2027 Recruiting Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
No you have a sick obsession about Franklin. But you are beyond any hope for recovery.
My 2 cents: Either this staff is keeping their NIL stash for the portal or they are in the deep end of the pool with recruiting and they aren’t comfortable there. They may be getting a big surprise with this level of recruiting. Not saying they can’t make up for it before signing day, but they need to figure it out. If a large majority of the starters move on after this year, the talent level on this roster will plummet without a big, talented portal haul and that isn’t going to be cheap.
My God, all this whining sounds like a bunch of babies!
Give this coaching staff a year to make connections with our normal recruiting area. He has 28 off to a good start, but all the cry babies cant talk about that.
Give this coaching staff a year to make connections with our normal recruiting area. He has 28 off to a good start, but all the cry babies cant talk about that.
You should really get franklin's balls off your chin and go back and rewatch the UCLA game
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A substantial amount of nil/rs money came off the 2025 roster with grads and transfers. There is no excuse for PSU to be outbid by not just Nebraska but to offer at #3 behind Colorado. We're not talking about losing out to titans.
This class is critical when one considers the 2026 fiasco. I understand it's where we finish, but Rivals and 247 have this class at #22 and #20 respectively. More concerning is both have PSU as 7th ranked in the conference. This is not the path to excellence at the highest level. Unless something changes,
2027 and beyond could get ugly.
I’ve given the staff credit for 2028. It’s off to a good start. To be fair though, Franklin started recruiting Armstrong to PSU when he was in eighth grade. Armstrong has been involved with PSU recruiting for several years over two coaching staffs. If you don’t see the 2026, and now the 2027 class as concerning, then you are drinking the kool aid. Two consecutive years of subpar recruiting will bite you in the a** eventually. Unless you hit the portal really hard and are willing to pay to overcome the recruiting deficiencies. Maybe that’s the plan. I don’t know. I’ve said before, if that’s the plan, I’m good with it. Time will tell. All we have to evaluate Campbell on so far is the construction of the 2026 roster and recruiting. I’m looking forward to this season and hopefully getting some momentum going for the program.
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I honestly can’t believe I watched that game. Brutal.
I actually think he was trying to get fired at that point.
False. Go back and watch the team from 2000-2004.
Toledo blowout loss.
6-4 loss to Iowa.
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I m 51....probably the worst first half l ve ever watched for a PSU team considering the perceived talent disparity and the prior play of the opponent. Just brutal.
It was one of the most unprepared teams I"ve witnessed at PSU, fan since 1966.
I'm neither astonished nor vitriolic. I don't like it when the same thing is done by a recruit who commits to Penn State. It's a money game now. Why burn a bridge when the big money is through the transfer portal?
I'm not arguing with any of your points. My comments were meant to reflect that I don't like it when anyone does it. You make a lot of valid points in your response. Time may prove me wrong, but I just don't believe that HS recruiting carries the same weight it once did. The transfer portal has opened up many second chances, athletically and financially. I understand the thick skin comment, I do, however, believe character is revealed. Can it be explained away in the future? Can all be forgiven? Of course.
I do agree with your last two points. I think the debate may be when do you spend the money? An unproven, though incredibly gifted high school student-athlete or an athlete who has produced at the collegiate level? I don't pretend to know the answer and I'm sure a lot of it is case-by-case.
The game has definitely changed. What works for some, doesn't work for others and what works one year may not work the next,
This Taylor decision is not a surprise. We have known this for a couple weeks now after he returned from his Nebby visit gushing all over how great his visit was. Then the experts all CBd him to Nebby and it was a foregone conclusion.
This one stings especially since it is a huge position of need and we only have one WR in the '27 class. Campbell, the GM and whomever else need to take criticism on this one. I posted earlier in this thread that this reeks of poor planning and no contingency plan. I don't think they thought Nebby would sweeten the deal and we were caught unprepared or lacking the flexibility financially to match or at least go up in our offer. Could definitely be because it would disrupt the current WR room payroll.
However that is not an excuse as they should have thought through all the different scenarios. Taylor was clearly after the biggest payday so we could have cooled on him much earlier and focused on an 88 or 89 guy.
We have to get a portal WR now and hopefully flip the kid from Salesianum HS in Delaware who is committed to Rutgers.
A comment on the bigger picture of recruiting and specifically Campbell. I think he has done a solid job, not incredibly great but still solid. I have to admit that a fair criticism of him is whether he can reel in some of these elite guys. Our '27 class has a lot of misses with these 4 star guys but you could chalk some of that to time he had to build relationships. But he did have the same amount of time as some other new coaches like the Florida guy so it wasn't like he was hired in March.
'28 is off to a very good start and Armstrong is a huge pickup at the most important position. Now we have to hold on to him. Georgia offered him so they are lurking.
A lot of comments in this thread about how we lose a lot of talent after '26 and with essentially no recruiting for the '26 class we could be in trouble as in a down year. That is certainly possible but Campbell and the GM, etc know this already. It is their job to know this. The question is if they can make significant moves in the portal to shore up the glaring holes. I think we will be pleasantly surprised with our portal haul next winter. The biggest question will be at QB. The staff will make an assessment if Manske or even Falzone has the chops to assume the starter role but even if they are feeling good I think they go after a high end portal QB and then let the QB battle follow. WR as I mentioned will be another big priority.
This one stings especially since it is a huge position of need and we only have one WR in the '27 class. Campbell, the GM and whomever else need to take criticism on this one. I posted earlier in this thread that this reeks of poor planning and no contingency plan. I don't think they thought Nebby would sweeten the deal and we were caught unprepared or lacking the flexibility financially to match or at least go up in our offer. Could definitely be because it would disrupt the current WR room payroll.
However that is not an excuse as they should have thought through all the different scenarios. Taylor was clearly after the biggest payday so we could have cooled on him much earlier and focused on an 88 or 89 guy.
We have to get a portal WR now and hopefully flip the kid from Salesianum HS in Delaware who is committed to Rutgers.
A comment on the bigger picture of recruiting and specifically Campbell. I think he has done a solid job, not incredibly great but still solid. I have to admit that a fair criticism of him is whether he can reel in some of these elite guys. Our '27 class has a lot of misses with these 4 star guys but you could chalk some of that to time he had to build relationships. But he did have the same amount of time as some other new coaches like the Florida guy so it wasn't like he was hired in March.
'28 is off to a very good start and Armstrong is a huge pickup at the most important position. Now we have to hold on to him. Georgia offered him so they are lurking.
A lot of comments in this thread about how we lose a lot of talent after '26 and with essentially no recruiting for the '26 class we could be in trouble as in a down year. That is certainly possible but Campbell and the GM, etc know this already. It is their job to know this. The question is if they can make significant moves in the portal to shore up the glaring holes. I think we will be pleasantly surprised with our portal haul next winter. The biggest question will be at QB. The staff will make an assessment if Manske or even Falzone has the chops to assume the starter role but even if they are feeling good I think they go after a high end portal QB and then let the QB battle follow. WR as I mentioned will be another big priority.
Remember when we used to get excited about kids giving their verbal commitment to Penn State? Remember when commitments meant a little more. It used to make the offseason so much more enjoyable. It would fill in the emptiness of the offseason. Now, because of NIL, only 2 things matter anymore.....Saturdays and Signing Day. Everything else is meaningless.
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He’s the one who has to look in the mirror. I’d rather lose every game with a team full of class than win every game with *** holes. Regardless of Campbell’s success on the field, I really love his stance about ethics and integrity and sportsmanship. Ideally we can do those things AND win… “success with honor.” Time will tell but at least we’ll have honor and that counts for something.
I think it’s because PSU supported his mental health and that’s a pretty sensitive and tender advocacy piece to showing support. That’s the reason it’s more egregious…it sounds like we gave him the benefit of the doubt and he forgot that respect when he signed. My dad would let me choose my school…he would not be happy if I treated a school like he did PSU. It would be considered obviously rude. Not to mention the concept of burned bridges which is now being discussed.
You’re a hipicrit an
the difference is Franklin didn’t allow visits after commitments so we never had many flips; just a tangible example if one aspect Franklin used to build strong classes. Without “eff you” money if we let kids take visits we will lose them more often than before to bigger pay days.
That’s what sucks, kids aren’t going to “dream of playing at PSU..” It’s going to be like the NFL where they are scouted by 3-5 teams that can afford and need them. If one of those scouting teams happens to be their home team “great,” but tragically gone are the days where Billy from Conestoga has a poster of PSU on his wall as a child and ends up playing there making his dream come true. THESE days NIL makes the dream big money-who can pay it matters less than ever before.
It really isn’t…and that’s why the Armstrong signing means nothing. As awesome as it is…as much as he is the archetype player and caliber we really need to be the best…the odds we sign him can’t be more than 40% if I had to guess and that would be VERY high. Like I’ve said..I guess losing Justin Fields still stings. We also lost another very athletic mobile QB about two-three years ago though I’m blanking on his name…
Yes it’s so interesting…it’s like when you learn a new word, it feels like you see it more frequently but it’s not necessarily the case and tangentially to
Mental health it’s like well doesn’t everybody have mental health issues? But if everybody has them does anybody? At what point do those issues need to be mentioned publicly? Which successful people bring up their own mental health…and why? Which unsuccessful people do? Is it like making an excuse in advance? Is it just communicating an deficiency? Sometimes it can seem self deprecating these days with how common it is or it can seem like people are trying to fit in by giving mental health such focus. I know it (mental health needs the focus) needs it but it’s a massive spectrum and it’s a slippery slope.
I just want to spotlight this…so many posters on this board say 2 things to disparage Franklin and excuse his firing, 1)That he gave up (why would he have given up when he had his best team ever with Allar, Singleton, Allen, etc.. “give up?” Like no want to win? What’s that even mean he gave up? He desperately wanted to win those games. Like what planet are you on to think otherwise? How does giving up help his cause at that juncture? Had he ever been known for giving up before?
And second issue point 2)He is critiqued for bad play calling…I think his play calling and situational management was at times ahead of its time and forward thinking-it seems like his big plays never executed well and that usually if execution happens the play makes him look like a genius. But if you watch the tape…we often times had bad luck pure and simple. I do not agree that James Franklin was an “awful” game day coach.
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If this is truly about being averse to spending money on "unproven" high school talent, I would suggest:
It doesn't seem to be a deterrent to Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, USC etc. Is this coaching staff smarter than all others in America? Or is it a matter of Kraft lying about "elite" resources?
Secondly, talent in the portal....proven talent....is much, much more expensive than high school commits. In addition, our adversaries will be shopping for the same jewels and driving the price up and up.
To do better than what PSU has done the past 10 years, they need better talent.
I don't like what college football has become. I appreciate the dialogue.
I can't verify 100% because I don't tune in to the commit extravaganzas, however, Tengwall mentioned on one of his programs that McGee did the same thing with a Texas hat. So while I wouldn't condone any behavior that others could deem "disrespectful," I don't think its worthy of angst. Suffice it to say that it ranks up there with things an older generation may differ with on with younger ones. Perhaps Taylor really wanted to come to PSU but the fact that their offer was lower than not only Nebraska, but Colorado as well, left him wondering just how much the coaching staff really valued him. This is after all a game where "money talks." Perhaps some here have been in a relationship where someone says that they really care about you, but their actions seem to indicate otherwise?
If this is truly about being averse to spending money on "unproven" high school talent, I would suggest:
It doesn't seem to be a deterrent to Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, USC etc. Is this coaching staff smarter than all others in America? Or is it a matter of Kraft lying about "elite" resources?
Secondly, talent in the portal....proven talent....is much, much more expensive than high school commits. In addition, our adversaries will be shopping for the same jewels and driving the price up and up.
To do better than what PSU has done the past 10 years, they need better talent.
I don't like what college football has become. I appreciate the dialogue.
Well, we have enough jackarses on this board now, can you all just leave and come back in Dec to either tell us that you were right and Campbell isn't as good as Fraudlin, or that PSU has a good record because they have an easy schedule.
I didn't mind Franklin, but he kept asking for more, more, more for himself and didn't hold his players responsible. His coaching staff over the years was terrible. Think of all of the Off Coordinators that we had and as a group they were bad. I believe that he still wanted to control the offense, so he micro managed them to the point where they couldn't do anything. He was fired and ahd all of his cronies contact recruits to bad mouth PSU. He has such class!
He is so high on himself that when the shi$ hit the fan early last year, he couldn't control it and tried to blame everyone else. He was set up to have a great season and he BLEW it.
As for the following 4 people. They are Franklin butt kissers, sPitt or Notre Dame losers. My guess is that Franklin has a few of his guys who followed him to VaTech, commenting anytime anyone says anything positive about PSU or negative about him. EGO, EGO, EGO led him to where he is and that is at a non-football school who hasn't been relevant in 30 years.
Marshall
LB99
rigi19041
Bvillebaron
PSUalreadyknow
They will all come on and explain why they are lifelong PSU fans and I am wrong.
In 40 years of following PSU and enjoying the comments on the boards, I have never put anyone on ignore, so congrats guys, you are the first ones to get that distinction.
As for the rest of the readers, I am excited to see what Campbell can do with more resources than Iowa State had but realistic enough to know that it may take a year to get into the local high schools and build a bond. I expect a 10 win season and excited to see what the offseason recruiting and portal can bring.
Recruiting will be fine. If being in the top 5 every year meant national championships, then why hasn't Texas won 10 over the past 25 years. The recruiting services always over rate Texas, N Dame, etc.. so relax and enjoy the ride. If a recruit wants to decommit, then bye! We only want guys who are good teammates and want to be at PSU.
Go PSU.
I didn't mind Franklin, but he kept asking for more, more, more for himself and didn't hold his players responsible. His coaching staff over the years was terrible. Think of all of the Off Coordinators that we had and as a group they were bad. I believe that he still wanted to control the offense, so he micro managed them to the point where they couldn't do anything. He was fired and ahd all of his cronies contact recruits to bad mouth PSU. He has such class!
He is so high on himself that when the shi$ hit the fan early last year, he couldn't control it and tried to blame everyone else. He was set up to have a great season and he BLEW it.
As for the following 4 people. They are Franklin butt kissers, sPitt or Notre Dame losers. My guess is that Franklin has a few of his guys who followed him to VaTech, commenting anytime anyone says anything positive about PSU or negative about him. EGO, EGO, EGO led him to where he is and that is at a non-football school who hasn't been relevant in 30 years.
Marshall
LB99
rigi19041
Bvillebaron
PSUalreadyknow
They will all come on and explain why they are lifelong PSU fans and I am wrong.
In 40 years of following PSU and enjoying the comments on the boards, I have never put anyone on ignore, so congrats guys, you are the first ones to get that distinction.
As for the rest of the readers, I am excited to see what Campbell can do with more resources than Iowa State had but realistic enough to know that it may take a year to get into the local high schools and build a bond. I expect a 10 win season and excited to see what the offseason recruiting and portal can bring.
Recruiting will be fine. If being in the top 5 every year meant national championships, then why hasn't Texas won 10 over the past 25 years. The recruiting services always over rate Texas, N Dame, etc.. so relax and enjoy the ride. If a recruit wants to decommit, then bye! We only want guys who are good teammates and want to be at PSU.
Go PSU.
About the play calling. At VT Franklin said he has never made a call in a game at Penn State or Vanderbilt. He said it quite emphatically. Can’t prove it or defend it but he said that. I’ll be happy when this thread gets back to recruiting and abandons this perpetual bickering.
See, we have big donors, but that money goes to the stadium each time.
For sure. Raising money for the stadium has to be at the top of the list for every development/major gifts solicitor in the Athletic Department.
In this particular case, maybe someone can comment on the extent of advertising and promotion S & A Homes does in the State College area. If they are non-existent or not particularly active that limits NIL opportunities.
Obviously, and its not even close, PSU has put many more guys into the NFL than Rutgres.
Of course, just as obviously, Rutgres brings in FAR fewer guys that have anything close to NFL caliber talent - generally, zero or near zero "blue chippers".
That said:
Until this year, PSU had not had a RB drafted since Miles Sanders (whose career is now basically over). The other current NFL RB from PSU is a pretty good one
I think he has been wearing a green uniform the last few years. Maybe you've seen him play.Maybe Allen and Singleton can get that RB pipeline going again. Who knows?
At Rutgres - lowly 3rd Rate Rutgres: their last two starting RBs are both in the NFL (and doing relatively well) - Monangai and Pacheco. Even though they were anything but heralded recruits.
And their current RB, Antwan Raymond, is tearing it up, and a likely high NFL pick when he comes out (he still has two years of eligibility - now 3 with the new NCAA rules). If you were paying attention, you may have seen him - in his last game - ripping the PSU defense for nearly 200 yards last November.
He is a pre-season 1st Team all Big Ten pick, and 2nd team All American pick. He is a beast.
FWIW: He also went to Rutgres after "re-classifying" and starting his college career a year early.
There IS football played outside of Happy Valley, even if most fan(atics) pay little notice.
Good players can make the NFL from any program. In fact, a high ceiling recruit is often advantaged by going somewhere where he can play meaningful snaps from Day 1.
Could that end up being the case with this current kid? Who knows, it is such a crap shoot and so many things - positive or negative - can happen. I doubt it, but the numbers are always pretty long for kids just entering college football.
And he is unlikely to break the Rutgres starting lineup as long as Antwan Raymond is there (he would be MUCH more likely to get reps in 2026 at PSU, FWIW - as PSU does not have an All Conference/All American workhorse currently entrenched)
Aw poor baby. Do you feel better now that you have taken your ball and gone home in the face of people who disagree with you? Head for Mommy’s basement with your binkey and blankey and assume the fetal position until you feel better.
He said favored, so you showed your ignorance by stating that Iowa game. PSU was not favored.
They also wouldn’t have been favored against Toledo had they played later in the season, but they were when it was played despite PSU already having been spanked by USC.
Nothing in any of our lifetimes matches that UCLA fiasco.
Do you think Toledo was ever favored over psu?
Putting together a lousy team that is not favored vs mediocre teams is a weak excuse .