Well, hello there. For the first time since August 6, 2019, I am back in charge of Blessed & Honored. Without going too far into the details, the gist of the situation is that I locked Colin Murphy in a basement where he’s only allowed to report on the hockey team. Sorry, Colin.
In all seriousness, I think this is an exciting time to get back into recruiting coverage. This is going to sound like a swipe at James Franklin when it isn’t, but even recruiting had gotten a bit stale under. Not because Penn State was signing bad classes, but because I basically knew what to expect from the Nittany Lions as the year went along.
So although I’m not expecting a massive jump in recruiting — Penn State will still live in the No. 8 to No. 15 area — I am expecting some newness and some freshness as Matt Campbell puts his touch on the program.
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We’ll have plenty of recruiting content over the next couple weeks as we lay the groundwork for the 2027 recruiting class. I, personally, need to get up to speed on the larger group of prospects Penn State will focus on. But for now, let’s take a look at the weekend in Happy Valley, which featured a legacy official visitor and an important Junior Day.
SAMSON GASH OFFICIALLY VISITS PENN STATE
Penn State’s 2026 class is pretty much done at this point, with 2026 four-star wide receiver Samson Gash being the lone prospect that’s still left on the board. The Michigan State commit is down to the Spartans and the Nittany Lions, as he just wrapped up his official visit to Happy Valley.
Gash has ties to both Penn State and Michigan State. The Penn State one is obvious, with his father — Sam — being a fullback for the Nittany Lions in the early 1990s. His ties to Sparty are strong as well, with his brother Caleb being a defensive back with the Michigan State program currently. Toss in that the Gash family resides in Michigan, and despite his father’s connection to his alma mater, it certainly could be argued that Gash is more likely to stay in state. He’ll be back in East Lansing for an OV this weekend so we’ll see where this one ends up on NSD.
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JUNIOR DAY
Penn State did its best to sneak in a Junior Day with the impending snowstorm on the horizon, and as one would expect, it appears it was a good weekend for the Nittany Lions’ new staff. Although no players committed, think of the Junior Day as setting the foundation for what will be a massive 2027 recruiting class. Let’s get into some quick hitters on some of the visitors:
Four-Star WR Khalil Taylor
A former Penn State commit, Taylor was back in Happy Valley to officially meet with the new staff. Big one here for wide receivers coach Noah Pauley. Taylor admitted to Happy Valley United after the visit that the last staff wasn’t known for developing wide receivers, but that Coach Pauley changes that. Taylor already has an official visit with Penn State set for the first week of June.
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Four-Star WR Matthew Gregory
Gregory had been an active visitor in Happy Valley during the James Franklin tenure, visiting five times for games and camps. This past weekend was his first one with the new staff.
Four-Star WR Cade Cooper
Cooper is the third four-star wide receiver in the commonwealth that will certainly be a big priority for Noah Pauley as he works to rebuild the wide receiver room.
Four-Star TE Cooper Terwilliger
Not very often Penn State has ventured into Pierre, South Dakota for a prospect, but the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Cooper Terwilliger might be a top 10 tight end in the country for the 2027 cycle. His brother, Owen, played for Matt Campbell at Iowa State so some nice family ties here.
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Three-Star TE Tommy Douglas
The son of former New York Jets GM and current Senior Personnel Director for the Philadelphia Eagles Joe Douglas, Tommy is starting to rise as a prospect. He plays his ball at The Hun School in Princeton, and has an offers list that looks more like a four-star than three-star — Ohio State, Alabama, USC, Michigan, and Florida all offered in the last few months.
Three-Star OL Lucas Rhoa
Another kid that has a crazy offer list for a three-star — Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Florida, etc. — Rhoa made the long trip from Southern California to Happy Valley. He’s a “lifelong” Penn State fan though that still has some family in PA, so expect the Nittany Lions to be involved until the end.
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Four-Star OL Kyler Kuhn
The new staff’s midwest and plains ties will likely have Penn State in the middle of America a bit more often this cycle, and that showed with Top 200 prospect Kyler Kuhn making the visit from Missouri. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound guard landed an offer from Iowa State last spring, and that relationship and recruitment will now transfer over to Penn State.
Four-Star DB Gabe Jenkins
Jenkins was a one-time Penn State commit that Terry Smith is back to plugging away at in Pittsburgh. He was back in Happy Valley last weekend, and like Khalil Taylor, also has his official visit locked in for June 5-7.
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Three-Star DB Zach Gleason
Gleason is a 6-foot-0, 165-pound corner from Pittsburgh Central Catholic that landed an offer from Terry Smith during camp season last summer, and he’ll clearly stay a priority despite the staff changes.
Four-Star DE George Parkinson IV
A 2028 four-star prospect from Malvern Prep, Parkinson IV is already a Top 100 kid in the class and there’s a decent chance he ends up closer to the five-star range. It’s super early in his recruitment, but a good sign he got back to Penn State so quickly after the Campbell hire.
Five-Star RB Kemon Spell
Without divulging paywall info, Spell did not make the visit to Penn State as expected last weekend. If you want to learn more, check out Sean Fitz’s notes on the situation.
