Penn State football’s latest 2025 commitment is a bad sign for potential Ohio State flip

After four-star edge rusher recruit Max Granville reclassified from the 2025 class to 2024 and joined the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley for fall camp, it was clear that James Franklin and Tom Allen would want to add another defensive lineman to the 2025 class. At first, it appeared that flipping four-star Ohio State commit, Zahir Mathis was Penn State’s primary objective, but on Wednesday, the Nittany Lions landed a commitment from three-star defensive lineman Yvan Kemajou. 

Both Mathis and Kemajou were at the Lasch Bash, Penn State’s final recruiting event of the summer which earned the Nittany Lions a couple of 2026 commitments. Mathis’s continued interest in Penn State was promising and led some to believe that a flip was coming, but now with the recruiting class up to 22 players and four defensive lineman, that ship has likely sailed. 

Kemajou, a 6-foot-3 230-pound recruit from Burtonsville, Maryland, is a nice addition to the class and provides some versatility as a potential interior defensive lineman if he can put on more weight once he gets to Happy Valley after his final high school season. Still, Mathis was understandably higher on the wishlist of Penn State fans. 

In the 2025 recruiting class, the Nittany Lions have landed just three of the top 10 recruits in the state of Pennsylvania, No. 4 Jabree Wallace-Coleman, No. 6 Alex Tatsch, and No. 10 Dayshaun Burnett. Mathis is the No. 2 recruit in PA, only behind four-star quarterback Matt Zollers, who chose Missouri over Penn State. Contrary to Franklin’s popular refrain, the best in PA haven’t been staying in PA, and flipping Mathis was a chance to change that narrative. 

Kemajou is a nice commitment and could develop into a very productive player for Penn State, but he doesn’t help a class that has sunk to No. 16 nationally without Granville as a buoy. Now, as the 2024 regular season approaches and the class sits at 22 recruits, just one fewer than 2023 and four less than last year’s crop, it’s getting less and less likely that the Nittany Lions can attract another foundational player, at least not on the defensive line.

That player, who could elevate the status of the 2025 class, could be wide receiver Koby Howard, a four-star from Florida, who will be announcing his commitment on Sunday, August 4. Though not a top Pennsylvania recruit, Howard would solve another one of this class's issues, its lack of wide receiver talent.