Penn State Faces Huge Recruiting Crisis After Franklin Leaves

Penn State football is dealing with one of the toughest moments in its recent history. With early signing day less than a day away, the Nittany Lions are heading toward what could be the worst recruiting drop ever seen for a major college football program. Most of the problems started after the school decided to let go of longtime head coach James Franklin.

Earlier this year, Penn State had a strong 2026 recruiting class. They were ranked 13th in the country with 28 commits. But things changed fast after Franklin left for Virginia Tech. The team has now fallen all the way to 124th, and only five recruits are still committed — and even those players are looking at other schools.

The situation became more serious after Ian Purdy of Nittany Central posted a report on social media. He said Penn State might sign zero recruits on early National Signing Day. If that happens, Penn State would become the first Power Four school ever to finish the early signing period without a single signed player. Purdy pointed out that the worst cases he found were SMU and Washington, who once signed 10 players — still far better than zero.

Most of the damage happened right after Franklin announced his move. Out of the original 28 commits, 23 players decommitted, including big names who switched to Virginia Tech. Top prospects like Messiah Mickens, Troy Huhn, and Pierce Petersohn all followed Franklin to his new program.

One major problem is that Penn State still doesn’t have a full-time head coach. While school officials work on hiring someone, other programs are taking advantage by offering stability and strong pitches. Something similar happened at Oklahoma when Lincoln Riley left for USC. The Sooners lost star recruits like five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson and ESPN 300 defensive end Derrick Moore. Penn State is now dealing with the same kind of fallout.

Even with all the chaos, Penn State still has five committed players — but their status is shaky:

• Matt Sieg, a four-star safety from the Pittsburgh area, seems like the most stable commit.
• Jackson Ford, a four-star edge rusher, is expected to sign but recently visited Virginia Tech, raising concerns.
• Terry Wiggins, an in-state linebacker, is checking out Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.
• Tyson Harley, a four-star linebacker from Washington, D.C., is looking at Wisconsin and Virginia Tech, and may wait until February to sign.
• Amauri Polydor, a three-star cornerback from Baltimore, is listening to interest from Colorado and Virginia Tech.

If any of these players decide to leave, Penn State could end up with one of the worst recruiting classes in college football history. The impact of Franklin leaving has pushed the program into a crisis, and the next few days will show just how serious the damage really is.

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