James Franklin had all but put the finishing touches on his 2026 recruiting class before he was shockingly fired midseason. Now, only the remnants remain.
Penn State has just 15 commits in its 2026 class, and lost all four of its 2027 commits. To make matters worse, many of those 15 who have yet to officially decommit from the class have reopened their recruiting to pursue other options. The latest to join that group is four-star athlete Pierce Petersohn.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Minnesota native is likely a tight end at the next level, and according to 247Sports Composite Rankings, he is a top 300 player in the country. Petersohn committed to the Nittany Lions in June, just five days after his official visit to Happy Valley, undoubtedly allured by Franklin’s recent success with tight end development.
Now, while he is staying committed to Penn State, Petersohn has reopened his recruitment. Franklin’s replacement won’t be in place for at least another month, if not longer, so it won’t be easy for the Nittany Lions to keep him through the early signing period in December.
I remain committed to Penn State and appreciate everything they’ve done for me, but with some uncertainty around the coaching situation, I’ve decided to reopen my recruitment.@adamgorney @SWiltfong_ @AllenTrieu @TomLoy247 pic.twitter.com/rgLY7N7nFz
— Pierce Petersohn 4⭐️ (@PiercePetersohn) November 11, 2025
Pierce Petersohn reopens his recruiting, joining top Penn State commits weighing their options
Peterson is far from the only commit who is playing the field in the final month before the early signing period. Ohio State and West Virginia are engaged in a heated recruiting battle for Penn State’s top-ranked commit, four-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown, and four-star safety Matt Sieg has narrowed his options down to Pitt, Indiana, WVU, and wherever James Franklin ends up.
Brown raved about his visit to Columbus for Ohio State’s win over Penn State, but the Harrisburg native wore West Virginia gloves for his District 3 playoff win on Saturday, so his recruitment seems to be a coin flip at the moment.
Pitt has jumped to the forefront for Sieg with Pat Narduzzi putting on the full-court press for the Western Pennsylvania recruit. Sieg even received a phone call from Jon Gruden on Pitt’s behalf.
Petersohn can expect a similar push from interested programs, particularly his home-state team. Minnesota was a finalist for Petersohn when he chose the Nittany Lions, and PJ Fleck’s program could be the favorite to land it now, unless an unexpected contender rises up over the next few weeks.