With so many key pieces in their final season of eligibility, Penn State is all-in on winning a national championship next season. Still, James Franklin and his staff need to keep one eye to the future, and with the No. 1 ranked 2027 recruiting class, they’ve done a great job addressing the long-term future of the program. As for the 2026 class, many of those players will be making their decisions this summer during official visit season.
The Nittany Lions have a strong core with nine commitments and a top-10 ranked class, but Franklin would love to land these five players, who are the most important recruits heading to Happy Valley for official visits this offseason.
The two-way star projects as either a cornerback or wide receiver at the next level and the Nittany Lions could use both. Franklin has worked to rebuild his team’s wide receiver room after an underwhelming year from that group in 2024, but that work is far from over. Most of the upgrades were temporary out of the transfer portal with Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson each having one year of eligibility remaining.
At 6-foot-2 180 pounds, Arrington has legit track speed and that type of athlete should be a star on either side of the ball. He is the No. 8 ranked player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Penn State missed out on the top player from Maryland with defensive end Zion Elee committing to the Terrapins. The state has long served as a talent pipeline for Franklin, a former assistant in College Park, and he’ll look to re-establish that dominance with a commitment from the No. 2 ranked offensive tackle in the 2026 class and No. 3 overall player.
The 6-foot-6 345-pound Baltimore native is set to visit in early June, and profiles as a multi-year starter at offensive tackle, which is always an important position for any program. Penn State, though, has some insurance with four-star Kevin Brown who is committed in the 2026 class.
A 247Sports Composite five-star interior offensive lineman, Gray could be ready to play early in his career. Penn State will be graduating much of its interior offensive line depth after the 2025 season with Vega Ioane and Nick Dawkins finally running out of eligibility, so the 6-foot-3 285-pound offensive guard could be a long-term answer with former five-star Cooper Cousins, who expects to start this season as a true sophomore.