Kevin Brown is Penn State’s top-ranked commit in the 2026 class, but it’s looking less and less likely that he’ll be heading to Happy Valley next season. The four-star offensive lineman from Harrisburg has been heavily pursued by Ohio State, including visiting Ohio Stadium for the Buckeyes' Week 10 win over Penn State, but his loyalties may lie elsewhere.
Brown’s father, Tim, played for Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia before a brief career in the NFL. Now, with Rich-Rod back in Morgantown, the Mountaineers have emerged as another possible destination for Brown. He has visits lined up with WVU, and on Saturday, Brown wore West Virginia gloves for Harrisburg’s District 3 quarterfinal victory over Central Dauphin.
While WVU was beating Colorado, Kevin Brown and Harrisburg won their game.
— Whitey Williams (@MountainGrown71) November 9, 2025
The gloves are awesome. pic.twitter.com/GGjX3LqIMo
4-star OT recruit Kevin Brown wears West Virginia gloves in high school playoff game
Brown committed to Penn State in July, and while he has yet to officially de-commit from the Nittany Lions, all signs point to him flipping before the early signing period in December. Brown is the 61st-ranked player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings, the No. 6 offensive tackle, and the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania.
Since Penn State fired James Franklin midseason, the recruiting classes that Franklin assembled have been raided. When Franklin’s replacement is finally hired after this season, they may be able to win back a few of those recruits, especially the ones in-state, but that won’t be an easy task with such a short runway before those players arrive in the winter as early enrollees.
While losing Brown isn’t ideal, losing him to West Virginia over Ohio State would certainly be preferable for Penn State fans. The Mountaineers are the more traditional rival to Penn State, but the two programs have played twice this century, in 2023 and 2024, and don’t have a rivalry renewal on the books for anytime in the near future. Ohio State, however, is a near-annual fixture on Penn State’s conference schedule and the program’s primary roadblock to the Big Ten title.
The one position that Ohio State hasn’t exactly recruited as a hyper-elite level over the past few years is offensive line, so Brown would be a significant get for the Buckeyes. So, while it may be at Penn State’s expense, West Virginia winning this recruiting battle would be good news for Nittany Lion fans.