Penn State Loses Key WR Commitment to Big Ten Rival

Less than six weeks after James Franklin was relieved of his duties on October 12, Penn State’s once-promising 2026 recruiting class is experiencing significant fallout, with another high-profile prospect heading to a conference rival and one of the Nittany Lions’ cornerstone commitments pulling away.

On Sunday, three-star wide receiver Lavar Keys from Maryland revealed he has switched his pledge to Indiana. Ranked as the No. 20 prospect in his home state, Keys had recently picked up scholarship offers from Wisconsin and Kansas State. His decision came roughly one week after the Hoosiers handed Penn State a 27-24 defeat inside Beaver Stadium.

Keys is now the third former Penn State verbal commitment from the 2026 cycle to land with another Big Ten program. Three-star safety Darrell Carey, also from Maryland, chose the Terrapins on November 5, while three-star offensive lineman Jack Fuchs out of Tennessee pledged to Northwestern on November 11.

In an even bigger blow that same day, four-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown from Harrisburg High School in Pennsylvania announced he is reopening his recruitment. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman had been the second-highest-rated member of Penn State’s class according to the 247Sports Composite. He currently stands as the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania and the sixth-ranked offensive tackle in the country for the 2026 cycle.

Brown has made recent trips to West Virginia and Ohio State and was viewed as one of the critical in-state pieces the Nittany Lions desperately wanted to keep during the coaching change.

With Brown’s departure, Penn State’s 2026 class has plummeted from a top-15 national ranking to No. 59 overall and 15th within the Big Ten, per the 247Sports Composite. Only 12 prospects remain publicly committed, and most of them—including four-star safety Matt Sieg, a Pennsylvania native and national top-100 talent—have already scheduled or taken visits elsewhere.

Since Franklin’s dismissal, 13 members of the original class have backed off their pledges. Eight of those have already found new homes, among them four-star Delaware wide receiver Jahsiear Rogers, who flipped to Oklahoma, and four-star Pittsburgh athlete David Davis, who chose North Carolina.Penn State is now entering its sixth week without a permanent head coach.

Franklin, meanwhile, is reportedly in discussions to take over at Virginia Tech. Interim coach Terry Smith has stressed that the staff is staying in regular contact with the remaining commitments as the early signing period for the 2026 class approaches on December 3.

On the field, the Nittany Lions (4-6) will host Nebraska in their final home game of the season on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, closing a turbulent chapter in Happy Valley both on the roster and along the recruiting trail.