Behind Enemy Lines is a new BSB series about how Ohio State’s adversaries are doing on the recruiting trail. Up first is Penn State.
Ohio State and Penn State’s on-field rivalry has been one-sided to say the least since Ryan Day took over as head coach in Columbus. Although the Nittany Lions have seemed to take steps forward as a program in the last few years under 12th-year head coach James Franklin, culminating in a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024, the program has failed to defeat Ohio State since 2016. The Nittany Lions’ failures in big games against not just Ohio State, but teams like Michigan and Oregon have held them back from winning a Big Ten title in the last few years. However, Penn State’s recent run in the playoffs, retention of star players like quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and the addition of former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, have many in the media anticipating a breakthrough season in 2025.
Off the field, the Nittany Lions have a similar sort of momentum on the recruiting trail. Franklin’s staff has signed a top-15 recruiting class in every cycle dating back to 2022, and their 2026 class is currently ranked right outside the top-15 at No. 16, according to 247 Sports’ composite score.
As it stands, Penn State’s 2026 class is comprised of 24 commits, which is tied for the second-most in the Big Ten and is only behind USC, which has gained 31 commitments.
The heart of the Nittany Lions’ class unsurprisingly sits in the state of Pennsylvania, where Franklin and his staff have gained commitments from three top-200 players. Leading the way for Penn State are a pair of Harrisburg high school teammates, including top-50 ranked offensive lineman Kevin Brown (6-5, 270) and four-star running back Messiah Mickens (5-10, 200).
Not far behind Mickens in the composite rankings are other Penn State pledges like Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal four-star wide receiver Davion Brown (6-1, 195) and McDonald (Pa.) Fort Cherry four-star safety Matt Sieg (6-0, 190). While Kevin Brown, Mickens, Davion Brown and Sieg are the team’s only top-200 players, Penn State has eight other four-star commits.
It’s a particularly impressive class at the linebacker position, where the program has gained commitments from Coatsville Area (Pa.) four-star Terry Wiggins (6-3, 210) and Charlotte (N.C.) West Mecklenberg four-star Elijah Littlejohn (6-2, 205).
Overall, the Nittany Lions’ 12 four-star commitments are the fourth-most in the Big Ten, only behind USC (20 four-star commits), Ohio State (14) and Michigan (13).
Penn State’s class is rounded out by 12 three-stars, including a couple of top-600 players like Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township cornerback Julian Peterson (6-2, 175) and Roanoke (Va.) North Cross cornerback Jaziel Hart (5-11, 170).
Although Penn State doesn’t have a five-star player committed in its 2025 class, its high number of four-star players and total amount of commits in the class have its composite score at 244.37, the fifth-best mark in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions’ 89.15 average player rating is also the fifth-highest mark in the Big Ten.
