Ouch. Penn State 2027 Recruiting Decline?

[1SEIACLONE]

The 3-3-5 was failing because we didn't have the dudes. The LB corps had more injuries than an Indonesian earthquake the past few years.

And even though the 3-3-5 helps hide not having a great DL, you still have to have at least 1 great or a couple good guys in the DL. The last 2-3 years there were a few guys but no dudes.

I think that it caught everyone by surprise when we started playing it, but then teams adjusted and we never adjusted back to their adjustments. Two years ago the LBers were all hurt, last year the DBs were hurt, but we were told that we would be playing more four man fronts at the start of the year and really never did.

It just got old watching the QB have all day in the pocket to throw the ball, we had little to no pressure on him, putting even more pressure on the LB's and DB's. the positions we were already short at. How many times last year did we have someone running wide open down the field for a long pass and score on the defense, it seemed like one or two a game. With 5 DBs in the game that should never happen, no matter what their experience level is.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

I didn't say he had to win a championship. I also didn't say he will be out the door immediately. Franklin won 2 playoff games in 2024. How can you be so wrong on everything you post?

They aren't going to give him 12 years like Franklin. They got rid of Franklin because their standard had been raised from 10-2 with losses to top teams to competing for a national championship. How are so many people missing this? Campbell can't go 10-2. That's what Franklin was doing. Just getting to the playoff is what Franklin was doing. He has to do more. That's why they changed coaches.

Campbell may beat more top 10 teams. He also may stub his toe to worse teams. It doesn't matter who he loses to, he has to go 10-2 at the least while winning at least a game in the playoff. Minimum. They aren't resetting the expectations. They are raising them.

How can you be so sure that he is not going to have success and will be there for a decade or more. They got rid of Franklin because they came in as one of the favorites to win the title, and immediately lost to Oregon at home and follow that up with an away loss to a poor UCLA team and then a horrible NW team. Franklins record against top 10 teams was 4-21. This is not ISU playing top rated teams, but teams that you should be beating as much as they are beating you. Campbell was 4-6 against top 10 teams while at ISU. So he won the same amount of games with 15 fewer losses.

At PSU Campbell is going to have something he rarely had at ISU, going into most games where they can just out talent the team they are playing. Programs like Penn State can have a bad game against a lower level team and still win, at ISU the talent level was just not high enough to play down to your talent level and get by with a win.

 

[SolarGarlic]

you keep saying this. They beat Boise St and SMU in a fluke playoff schedule arrangement that will never happen again (in the 12 team format, could happen in a 24 team format)

What they want is pretty straight forward. When they play Ohio St, they'd like to feel like they will win the game going into it. Campbell doesn't have to beat them all the time but enough (especially at home)

The post I responded to said he hadn't won a playoff game. Excuse me for supplying facts. I'm sorry they don't fit with your desired narrative.

You can't be serious. Under Franklin, their whole thing was that this year was going to be the year they beat Ohio State. And then they wouldn't. They got tired of Franklin and eventually got rid of him because they were tired of that repeated disappointment. I can't believe you guys actually think PSU fans are cool with the coach as long as "they feel like they will win the game going into it"! Hilarious.

Y'all aren't paying attention. They want Big 10 championships and a national championship, not warm fuzzies when they go into a game.

They thought last year was the year. It wasn't. Again. Campbell will get some grace in the first year, and he's lucky they don't play OSU. But you guys are clueless on what PSU fans/boosters are actually demanding.

 

[Kinch]

Didn’t Penn state basically choose Campbells defensive coordinator for him? Seems like a pretty good one.

 

[StClone]

Didn’t Penn state basically choose Campbells defensive coordinator for him? Seems like a pretty good one.

Matt Campbell’s new defensive coordinator at Penn State, D’Anton Lynn, was selected through a drawn‑out, multi‑stage hiring process driven by Campbell’s desire to bring in a proven defensive leader with both Penn State ties and high‑level coordinating experience.

 

[Lineup]

The Fuskers grapped their best RB

 

[BCClone]

Look at their schedule if they have two loses it will not be a good regular season. Out preform Franklin, the guy that never made the playoff and was horrible against top 10 ranked teams. PSU started the year last season as one of the favorites to win the championship and finished 7-5, they gave Franklin 12 years, the idea that if Campbell doesn't win immediately a championship he will be out the door is crazy.

Win 10 or 11 games each year, make the playoffs more often than not should not be that hard if you are the coach at Penn State. Franklin could win the games just not beat the other top 10 teams when he played them, that was is downfall. Campbell will do fine there, look at his record against top ten teams at ISU then factor in he will have much better talent overall at PSU.

Huh, he made it in 2024. He just missed this year because he was fired.

 

[StClone]

The Fuskers grapped their best RB

Yeah Khalil Taylor and they have another 4 Star commit for 2027 in Brown. F'enFuskers.

Nebraska​

Nebraska's 2027 recruiting class is ranked 18th nationally with a strong foundation that appears to be one of the best hauls of the Matt Rhule era. As of early July 2026, the Huskers have 22 commitments with 17 blue-chip recruits, giving them the 6th-best class in the Big Ten.

---

Class​

The recruiting class is headlined by Trae Taylor, a five-star quarterback who is the No. 1 QB recruit in the country. Beyond that, Nebraska has secured strong commitments at key positions:

• Running Back: Amir Brown (4-star)
• Offensive Line: Four commitments including Timi Aliu and Matt Erickson (both offensive tackles)
• Defensive Line: Nehemiah Ombati, Jayden Travers, and Errol Demontagnac
• Secondary: Multiple commits at safety and cornerback, including Tory Pittman III and Bryce Williams
• Linebacker: Caleb Green and Eli Harris

 

[Kinch]

Yeah Khalil Taylor and they have another 4 Star commit for 2027 in Brown. F'enFuskers.

Nebraska​

Nebraska's 2027 recruiting class is ranked 18th nationally with a strong foundation that appears to be one of the best hauls of the Matt Rhule era. As of early July 2026, the Huskers have 22 commitments with 17 blue-chip recruits, giving them the 6th-best class in the Big Ten.

---

Class​

The recruiting class is headlined by Trae Taylor, a five-star quarterback who is the No. 1 QB recruit in the country. Beyond that, Nebraska has secured strong commitments at key positions:

• Running Back: Amir Brown (4-star)
• Offensive Line: Four commitments including Timi Aliu and Matt Erickson (both offensive tackles)
• Defensive Line: Nehemiah Ombati, Jayden Travers, and Errol Demontagnac
• Secondary: Multiple commits at safety and cornerback, including Tory Pittman III and Bryce Williams
• Linebacker: Caleb Green and Eli Harris

I’m sure Iowa has the No. 2 QB then.

 

[Kinch]

Penn state’s recruiting class has dropped to 23rd nationally.
Now 24th. Dropping like a fly at a picnic in July.

 

[StClone]

I’m sure Iowa has the No. 2 QB then.

Maybe. They haven't signed 5 star (?) legacy Jake Nawrot now projected as #2 qb in 2027 class. They have a 4 star decommit I believe from Boise State this season and another 2027 3-star qb--so they may finally getting a lead in that position after fumbling through a few seasons.

​

 

[Kinch]

Maybe. They haven't signed 5 star (?) legacy Jake Nawrot now projected as #2 qb in 2027 class. They have a 4 star decommit I believe from Boise State this season and another 2027 3-star qb--so they may finally getting a lead in that position after fumbling through a few seasons.

​

See Nawrot is a Kentucky commit. So looks like the squawks struck out again. And a legacy yet. That one had to hurt.

 

[BryceC]

i for one cant wait for the second time he wastes a timeout in the 3rd quarter trying to get a team to jump offsides, instead of just taking the penalty and punting from the 50 instead of the 45.

With how some be of you guys talk about Campbell you’d think he was awful, and not the best coach we’ve had by a country mile.

 

[flycy]

Agree. Anyone here who will be hate watching Penn State this year will likely be very frustrated. Penn State will likely be in the playoff, Matt will be praised to high heaven for saving Penn State, and people will bash ISU as a place that was holding Matt and Rocco back. It would be very sweet for them to flop there, but I won't hold my breath.

Yeah, but then they have to play a playoff game. With that mushy schedule, might not be pretty.

 

[FerShizzle]

With how some be of you guys talk about Campbell you’d think he was awful, and not the best coach we’ve had by a country mile.

He was a great leader of men. He was a great leader of a football program. He was a less than great gameday coach. He was emotional and let his emotions get the best of him. He forced play calls into situations. He got a giant pass at times because of the first 2.

And that’s not to sell the first 2 short. They are incredibly important. TJ is elite at the first 2.

PSU has had great coaches, players, and tradition. He will not get a pass there.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

Huh, he made it in 2024. He just missed this year because he was fired.

I was wrong, he made the playoff one time, but at 7-5 is he would not have survived this last season.
He was fired for one reason, his record against top 10 teams, 4-21 was not getting it done. Campbell goes .500 verses those teams, and gets into the playoffs, he will be fine.

But let's play devils advocate and he fails and is fired in 4 to 5 years. According to his contract it's 8 years at $70.5 million fully guaranteed. So he walks away making 70 million and then gets hired like Franklin did at a lesser job. He is only 46 years old, so if fired in 5 years, would still be only 51 or so. Plenty of time to continue coaching at some other school .

Matt Campbell's Penn State Football Contract Details Revealed

The new head football coach has an eight-year deal, with $70.5 million guaranteed.

onwardstate.com

 

[Cloned4Life]

He was a great leader of men. He was a great leader of a football program. He was a less than great gameday coach. He was emotional and let his emotions get the best of him. He forced play calls into situations. He got a giant pass at times because of the first 2.

And that’s not to sell the first 2 short. They are incredibly important. TJ is elite at the first 2.

PSU has had great coaches, players, and tradition. He will not get a pass there.

Agree, his worst fault is his game day coaching. Which is so frustrating considering how many wins we've had in the last 9 years... I credit most of those losses directly to the coaching staff. Not the talent. Not the program, nor its lack of history in prestige (because those things literally do not matter on game day, at all). We absolutely should have had multiple 10-12 win seasons in the last 7 years alone, even with injuries in a few of those seasons.

He obviously was a very elite program builder and leader of that program. Some of our greatest memories as Cyclone football fans, and some of our favorite players ever, are specifically due to that person. It's so odd to me that it took like 3 days for fans to forget this.

 

[Pizzapitter]

Post March Madness, work rules til fb season. Completely out of Cyclone touch.
Will Rocco play/start for PS?

 

[Cyinthenorth]

Wait is this sarcasm or are we calling 3-6 including some baffling weirdness in that game pretty good?

Thankfully it didn't define CMC's time but outside of eeking out some ugly wins recently it was not good.

Nothing ugly about beating iowa ever in my opinion. At least not in football. The game in Kinnick 2 years ago was a thing of beauty.

Basketball wins against them can feel hollow for sure, much like the game last season.

 

[Cyinthenorth]

He's listed a lot of his former Iowa State players as starters on the two deeps. Surprised it was that many. This was a team that was 5-4 in the Big 12 and ranked in the middle offensive and defensive statistical categories.

Last season was weird. Too many injuries and seems like poor play coincided with around the time Franklin was let go at PSU. I think the ceiling was definitely missed, and a disappointment despite being one of the best in program history.