Penn State Nittany Lion mascot interacts with the fans during the third quarter against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

What to know about Penn State's 155th-ranked recruiting class

By John Banks | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 12:37 PM ET

As Penn State’s bewildering head-coaching search has ended with Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, it’s worth revisiting the Nittany Lions’ 2025 recruiting outlook.

According to 247Sports, Penn State’s two-player class ranks 155th nationally — behind programs such as South Dakota State, Murray State and Jackson State.

By contrast, Campbell's recruiting class was ranked 50th by 247Sports.

Penn State's class sits last in the Big Ten, which is hardly surprising given the program has been without a head coach since James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12. Since then, Penn State has reportedly been turned down by several coaches for its HC opening, including BYU's Kalani Sitake.

Penn State's two-player class is composed of four-star QB Peyton Falzone and four-star edge-rusher Jackson Ford, who signed before Falzone. The QB, a former Auburn commit from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, initially committed in June 2024 to Virginia Tech, where Franklin landed as HC.

“I’m glad I have a roommate at least,” Ford told The Athletic's Grace Raynor after Falzone's signing. “We’re in this together.”

Of course, social media had some fun with Penn State's tiny recruiting "haul."

Ford looking at the rest of his class https://t.co/SJsjm8wSyo pic.twitter.com/7KCIZznWml
— Brother Mouzone (@SigmaCane1914) December 3, 2025

Under Franklin, Penn State at one point had 30 commits, The Athletic reported.

In the end, Ford — from Malvern Prep, near Philadelphia — couldn't leave his home state.

“The people that are still in the building and just the reputation the school has made throughout the (years) made me want to stick it out with them,” Ford told The Athletic. “Seeing a lot of my teammates leave was definitely disheartening, but at the end of the day, I still know why I committed."

As Penn State's new coach, Campbell will add talent in the 2026 signing period (Feb. 4) and in the transfer portal (Jan. 2-16).

For anxious Penn State fans, those dates (and a head coach) can't get here soon enough.

John Banks

A longtime editor at ESPN and The Dallas Morning News, Banks has written for The New York Times, Civil War Times, America's Civil War, Military Images and other publications. He lives in Nashville.

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