Penn State football earned its 21st, Class of 2027 commit on Sunday evening with composite four-star linebacker Case Alexander.
The Nittany Lions aren't finished yet with this recruiting class, though. Head coach Matt Campbell still has a few hot targets left on his board. Here's who's most likely to commit to Penn State next over the next couple of weeks:
1. Cornerback Dhillon McGee
Cornerback recruiting seemed to be all wrapped up, or at least close to it, before the Nittany Lions sustained a couple losses from that group. Three-stars Semajay Robinson and Zachary Gleason Jr. de-committed and flipped their commitments from Penn State recently, putting associate head coach/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith back into action.
The three-star cornerback from DeSoto, Texas is a priority for Smith now. McGee is ranked No. 43 at cornerback, according to Rivals Industry Ranking, and No. 445 nationally. He's also the No. 55 recruit from his state.
McGee would make up for those losses at cornerback, and he's the only realistic target left from that position room. Three-star Kaiden Watkins, despite an uneventful recruiting process, named UCLA as a leader in April. Penn State is still a top option, but the Bruins have emerged as a serious recruiting threat. With Smith's attention on McGee, it's unlikely for Watkins to pivot from UCLA this late.
McGee is still very high on SMU. The Mustangs are the closest to his hometown and Texas is also in the race to land him. There haven't been updated expert predictions, and after his official visit with the Longhorns this past weekend, things are really up in the air ahead of his June 24 commitment date.
Still, with Smith's recruitment expertise and McGee being a priority, it wouldn't be shocking to see McGee choose the Nittany Lions.
2. Wide receiver Khalil Taylor
Even though the four-star wideout teased a Nebraska commitment before his official visit with the Cornhuskers, there hasn't been much movement away from Penn State in his recruitment. Since he was in Happy Valley for his June 5-7 official visit, experts have rallied behind the blue and white to land Taylor. They have a 93.6 percent chance to do so while Nebraska has just a 1.7 percent chance, per Rivals Team Predictions.
Taylor's commitment would be a huge addition to Campbell's class that lacks Pennsylvania natives, blue-chip recruits, and wideouts. Penn State has just one wide receiver committed in four-star Landon Blum, and that's not enough juice for that position room if Campbell plans on revamping it.
Without certainty on where four-star wide receiver Deshawn Hall stands, given Auburn reclaimed the lead in his recruitment, landing Taylor should be No. 1 priority for the Nittany Lions. Campbell is undoubtedly turning up the heat on this 2027 wide receiver ahead of his July 6 commitment date.
Taylor is ranked No. 87 nationally and No. 15 at wide receiver, according to Rivals Industry Rankings, and is also the No. 4 prospect from Pennsylvania.
3. Offensive lineman Lucas Rhoa
The No. 46 interior offensive lineman, per Rivals Industry Rankings, also just came off an official visit with Texas. The Longhorns made a huge push for Rhoa, which gave them a little boost in his recruitment, but Penn State remains the leader. According to Rivals Team Predictions, the Nittany Lions still have a 36.9 percent chance to land him and UCLA slots into second with a 14.7 percent chance.
Rhoa has been to Happy Valley the most out of any team, whether in contention or not. He took six unofficial visits throughout his recruitment, including two under Campbell (excluding his official visit). Rhoa was on campus for the Jun 12-14 official visit weekend alongside just a few of other recruits, allowing Campbell and his staff to really focus on him individually.
Though the Longhorns and Bruins are still potential landing spots for Rhoa, Penn State can't be counted out. Campbell has put in a lot of work into his recruitment that can't be negated entirely by those two programs, regardless of how his official visits with them went. Rhoa also has Oregon in contention for his commitment.
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