the 2024 season at just 228 yards. The addition of Julian Fleming is significant, but it will also be unknown how much he will produce for the Nittany Lions, after an underwhelming career at Ohio State.

Penn State will need at least one or two receivers to break out this season, like Wallace, Kaden Saunders, or even Omari Evans. However, the team had similar hopes last season and those hopes were never realized.

The wide receiver corps that Penn State has built for quarterback Drew Allar has been average at best and the former five-star recruit deserves a better. Penn State received commitments from three wide receivers in the 2024 class, but they are all three-star prospects. One or multiple of them could have a significant impact on Penn State in the future, but they were not highly touted wide receiver prospects.

Hopefully, Penn State can find an answer at wide receiver, and fans will be rooting for as many of these young receivers to break out, but the problem runs deeper than that. There is a lack of depth at this position currently on the roster and in future recruiting classes.

Franklin has struggled to keep the 2025 recruits in Happy Valley

By 247sports’s composite rankings, just two of the top ten 2025 Pennsylvania recruits committed to Penn State.

Here’s a list of the top ten recruits in Pennsylvania in each class since 2015 and how many chose to commit to Penn State:

• 2024: 4
• 2023: 6
• 2022: 6
• 2021: 1
• 2020: 4
• 2019: 2
• 2018: 6
• 2017: 3
• 2016: 3
• 2015: 6

On average, Penn State receives just over four top ten Pennsylvania recruits per class. Sitting at two right now is not great, and Franklin and his staff need to be better on this front for future classes. 

Losing out on Cyrus is not a great look for Penn State. They were the leaders in the clubhouse for a while before South Carolina pulled the rug out from under Franklin and Kotelnicki.

It’s another lost Pennsylvania recruit to an out-of-state school and an inferior one at that. However, Franklin and the Nittany Lion staff must move on and focus on picking up either Williams or Montgomery. This is not the end of the world, but Cyrus is a great recruit and it’s a significant miss for Penn State.