Recruiting tracker: Penn State’s decommitments since James Franklin was fired
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Penn State fires James Franklin
The James Franklin era is over at Penn State.
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James Franklin getting fired has already begun to impact the 2026 Penn State football team — and beyond. Several Nittany Lion recruits who were committed to Franklin and his program have since announced their decommitment from Penn State and have opened up their recruitments.
It will be on the next head coach to either earn commitments from those prospects again, or bring in their own slate of targets to play at Penn State. Until that coach is on board, the Nittany Lions’ recruiting future will remain in flux.
Let’s take a look at all the movement in Penn State’s 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes, and check back for updates.
Penn State’s 2026 decommitments
DeMatha Catholic (Md.) wide receiver Lavar Keys — Keys was the first 2026 player to decommit from Penn State. The three-star receiver had been committed to the Nittany Lions since August 2024, and is rated as the No. 117 wideout in the country, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Trinity Episcopal School (Va.) wide receiver Davion Brown — Brown is a four-star receiver in the 2026 class and decommitted after originally joining Penn State’s recruiting class in May. He’s the No. 208 player in the country and the No. 35 receiver, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
North Cross School (Va.) cornerback Jaziel Hart — Hart was the first defensive player to leave Penn State’s 2026 class. He’s a three-star corner who committed to the Nittany Lions in May. Hart is the No. 52 corner in the country, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Missions Hills (Ca.) quarterback Troy Huhn — Huhn was Penn State’s lone quarterback commit in the 2026 class, and had been committed to the program since June 2024. He’s a four-star recruit and the No. 17 quarterback in the country, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
St. Joseph’s Prep School (Pa.) defensive lineman Alex Haskell — Haskell was the first in-state 2026 commit to leave the Nittany Lions’ recruiting class, and has already flipped his choice to another school. The three-star defensive lineman is now committed to Syracuse. He’s the No. 67 defensive lineman in the class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Winslow Township (N.J.) cornerback Julian Peterson — Peterson is the most recent decommit, after committing to Penn State in late January. He’s a three-star cornerback and is listed as the No. 10 player in New Jersey and the No. 60 cornerback in the class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Penn State’s 2027 decommitments
Imani Christian Academy (Pa.) linebacker Gabe Jenkins — Jenkins left Penn State’s 2027 class on Oct. 12 and was the first commit in either class to do so. He’s a four-star linebacker and one of two in-state recruits to decommit thus far. Jenkins is the No. 239 player in his class and the No. 13 linebacker, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
McKeesport (Pa.) running back Kemon Spell — Spell is the biggest loss for Penn State so far, but had already stated he was re-opening his recruitment prior to Franklin’s firing. However, he did not decommit until after the head coach was let go. Spell is a five-star recruit and the No. 8 player and the No. 1 running back in his class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Appoquinimink (Del.) offensive tackle Layton von Brandt — von Brandt’s departure left Penn State without any 2027 players committed. He’s a four-star recruit who had been committed to Penn State since November. von Brandt is the No. 39 overall player and the No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2027 recruiting class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM.
