Penn State

Penn State Football Recruits Decommit From 2027 Class After Franklin Firing

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Paul Bowman
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Paul Bowman Sports Editor

Penn State Great Valley MBA, Penn State Berks Undergrad, Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor, IT Service Manager. I joined Sports Talk Philly in 2017 and root for all the Philly teams (as well as their minor league counter parts).

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Sports Editor

Published12 Oct 2025

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Penn State has officially fired James Franklin.

A season of championship expectations came crashing down after the team started 0-3 in B1G play this year, with Franklin appearing to have the team unprepared for both bottom feeders UCLA and Northwestern on back-to-back Saturdays.

In the fallout, the Nittany Lions have lost their 2027 recruiting class entirely.

Last week, the class stood at four members.

Even before the embarrassment against Northwestern Saturday, four-star WR Khalil Taylor backed out of his commitment, so this started even before the firing and one could argue it has more to do with the losing.

But within an hour of Franklin’s firing, five-star OL Layton Von Brandt, four-star defender Gabriel Jenkins, and five-star running back Kemon Spell all announced they are also decommitting.

That leaves the class vacant, where it can be expected to stay until a new head coach is brought in along with the potential of new coordinators and coaches.

It’s possible the recruits could be targeted and brought back by the new coach, when announced, but the players will keep their options open.