2027 Recruiting Thread

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Here are 2 glaring NIL blunders committed by Franklin:

1) Using valuable NIL money on Julian Fleming to play WR. This was one of the worst NIL moves of the Franklin era.
Fleming was a well known bust at Ohio State and Franklin signed him anyway. (2024 example)

2) Using valuable NIL money on 5 star TE Andrew Olesh. Olesh didn’t even dress for a single game and was not able to get beyond 4th string at the tight end position at Penn State. (2025 example)

Olesh’s TE peers by comparison, all played during their freshman year in 2025:

Elyiss Williams (Georgia) - played in 13 games as a 5 star TE
Linkon Cure (Kansas State) - played in 9 games as a 5 star TE
DaSaahn Brame (Tennessee) - played in 9 games as a 4 star TE
Nick Townsend (Texas) - played in 13 games as a 4 star TE

Given Penn State’s known TE depth, it made no financial sense to allocate valuable NIL funds for the TE position in 2025.

This blunder prevented Penn State from signing CB Brandon Finney who signed with Oregon and was named 2nd team All-B1G and defensive MVP in the 2026 Orange Bowl.

That’s hindsight. One player won’t ha

The best way to eliminate the trolls is to put them all on ignore, existing and new. Such people can really sap your energy and it’s really harmful to engage them.

Im

Boy, I wish we still had James Franklin as a coach! Kidding!

would the current recruiting class and season QB depth be better right now or worse if we still had Franklin? Would the teams talent composite moving into the season be lower or higher if we still had Franklin? Would we have whiffed on the amazing in state talent if we still ha Franklin? You can dislike Franklin and just have an insanely irrational view at the same time. Stew in your misery-I would be feeling much better about this season if Franklin were still here. We’re now like 6th team in the Big 10. Northwestern and Minnesota are just about as good as we are. We slip every day and you stick your head in the sand about how good it is that we fired James Franklin. Really smart.

 

[Nothing Special]

ND just had a 4 star 2028 qb committed for 6 days. Hopefully we can hold onto this one longer!

Could be wrong, but I think a 5-star did commit during that 6-day period.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Franklin was a failure at the end and a Tyler Warren away from being a failure in 2024 as well. He gave up on his 2025 team because he didn’t get a raise over the summer. The team was completely disorganized in the first half of the season. Donors finally gave money to the program and he pissed it all away. Thank God he’s gone.

To say thank god when James Franklin caliber coaches don’t just grow on trees is naive and shows you are not spoiled because we haven’t been champions since 86…but either living in the past or stupid. Or both?

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Don't forget the Franklin worshippers that demonize Campbell

Nobody has demonized Campbell though! Everybody has said they respect him but have concerns about the program overall. You create your own anger through manufacturing information!

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

He's another example of what T Frank was talking about this week when he said that Campbell recruits kids without limitations, whether the label says 3*, 4* or 5*. McGee definitely fits that mold. If they stick, Telfair and McGee on the outside would be possibly the most gifted pair of CBs we've ever had as far as physical size and athleticism.

Ever had? Are you on crack rock?

 

[LMTLION]

Could be wrong, but I think a 5-star did commit during that 6-day period.

I do not believe so. Oklahoma dropped a bigger bag on him.

https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/article/notre-dame-loses-a-commitment-from-2028-qb-trey-tagliaferri-just-six-days-after-he-pledged-288096164/

 

[Marshall2323]

No.

Correct! Bingo

 

[Marshall2323]

We never offered, and there’s reasons for that.

Correct move now.....more problematic when he busts double coverage and spikes the ball in front of 107k and the student section.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

Correct move now.....more problematic when he busts double coverage and spikes the ball in front of 107k and the student section.

Go to sleep Marshall... You'll need you rest for the long weekend

 

[Marshall2323]

That’s hindsight. One player won’t ha

Im

would the current recruiting class and season QB depth be better right now or worse if we still had Franklin? Would the teams talent composite moving into the season be lower or higher if we still had Franklin? Would we have whiffed on the amazing in state talent if we still ha Franklin? You can dislike Franklin and just have an insanely irrational view at the same time. Stew in your misery-I would be feeling much better about this season if Franklin were still here. We’re now like 6th team in the Big 10. Northwestern and Minnesota are just about as good as we are. We slip every day and you stick your head in the sand about how good it is that we fired James Franklin. Really smart.

Let's hope that securing Armstrong indicates an influx of cash (NIL) and a change in talent acquisition philosophy. Because no matter how good the coaching is, "coaching them up" isn't the path to "excellence at the highest level." Getting premier talent and then "coaching them up" is a better method.
Anyone who follows recruiting can go to "the internet tailgate" and quickly see that OSU got commits from 2 5 stars yesterday. They are piling up 5 star receivers like cord wood. Let's not continue to enter gunfights with water pistols.
Franklin is a much better coach than the BWICAC are willing to admit. We can only hope the CMC is as good as they think he is.

 

[Marshall2323]

Go to sleep Marshall... You'll need you rest for the long weekend

On my way to the casino. Sleep is something you do when everything else is done. My high school coach told me that a long time ago, I have an obligation to fix the BWICAC.

 

[NittanyLionRoar]

I would be feeling much better about this season if Franklin were still here. We’re now like 6th team in the Big 10. Northwestern and Minnesota are just about as good as we are. We slip every day and you stick your head in the sand about how good it is that we fired James Franklin. Really smart.

Hey, look at a the bright side. 6th is better than the 12th we finished last year. And 12th was an improvement over our standing after Franklin’s 0-3 Big Ten start.

Also, why’d you create a new nic? That’s weird.

 

[PSUFTG]

We never offered, and there’s reasons for that.

Oh my goodness! So nice to see that some of the "oldies but goodies" remain. I was fearful that all of the old justifiers were dead - now that "someone else dropped a bag on him" had become the default.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Perhaps Franklin can coach in the fake football Massachusetts Catholic league.

All you can do is sling mid

Evans was the only WR in that class to have any kind of on-field production. I remember him catching a few deep shots, not being able to separate on any route, other than a go route and quitting on the route that ended the ND game, when Drew threw the INT.

That class is a shining example of why we might be on the right track, not giving high schoolers crazy money.

A shining example!

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Yeah. That kindof stings, but I’m not sure PSU was thought to really be in the running anyway. In other news, ND just added their second 5 star OL player today. They must be spending money like they are printing it with this class. I guess they didn’t get the memo that HS recruiting doesn’t matter anymore.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/notre-dame-football-adds-5-194927876.html

Notre Dame and their fan base were calling for their head coaches head coaches head…but they gave Freeman a chance. Look where the two programs went since we lost to ND in that bowl. They did everything we should have done including keeping our coach. We as a program decided to get fancy when we didn’t have the budget, the information, or the pedigree. That’s called out kicking the coverage-great job Kraft and PSU spoiled fan base.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

That's nice that you feel that way. But college players ARE taking money and unless PSU wishes to try and sell 107k seats to watch Patriot League contests or join the PSAC and play Bloomsburg and Kutztown, they need to start to attract the future super stars of college football.

"Walking away" from talent is easy in June. The lumps for such a decision will be painful September thru December each and every year.
The PSU football program Joe created for us is dead. Joe is dead and gone. Doing more with less, is not the answer anymore. I long for those days, when values were attached to college football. They are dead and gone as well. This is minor league professional football. Being 20-22 in NIL and on a budget, will over the long run, get you a budget preforming football program.
We Are.....not gonna pay?

It’s THIS-our fan base wants Joe Paterno success in an environment that’s 180 degrees different than it was. It’s a different game now and if you expect Joe Paterno results for PSU in 2026 you’re gonna have a bad time. PSU hasn’t been a dominant program like that since way back in the day. PSU has been 1B for a long while but that wasn’t good enough…you guys think we should be OSU so instead of being happy with what we had you wanted what isn’t even realistic in the first place based on Paterno’s success coaching a program decades ago.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

......and let's stop acting like Campbell some schmuck who can't recruit.

When he proves it.

 

[Omar81]

And . . . a new addition to my Ignore list (or is it a repeat offender using a new name?).

 

[NOYDB]

And . . . a new addition to my Ignore list (or is it a repeat offender using a new name?).

Absolutely! I come on here and 60% of the comments are blocked out from me ignoring about 5 Franklin lovers. Would be best if people didn’t even respond back to the cult of

 

[HarrisburgDave]

Franklin? We talk Franklin? He was a good coach, but he had a ceiling. His record proves he rarely beat anyone with comparable talent.

What interests me about our current coach is his ability to compete at a high level with talent that was a step or two below the upper crust teams. He showed he knows how to "coach kids up". It will be interesting to see what he does with a mix of top talent and his usual recruits. I dont expect us to do what Indiana did, but I would not be surprised if this team is competitive and pulls off an upset or two.

One thing I do know for sure is that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. It was well past time for a coaching change. tOSU and Michigan would have made a coaching change years ago.

 

[RockyMtnLion]

On my way to the casino. Sleep is something you do when everything else is done. My high school coach told me that a long time ago, I have an obligation to fix the BWICAC.

Then, good sir, I suggest changing your handle to Sisyphus2626.

 

[NittanyLionRoar]

And . . . a new addition to my Ignore list (or is it a repeat offender using a new name?).

He was sad no one was reading his nonsensical rants anymore so he did this for attention.

 

[ChiTownLionPSU]

Landon Tengwell showing James Armstrong highlight tape. Definetly has the physical tools. Ball zips out of his hand and nice to have another 2 years to develop at the high school level.

^^ This is a must-watch video. Could not be more excited by the idea of James Armstrong leading this Penn State offense.

 

[94LionsFan]

Notre Dame and their fan base were calling for their head coaches head coaches head…but they gave Freeman a chance.

I think 12 years for Franklin was “a chance.”

PSU has been 1B for a long while but that wasn’t good enough…

Describing the Franklin years as being 1B is completely delusional. Being 1B requires beating 1A 4, 5, 6 times out of 12, not 1.

I liked Franklin, wanted to see him get us over the hump. But having what he described as his best team ever last year, he screwed the pooch. That combined with his poor 12-year record against top competition, it was time to move on.

 

[ZouaveLion]

I think 12 years for Franklin was “a chance.”

Describing the Franklin years as being 1B is completely delusional. Being 1B requires beating 1A 4, 5, 6 times out of 12, not 1.

I liked Franklin, wanted to see him get us over the hump. But having what he described as his best team ever last year, he screwed the pooch. That combined with his poor 12-year record against top competition, it was time to move on.

Something was off with the 2025 team from the jump...that UCLA debacle was one the worst first halves l ve seen from a PSU team in a LONG tiine, especially considering their talent and ranking coming into.the gane. Franklin had clearly checked out when he didn't get his 100th contract extension/salary bump. And for him to continue to play the victim with everything that transpired it s no wonder that so many forget the good things that he did at the University. The icing on the cake was sabatoging the.2026 recruiting class on his.way out. Oh and the ridiculous Gameday appearance where he sat among a panel who over the course of his career mocked his inability to win big games at PSU

 

[LB99]

Just FYI. ESPN can be taken with a grain of salt with recruiting at times.

2027 college football recruiting class rankings: Top 25 schools

These schools are setting the pace as the recruiting race heats up.

www.espn.com

 

[HarrisburgDave]

Something was off with the 2025 team from the jump...that UCLA debacle was one the worst first halves l ve seen from a PSU team in a LONG tiine, especially considering their talent and ranking coming into.the gane. Franklin had clearly checked out when he didn't get his 100th contract extension/salary bump. And for him to continue to play the victim with everything that transpired it s no wonder that so many forget the good things that he did at the University. The icing on the cake was sabatoging the.2026 recruiting class on his.way out. Oh and the ridiculous Gameday appearance where he sat among a panel who over the course of his career mocked his inability to win big teams at PSU

For the behavior heading out the door good old James can be called a fraud. When he screwed the pooch he had to stand there and point at others.

 

[Alphalion75]

When he proves it.

So, you treat everyone like a schmuck until they prove it. Do you also believe someone is guilty before their trial?

 

[Marshall2323]

Hey, look at a the bright side. 6th is better than the 12th we finished last year. And 12th was an improvement over our standing after Franklin’s 0-3 Big Ten start.

Also, why’d you create a new nic? That’s weird.

And 6th in the conference is better than 5th in the nation (2024).
Excellence at the highest level.

 

[PSU4U]

Let's hope that securing Armstrong indicates an influx of cash (NIL) and a change in talent acquisition philosophy. Because no matter how good the coaching is, "coaching them up" isn't the path to "excellence at the highest level." Getting premier talent and then "coaching them up" is a better method.
Anyone who follows recruiting can go to "the internet tailgate" and quickly see that OSU got commits from 2 5 stars yesterday. They are piling up 5 star receivers like cord wood. Let's not continue to enter gunfights with water pistols.
Franklin is a much better coach than the BWICAC are willing to admit. We can only hope the CMC is as good as they think he is.

I don't think his committment was about money.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

I don't see that happening, but I see us being close enough that if Campbell coaches them up just a little better than Franklin, we will have our chances at a national level.

You mean like being one play away from going to the National Championship? So taking a step back to hopefully take a step forward. Smart? Not the way we spend on talent. Take your head out of the sand.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Under the new 5 year rule, Hansen, Tracy, Brahmer, and Ebel may all come back in 2027. If Rojas is not up to full strength coming off acl, maybe he is back too. Heck, Donkoh could come back too. We may not have quite the loss as we think for 2027. That all figures into recruiting and portal planning.

This is all conjecture. Put lipstick on that pig. Take it to prom.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

The Taylor announcement can't come soon enough so we can get this thread back to bashing Campbell and all the Nostradamus predictions that we are at best going 6-6 in 2027.

Not a single person has said that so refrain from being immature and passive aggressive. Show some intelligence and respect.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Streaking up to #7 in the conference in the 247 rankings.

Hold the phone! Put that Mo Bamba on because PSU football is back!!

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Man a few of you guys really like to piss in your own wheaties. In fact, I’m convinced it’s just one of you with different nic’s clogging this board. Go touch grass.

And all you do is ***** instead of being confident. Take your Wheaties and go in the corner. Campbell is the best coach in the world. We know. We’re SO lucky. So go touch grass and stop telling us what we already know about how lucky we are to have such an amazing coach. We know lucky we are so thank god we have Matt Campbell and leave the Wheaties out of the bathroom next time.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Great news and what is sorely needed. Nail down a blue chip QB and then hope he helps attract big play 4 and 5 stars to fill in the cracks. However, I assume many here are disappointed, because they have clearly stated that PSU will not invest in players that aren't going to impact the field. Unless CMC is throwing this kid on the field as a freshman (and assuming his ratings trend up) it will cost a million or more to have him on the bench.
I hope this is the result of newfound NIL resources because it flies in the face of letting a significantly higher rated QB (Bourque) go elsewhere. while settling for a 3 star.

Let's be realistic and hope this is the beginning of a trend at PSU that will see spending for talent among the top 10 so that talent acquisition can match program expectations.

Armstrong and his ilk of similar skilled and pedigree is what we need and that’s the bar-if we aren’t getting Armstrong like guys we won’t compete with the big guys-we just won’t. It will be like when we lost Justin Fields. I don’t care how good of a coach Campbell is-we need better Jimmies and Joes and the bar is Armstrong. He’s the first recruit I’ve really said, this is what we need. It’s 2026 and college football is an arms race not a dance recital.

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

We never offered, and there’s reasons for that.

Hey, look at a the bright side. 6th is better than the 12th we finished last year. And 12th was an improvement over our standing after Franklin’s 0-3 Big Ten start.

Also, why’d you create a new nic? That’s weird.

It was a one off year-you don’t fire ******* James Franklin because of awful luck. That’s naive and retarded and we got lucky getting Campbell. What is a nic?

 

[Marshall2323]

Something was off with the 2025 team from the jump...that UCLA debacle was one the worst first halves l ve seen from a PSU team in a LONG tiine, especially considering their talent and ranking coming into.the gane. Franklin had clearly checked out when he didn't get his 100th contract extension/salary bump. And for him to continue to play the victim with everything that transpired it s no wonder that so many forget the good things that he did at the University. The icing on the cake was sabatoging the.2026 recruiting class on his.way out. Oh and the ridiculous Gameday appearance where he sat among a panel who over the course of his career mocked his inability to win big games at PSU

Grow up. Your loyalty is owed to your employer. The recruiting class debacle rests on the head of Kraft. He left commits and family without communication for weeks. Those who are in the know, will acknowledge that he openly devalued the class to anyone who would listen. Had a coach been hired following an organized search, some of the class could have been salvaged.
The Iowa State roster followed Campbell to PSU, along with some recruits ....is Campbell also a sabatour?

 

[Marshall2323]

I don't think his committment was about money.

If it wasn't, his signature on the letter of intent will be. There are no concrete NIL agreements this far out. I'm sure they spoke in general terms. $$$ will definitely be a factor, when the deadline arrives. Being committed doesn't stop the contact from rival schools looking to flip your choice.

 

[taryn]

Then, good sir, I suggest changing your handle to Sisyphus2626.

HE HAS!!!!,many times over! just look for the sentences that end with PREPS.!!!! you found him!!