Penn State Loses Offensive Line Commit to Syracuse

Lubintus, who will be a senior at Timber Creek Regional High, is the 14th-ranked player in New Jersey and the 81st-ranked tackle nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. The tackle (listed at 6-5, 350 pounds) initially committed to Penn State in April from an offer sheet that included Michigan State, Boston College, West Virginia and Florida, among others.

Penn State's James Franklin was the first coach to offer Lubintus a scholarship, getting him on the program's radar in March 2024. Syracuse offered Lubintus two months later and got him on campus for a visit in April. After the announcement, Syracuse coach Fran Brown posted this on X.

Syracuse has been on a bit of a recruiting run lately, having received a July commitment from 5-star receiver Calvin Russell. The nation's fifth-ranked receiver, according to the 247Sports Composite, Russell chose Syracuse over Michigan, Oregon and Florida State. Russell also is the fourth-ranked high school player in the state of Florida.

Penn State added a Syracuse player to its roster this offseason, bringing highly productive receiver Trebor Pena in from the transfer portal. Pena, who led the ACC with 84 receptions last season, joined the Nittany Lions after Brown said publicly that he was unwilling to meet the receiver's financial requests. "We paid him enough," Brown told ESPN Syracuse, as reported by Syracuse.com.

"A lot of the stuff that was put out publicly [regarding Pena], none of it was true about how his transfer took place and why it took place," Franklin said in June. "A lot of the financial descriptions of how that played out, none of them was true as they relate to Penn State based on our experience. They were non-factors. It just worked out really well."

Where Penn State's 2026 recruiting class stands

Following Lubintus' decision, Penn State's 2026 class has 24 committed players. The Nittany Lions have had three players decommit from the class. In addition to Lubintus, Indiana receiver Jerquaden Guilford decommitted from Penn State in February and has not yet announced a new destination.

Then in June, 4-star Pennsylvania quarterback Peyton Falzone flipped his decision from Penn State to Auburn. Falzone told his hometown newspaper, The Allentown Morning Call, that Auburn "checked all the boxes" for him.

After Lubintus decommitted, Penn State's 2026 recruiting class fell one spot to 15th in the 247Sports Composite's national rankings. Penn State ranks fifth in the Big Ten behind USC, Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon.

The Nittany Lions open the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium.