Penn State's 2026 Recruiting Class Continues its Exodus

Where is Penn State's 2026 class headed?

Davis became the seventh former Nittany Lion commit to flip from the 2026 class, with more likely to come. Here's the list so far:

• Darrell Carey, a 3-star safety from Maryland, committed to the Maryland Terrapins on Nov. 5.

• Isaac Chukwurah, a 3-star defensive lineman from Delaware, flipped to the Miami Hurricanes on Nov. 11.

• Jack Fuchs, a 3-star offensive lineman from Tennessee, committed to the Northwestern Wildcats on Nov. 11.

• Jahsiear Rogers, a 4-star receiver from Delaware, flipped to the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 27.

• Alexander Haskell, a 3-star defensive lineman from Philadelphia, committed to the Syracuse Orange on Oct. 22.

• Jaziel Hart, a 3-star defensive back from Virginia, committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Oct. 27.

Four other players in Penn State's 2026 class have decommitted since Franklin's firing Oct. 12. The list includes the class' only quarterback, 4-star prospect Troy Huhn from California.

Fourteen players remain committed to Penn State's 2026 class, though most have announced plans to reopen the recruiting process. That list includes 4-star Pennsylvania safety Matt Sieg, the highest-ranked player in Penn State's class.

Sieg recently visited Notre Dame, Indiana and Pitt while technically remaining committed to the Nittany Lions. He has not announced a decision. Meanwhile, 4-star Pennsylvania offensive lineman Kevin Brown has visited West Virginia and Ohio State. And 4-star running back Messiah Mickens, also from Harrisburg, is being courted by multiple programs, including Indiana.

Penn State interim coach Terry Smith said he has maintained communication with players from the 2026 recruiting class, though he understands their positions. Smith and the current staff and players are in the same waiting game.

"All the guys, the committed guys and the guys we were on, they've been great," Smith said. "Obviously it's very similar to our staff, right? No one knows what's next. Everyone is trying to figure it out.

"They're all like on stand-by. They've all been communicating with us. We've done some FaceTimes, some calls. We're just doing the best we can just keeping an open line of communication and staying in touch until we figure out what's next."

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said he was "comfortable" making the coaching change in October partly because of Smith's experience not only with the program but also in recruiting.

"Terry's an elite recruiter," Kraft said. "Terry has relationships with those kids, and Terry and I talked about many things. [Recruiting] is a part of it, and we've got to continue. I think what we will show is that we're such a big and historical program that we are going to weather the storm. We have weathered far worse than this."

Penn State's 2026 recruiting class currently has 14 players committed, down from its high of 27. The class ranks 31st nationally and ninth in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite.