Where Penn State's 2027 Recruiting Class Stands After the Bye Week

Penn State added one commitment to its 2027 recruiting class and lost one during the bye week, which marked the coaching staff's first substantial in-season road tour. Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell spent several days attending games, including one in Ohio to watch a prospect who later became a commit.

Here's a look at where Penn State's 2027 recruiting class stands seven games into the Nittany Lions' season.

Ohio running back is the latest commit

Campbell was in Cincinnati on Friday night to watch 3-star running back Jordan Hall of Princeton High. The following day, Hall announced his commitment to Penn State, choosing the Nittany Lions from an offer sheet that included Ohio State, Pitt, Missouri and Louisville, among others.

Hall initially committed to Miami (Ohio), and Ohio State made its offer in September, so this represents a bit of a head-to-head recruiting victory for Campbell. Hall told Fox 19 in Cincinnati that he "clicked" with Campbell and running backs coach Savon Huggins.

Hall was Penn State's first 2027 commit since July. The 5-10, 200-pound running back is ranked No. 60 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Unlike former Penn State coach James Franklin, Campbell doesn't make many in-season recruiting trips, particularly on game weekends. Where Franklin took helicopters around the state, Campbell spends Fridays with his team.

But during the bye week, Campbell said he and his staff spent a "ton" of time on the road attending games of commits and prospects.

"I think [recruiting] still can’t come at the cost of the team, and our team right now needs us to continue to grow itself forward," Campbell said during the bye week. "I think you've got to take care of your own house first, and then you've got to do a great job of making sure you get out and spend the time, effort, and energy that recruiting takes if you’re going to do it right."

Penn State is down two 2027 commits

The Nittany Lions lost commitments last week from a quarterback and a linebacker. The day after Penn State lost to Michigan, 3-star quarterback Will Wood of Massachusetts flipped to Boston College.

Wood told several recruiting outlets that he wanted to play closer to home. Boston College coach Bill O'Brien had been a major factor in his recruiting process. Still, the decision left Penn State without a quarterback in its 2027 class and a huge gap in the room.

Penn State, which currently returns just two scholarship quarterbacks for 2027, already needed to hit the portal. Now, Campbell and his staff will look for flip possibilities among committed quarterbacks. Penn State has offered Nebraska 4-star quarterback Braylen Warren, who has committed to Missouri, and Arizona 3-star Kael Snyder, who has committed to Boise State.

On the same day Hall committed, Penn State also lost 3-star linebacker Blake Betton to Wisconsin. Betton had committed to Penn State in April and was among the first to join Campbell's 2027 class. The 6-3, 210-pound linebacker from Minnesota also had offers from eight Big Ten schools along iwth Virginia Tech, Missouri nad Kentucky, among others.

Betton's decision hits Penn State at a position of need, though the Nittany Lions are high on 4-star linebacker commit Case Alexander of Oklahoma. His brother Cooper is currently at tight end at Penn State.

Penn State in the recruiting rankings

The Nittany Lions' 21-player class currently ranks 20th nationally according to the 247Sports Composite and 23rd, according to Rivals. What once was a top-five class nationally with its flurry of commits in the spring has landed in the middle of the Big Ten.

Penn State ranks seventh in the conference, according to the 247Sports Composite, with six 4-star prospects and 15 3-star players.

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