It wasn’t so long ago that Penn State was consistently sending wide receivers into the NFL, and there’s been a regime change in Happy Valley, but after the final year of the James Franklin era, Nittany Lions fans are going to believe the WR room is fixed when they see it.
That could happen this season with Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen arriving from Iowa State and Koby Howard emerging into a bigger role. Or, at least for the future of the program, it could happen as soon as this weekend when Penn State hosts a crop of 26 players for the biggest official visit weekend of Matt Campbell’s first offseason.
The visitors cover just about every position on the field, but the wide receiver crop could be the most intriguing, especially to a fanbase starved for improvement at that position. It includes in-state four-star Khalil Taylor, a former Franklin commit and Alabama four-star Deshawn Hall, with commits Landon Blum and Jamir Dean. If either Taylor or Hall commit to the Nittany Lions, it will be the splash Campbell needs to make.
A lot is riding on Khalil Taylor and Deshawn Hall’s official visit weekend
Penn State clearly has a type at wide receiver under Campbell, general manager Derek Hoodjer, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser. They’re looking for size. They found it for the 2026 roster with Sowell, Eskildsen, fellow Iowa State transfer Karon Brookins, and Grambling transfer Keith Jones Jr. They also found it in the 2026 class with Blum at 6-foot-4, and to some degree with Dean at 6-foot-2.
Hall fits that mold, and with long strides at 6-foot-5, he easily stretches the field for Prattville High School. He doesn’t just run away from defenders either. Hall can win at the catch point with the requisite instincts and physicality to play above the rim on deep balls. With real potential to play X-receiver at the next level and better route-running than you may expect, Hall is ranked No. 202 in the class at No. 25 at wide receiver.
The only issue is that, according to the Rivals Prediction Machine, he’s currently favored to choose Auburn over Alabama and to stay in the south. If Campbell and wide receivers coach Kashif Moore can pry him away, it would be a major win for a class that’s already strong at wide receiver, but not quite as important as landing Taylor would be.
Campbell has not had much success recruiting Pennsylvania since arriving in Happy Valley. He has just four in-state commits in his 20-player 2027 class, and none in the top-100 nationally. Taylor would check both of those boxes at once.
A Western Pennsylvania product, Taylor dominated for Pine-Richland High School last season. While he doesn’t fit the size profile at just 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Taylor has enough quickness, physicality, and nuance to his route-running to stick outside. He has excellent hands, a good feel for getting yards after the catch, and if his ranking holds as the 77th overall player in the class, he would be the first top-100 WR for Penn State since Kaden Saunders in the 2022 class.
Taylor and Hall are both priority recruits, but doubly so if Dean, who is firmly on flip-watch as he’s been shooting up the recruiting rankings through official visit season, ultimately de-commits. Landing all four: Taylor, Hall, Dean, and Blum, seems unlikely, but anything less than three of the four will feel like a disappointment.
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