Penn State football's Class of 2027 wide receiver hunt just became more urgent.
On Monday, four-star wideout Jamir Dean flipped his commitment to Georgia after being committed to the Nittany Lions for just over one month.
The flip started broiling almost as soon as Dean's initial commitment. Following his decision, the Bulldogs instantly got to work, extending an offer a few days later and scheduling an official visit. This was the only official visit Dean had penciled in aside from Penn State. He was in Athens, Ga. the week before he was in Happy Valley.
It felt like there was only a matter of time before Dean pulled the trigger considering how fast the turnaround from his May 1 commitment happened. Knowing Dean was on the fence, head coach Matt Campbell couldn't pump the brakes on targeting Khalil Taylor and Deshawn Hall.
Now that Dean's flip came to fruition, the Nittany Lions went from urgent to desperate.
Four-star Landon Blum is the officially the only wide receiver in Penn State's class. That means Taylor is a legit "can't miss" prospect. Hall is too to some degree, but whiffing on the Pennsylvania native would literally be a nightmare for Campbell.
Jamir Dean flip to Georgia insinuates Penn State can't whiff on four-star wide receiver Khalil Taylor
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound wideout is ranked 82nd nationally and 13th among wide receivers in the class, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He's also the No. 4 recruit from Pennsylvania. According to Rivals Industry Rankings, Taylor slots in at No. 87 nationally, No. 15 at wide receiver, and No. 4 from his state.
After Taylor's official visit on June 5-7 when Campbell had 26 prospects on campus, a majority being committed recruits, the wide receiver canceled the rest of his visits. He was originally scheduled to visit Alabama and Nebraska.
In a matter of a few hours, though, Campbell's wideout pursuit got a lot more complicated. Not only did Dean's flip put Penn State in a weird spot where it can't really afford to lose Taylor or Hall, but Taylor also decided to give the Cornhuskers a second shot at his recruitment.
The Nittany Lions are still projected to land Taylor despite the official visit re-scheduling with a 93.6 percent chance, according to Rivals. Nebraska has a 1.7 percent chance before this weekend's visit.
Anything can happen, even if it seems Taylor's nearly 100 percent on Penn State.
That Cornhusker visit could put another huge wrench in Campbell's plans. If it does, that's a hole Campbell might not be able to climb out of even if he lands Hall in the process.
Blum, Dean, Taylor, and Hall are all four-star prospects. Campbell needs blue-chip recruits, so swapping out one for another isn't enough. Realistically (and in a perfect world), Taylor and Hall both join Blum as future Nittany Lions.
What makes Taylor much more of a "can't miss" recruit is the fact that he's an in-state player. Campbell has not hit with Pennsylvania prospects. Only three of 20 commits are from the state. Landing Taylor would make that four, and that's still not a great look for Campbell.
However, he has to take what he can get — and he can get Taylor. Campbell can't allow Nebraska to sneak in and cause more wide receiver turmoil for a Penn State squad hoping to redeem that position room.
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