Ranking the smallest Penn State football 2026 recruiting class
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This Penn State football recruiting class is now one of the smallest and lowest-ranked in the nation.
Incredibly enough, the Nittany Lions signed just two high school prospects on Wednesday — the opening of the early signing day period.
That small number leads to the Lions’ lowest national signing day team ranking in their recruiting history — 150th by 247Sports and 164th by Rivals. Their class, so far, is the lowest-rated among Power 4 teams.
This 2026 class, once a respected, top 15-rated group, has been decimated since the firing of head coach James Franklin in mid-October — and with still no permanent replacement eight weeks later.
The Lions lost four of their five remaining verbal commitments on Wednesday, including three more to Franklin and Virginia Tech. However, they did gain an unexpected re-commitment from in-state quarterback Peyton Falzone.
The Lions, and whoever their new head coach will be, still have until the traditional national signing day in early February to revive the class.
Ranking Penn State football’s signing day recruits
The Lions signed only two Pennsylvania recruits on Wednesday — Malvern Prep defensive end Jackson Ford (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and Nazareth quarterback Peyton Falzone (6-4, 200).
Ford is a highly-regarded four-star recruit by 247Sports. Falzone is a high three-star prospect.
Penn State football’s signing day surprises
Falzone made his way back to Penn State, in the very end.
The stellar athlete, who began his recruitment as a tight end, took a winding recruiting road to sign with the Lions. He first verbally committed to Virginia Tech before flipping to Penn State early this year. He changed again to Auburn in June, only to shift back to PSU on Wednesday, a few days after the Tigers hired new head coach Alex Golesh.
Falzone is rated as the nation’s No. 22 quarterback and the No. 11 overall Pennsylvania recruit in the 2026 class. He is coming off of a season-ending collarbone injury. He threw for only 11 touchdowns and 1,160 yards last fall, his season cut short by a collarbone injury.
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.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Where Penn State football’s recruiting class ranks after signing day
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