June 15 was a sneakily important day on the recruiting calendar this summer. It marked the first day that college coaches can directly contact recruits in the 2028 class. Now, there are already a few 2028 recruits committed, including four-star cornerback Deonte Flemings Jr., Penn State’s lone commit in the class, but Monday marked the unofficial start of the 2028 recruiting cycle.
While Penn State’s 2027 class is far from complete, especially after four-star wide receiver Jamir Dean flipped to Georgia on Monday, leaving the Nittany Lions with 20 commits and dropping them outside the top 10 in the national rankings, at least some of the Penn State staff will be turning their attention to 2028.
Much of that attention will be spent building out the board, a process that likely began for general manager Derek Hoodjer soon after he arrived in Happy Valley. For priority recruits Hoodjer and Campbell know they want to be in on, however, now is an opportunity to build some real momentum towards an early commitment. These three targets, who all hold Penn State offers, should be at the top of their list.
3. George Parkinson IV: 4-star EDGE, Malvern, PA
Penn State has George Parkinson IV on campus for Junior Day in January and extended him an offer on the spot. Since then, there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of buzz in his recruitment, but it’s only natural that Penn State would pursue the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania, especially coming off a 2027 cycle in which the Nittany Lions currently have only one top-20 player in the state committed.
Parkinson isn’t quite the stout EDGE Penn State prefers, but he still has plenty of time to add weight to his 6-foot-4 frame, something Campbell’s staff can monitor closely with the four-star playing his high school football less than three hours from Beaver Stadium.
2. Tyzon Swann: 5-star DL, Indian Head, MD
Tyzon Swann is already one of the top-ranked players in the 2028 class, and Penn State has already extended an offer. A 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive lineman, the No. 5 player in the 2028 class is exactly the type of big EDGE that new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and first-year defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe are looking for.
Auburn, Florida, Maryland, and Ohio State are standing out in recruiting early, but Maryland was a state James Franklin dominated on the recruiting trail for a long time, so maybe Campbell can recreate some of that magic. Swann would be a huge get for Campbell, and now that he has time to build long-term relationships with recruits, something he didn’t have the luxury of in the 2027 class, Swann could become his first five-star commitment.
1. James Armstrong: 4-star QB, Aliquippa, PA
The No. 10 QB in the 2028 class, James Armstrong, impressed in his sophomore year for Hopewell High School in Western Pennsylvania. Then, with his impressive physical skill set at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, the athletic lefty seems to have won over the Penn State coaching staff.
Quarterbacks coach Jake Waters worked with him at Penn State’s Prospect Camp and made his interest known. Now that the coaching staff can directly contact 2028 recruits, Armstrong was likely one of the first calls. Not only is he an enticing talent, but landing him would also assuage any concerns about Campbell’s in-state recruiting after his 2027 struggles in PA.
Campbell, Waters, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser didn’t often have access to a player with this level of physical traits at Iowa State. However, one of their most highly-rated recruits during Campbell’s tenure in Ames was four-star QB Hunter Dekkers, another big-bodied, athletic left who threw for 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2022. Armstrong is more mobile than Dekkers ended up being at the collegiate level, but there are enough similarities for the staff to show Armstrong a clear blueprint for success in their program.
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