The Nittany Lions' 2026 class grows smaller as the search continues to replace James Franklin.
Penn State lost another key recruit from its 2026 recruiting class to a Big Ten team, while one of its most important prospects also decommitted. Thus continues the expected attrition from Penn State's 2026 class following James Franklin's firing Oct 12.
Lavar Keys, a 3-star wide receiver from Maryland, announced Sunday that he has flipped his commitment to the Indiana Hoosiers. Keys, the No. 20 player from Maryland in the recruiting cycle, recently received offers from Wisconsin and Kansas State. He committed to Indiana coach Curt Cignetti a week after the Hoosiers' 27-24 win at Beaver Stadium.Keys became the third former Penn State recruit to commit to a Big Ten school. Darrell Carey, a 3-star safety from Maryland, committed to the Maryland Terrapins on Nov. 5. And Jack Fuchs, a 3-star offensive lineman from Tennessee, committed to the Northwestern Wildcats on Nov. 11. Also on Sunday, one of the most important players in Penn State's 2026 class announced that he has decommitted. Kevin Brown, a 4-star offensive lineman from Harrisburg High, was the second-ranked player in the class, according to the Brown is the second-ranked player in Pennsylvania and the No. 6 offensive tackle nationally in the recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Brown has taken visits to West Virginia and Ohio State in the past few weeks. He is one of the top players Penn State had hoped to retain through the coaching transition.A general view of the end zone at Penn State's Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Nittany Lions. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images Penn State's 2026 class, once ranked among the nation's top 15, now is 59th and 15th in the Big Ten, acording to the. Penn State is down to 12 committed players in the class, most of whom have announced they are taking visits to other programs. That includes 4-star Pennsylvania safety Matt Sieg, a top-100 player nationally. Thirteen Penn State recruits have decommitted since Franklin's firing, with eight announcing commitments to other schools. Among them, Delaware 4-star receiver Jahsiear Rogers receiver flipped to the Oklahoma Sooners, and 4-star athlete David Davis from Pittsburgh flipped to North Carolina.. Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith said the program continues to maintain contact with its committed players, who can begin signing their 2026 contracts Dec. 3. "They're all like on stand-by," Smith said. "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 plays its final home game of the season Saturday against Nebraska. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on NBC.Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.
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