Will Penn State football sign any recruits on national signing day?
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Penn State football may set unwanted program history on Wednesday: It’s in danger of not signing any high school commitments as the early national signing period opens.
No matter what, the Nittany Lions will begin finalizing what certainly will be its smallest — and lowest-ranked — recruiting class on record.
This 2026 class, once another respected, top 15-rated Penn State group of incoming high school seniors, has been decimated since the firing of head coach James Franklin in mid-October — and with still no permanent replacement eight weeks later.
The Nittany Lions maintain just five verbal commitments heading into the first signing day of the cycle on Dec. 3. They’ve lost nearly all of their class to de-commitments since Franklin was fired and recently hired by Virginia Tech.
Only one of PSU’s pledges, Malvern Prep defensive end Jackson Ford, publicly confirmed that he plans to sign with PSU — and even he took a late recruiting visit to Virginia Tech last weekend.
Interim head coach Terry Smith and his staff are managing recruiting, and the preparations for a prospective bowl game, until a permanent head coach is named.
Penn State football recruiting rankings
The Lions’ 2026 recruiting class is ranked 130th nationally by 247Sports and 121st by Rivals.
Penn State typically produces top-15 recruiting rankings under Franklin, most containing about 25 members.
His classes in 2018 and 2022 (featuring Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Dani Dennis-Sutton) were ranked No. 6 nationally, according to 247Sports.
Franklin’s lowest-rated class was his first (24th), which he finished compiling after taking the job in January of 2014.
Penn State football recruiting class 2026
The Lions still hold verbal commitments from five players heading into signing day: safety Matt Sieg (McDonald, Pa.), defensive end Terry Wiggins (Coatesville, Pa.), defensive end Jackson Ford (Malvern, Pa.), linebacker Tyson Harley (Washington, D. C.) and cornerback Amauri Polydor (Baltimore).
When is the early national signing day?
The early national signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 3. It is the first day high school seniors can make their verbal commitments binding. The early signing period last from Dec. 3 through Dec. 5.
When is the late national signing day?
The traditional or “late” national signing day is Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. It marks the ending of the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Will Penn State football sign any recruits on national signing day?
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