Wave of Recruits Decommitting After Penn State Fires Franklin

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports | By TJ Chapman | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 6:20 PM ET

Now that Penn State has officially fired head coach James Franklin, the collateral damage to that decision has started. Three elite recruits decommitted from the program within an hour of the announcement. The lone remaining 2027 commitment, RB Kemon Spell, is the latest to reopen his recruitment.

When a head coach is fired from a program, there is an expectation that recruits will decommit. Those players were committed to play for the recently fired coach, and if he’s no longer with the program, the player loses his reason for going to that school. When you’re a top-tier program like Penn State, it hurts even more as the players being recruited are some of the best in the country. The highly-ranked Penn State 2027 recruiting class is now gone.

2027 LB/S Gabriel Jenkins

Four-Star LB/S Gabriel Jenkins of Imani Christian Academy in Pittsburgh was the first to decommit from Penn State. Jenkins’ decommitment was announced within 15 minutes of Franklin’s firing. The 6-foot, 187-pound LB/S originally committed to Penn State on Aug. 18. Jenkins chose Penn State over offers from Baylor, Florida State, Nebraska, Pitt, USC and others. Expect Jenkins to land more offers from Power Four schools.

2027 OT Layton Von Brandt

The next domino to fall was five-star OT Layton Von Brandt from Appoquinimink High School out of Middletown, Del. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound OT committed to Penn State on Nov. 9, 2024. Von Brandt is widely considered one of the top offensive linemen in the class. Von Brandt has offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee and many others.

2027 RB Kemon Spell

The No. 1-ranked RB in the 2027 recruiting class, Kemon Spell of McKeesport High School in McKeesport, Pa., was the last of the 2027 recruits. His decommitment leaves Penn State with no 2027 commitments. Spell, a 5-foot-9-inch, 205-pound back, is a consensus five-star recruit. Most major programs have offered Spell, but he seems to be most interested in Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee and USC.

2026 WR Lavar Keys

The most recent decommitment comes from the class of 2026. DeMatha Catholic High School WR Lavar Keys has announced his decommitment from Penn State. Keys is a three-star recruit with offers from Indiana, Maryland, Memphis, Minnesota and others. Keys is a 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pounder who originally committed to Penn State on Aug. 2.

Penn State Recruiting Fallout

When a coaching change occurs, the committed recruits will hear from multiple coaches and recruiters from other schools. Opening up the recruitment will also bring in new suitors. Being a committed player for Penn State will increase what other coaches think of these players. Expect more from the class of 2026 to decommit. Whoever Penn State hires to replace Franklin, they’ll be facing an uphill recruiting battle.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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