{"id":15657,"date":"2025-10-22T13:37:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/15657\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:37:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:37:13","slug":"whats-up-with-recruiting-at-penn-state-and-florida-plus-other-thoughts-on-26-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/15657\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s up with recruiting at Penn State and Florida? Plus other thoughts on \u201926 class"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been an action-packed two weeks in college football with Penn State firing James Franklin<\/a> on Oct. 12 and Florida following suit<\/a> with Billy Napier on Sunday. The ripple effect that both firings will create in this year\u2019s coaching carousel will be significant, but don\u2019t forget about the impact it has on recruiting, too.<\/p>\n

With less than six weeks until the early signing period, recruits who have been committed to these programs \u2014 as well as others that have fired their coach \u2014 are now forced to rethink their decisions.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we know about where Penn State and Florida recruits stand, as well as what\u2019s going on in recruiting elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Since the news broke about Napier, Florida has not formally had any prospects decommit. But that\u2019s not too surprising in this era of revenue sharing and NIL. As one Power 4 personnel staffer pointed out, while prospects aren\u2019t technically allowed to sign revenue-sharing contracts<\/a> until they sign with their respective schools, that doesn\u2019t mean collectives haven\u2019t already shelled out benefits on the front end that financially tie recruits to programs. Untangling that web can be tricky. It\u2019s also possible \u2014 even likely \u2014 that many recruits want to stay committed to the Gators (and other schools that have fired head coaches) to secure their spots while they continue looking at what else is out there and what kind of market they might be able to command.<\/p>\n

\u2022 For all of the uncertainty around his job security, Napier had been recruiting well in this cycle. The Gators have the nation\u2019s No. 14 class, with 19 commits. There\u2019s still plenty of time for things to change, but so far, four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy and four-star linebacker Malik Morris have publicly hinted at their plans to stay put with the Gators. McCoy, a Mississippi native, committed in June and is ranked No. 182 overall and the No. 24 defensive lineman. Morris, who committed in July, is from Lakeland, Fla., and is the nation\u2019s No. 251 prospect and No. 13 linebacker.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc0a\ud83d\udd12 pic.twitter.com\/WB4NBENTbJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 JaReylan McCoy\ud83d\udef8 (@JaReylanMcCoy) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc0a\ud83d\udd12 ! pic.twitter.com\/7hL138PERE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Malik Morris (@MalikMoriss43_) October 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 The most important recruit for the Gators to retain is four-star quarterback Will Griffin, who committed in June 2024 and has described Florida as his \u201cdream school.\u201d The Tampa native is one of the most prolific prep quarterbacks in state history, having eclipsed the 10,000-yard passing mark earlier this season. He is No. 2 all-time in the Sunshine State with 127 career passing touchdowns, behind only former Clemson reserve Tucker Israel. The good news for the Gators? Griffin seems to be staying put, as well. Just two days before Napier was fired, Griffin shared on X<\/a>\u00a0an article about his plan to stick with the Gators, regardless of what might be ahead for the program. If that holds, Florida will at least continue to have a face to build the class around.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Things aren\u2019t exactly going well at North Carolina, but one Florida commit is intrigued by Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels. Four-star offensive tackle Tyler Chukuyem, who plays at South Paulding High in Douglasville, Ga., is heading to Chapel Hill this weekend for an official visit when the Tar Heels host No. 16 Virginia. Chukuyem remains committed to Florida at the moment and chose the Gators in June over a top four that also included Florida State, Ole Miss and Cincinnati. With four commits from Georgia, the Tar Heels have made the Peach State a priority, landing four-star quarterback Travis Burgess, three-star receiver Kei\u2019Maurii Miles, three-star offensive lineman Eli Rickell and three-star edge Lawrence Brown. If UNC could land Chukuyem, he\u2019d be the Tar Heels\u2019 sixth top-250 prospect and highest-rated offensive lineman.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Four-star safety Kaiden Hall, a Milton, Fla., native, told The Athletic this week that he\u2019s still committed to Florida but is \u201cgoing to keep options open, as well.\u201d Hall picked up offers earlier this year from Indiana, Miami and Missouri before he committed to the Gators in June. He picked Florida over a top 10 that also included Alabama, Tennessee, Clemson, Florida State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M. As of this week, he hasn\u2019t set up any visits yet, but said he has heard from Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Auburn.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Four-star cornerback CJ Hester out of Cocoa (Fla.) High is also keeping his options open. \u201cI\u2019m just going to hear people out and see what\u2019s best for me,\u201d he said in a message. Hester has been committed since July, picking the Gators after taking summer official visits to Georgia, Syracuse, Florida, Iowa and Auburn.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Switching gears, Penn State has had six Class of 2026 prospects decommit since Franklin\u2019s firing \u2014 four-stars Davion Brown (wide receiver), Troy Huhn (quarterback) and Elijah Littlejohn (linebacker) and three-stars Jack Fuchs (offensive tackle), Jaziel Hart (cornerback) and Lavar Keys (wide receiver). Huhn, ranked No. 259 overall and the No. 19 QB nationally, is now the nation\u2019s highest-rated uncommitted quarterback. He most recently received an offer from Andrew Luck and Stanford.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Several other Nittany Lions commits have reopened their recruitments without officially decomitting:<\/p>\n

four-star running back Messiah Mickens
\nfour-star safety Matt Sieg
\nfour-star wide receiver Jahsiear Rogers
\nfour-star offensive tackle Marlen Bright
\nfour-star athlete David Davis
\nthree-star linebacker Mathieu Lamah
\nthree-star defensive lineman Isaac Chukwurah
\nthree-star offensive tackle Tavian Branch
\nthree-star cornerback Amauri Polydor
\nthree-star offensive lineman Benjamin Eziuka
\nthree-star cornerback Julian Peterson
\nthree-star safety Darrell Carey<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Nittany Lions\u2019 top commit, four-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown, out of Harrisburg, Pa., may be looking around, too. According to a report from On3, he\u2019s interested in visiting Ohio State and West Virginia. Brown, the No. 2 prospect in Pennsylvania, has been committed to Penn State since July 2024.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Chukwurah said in a message last week that he found out about Franklin\u2019s firing via social media, but the staff reached out shortly thereafter to confirm the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was upset because of what he did for me, and I was scared for my future with PSU,\u201d Chukwurah said. \u201cThen (the) stress of what to do next set in. Now, since there\u2019s a lot of uncertainties, I have decided to reopen my recruitment and get back in contact with different schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chukwurah has been in contact with Miami, Syracuse, NC State, West Virginia, Boston College, Rutgers, Maryland and North Carolina, among others. He most recently visited Syracuse for an official visit and landed an offer from the Orange. Purdue, Miami, West Virginia, Boston College, Southern Miss and NC State have all since last week.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mickens has recently picked up offers from Cal and confirmed via social media that he is honing in on Ohio State, Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia, Miami, Rutgers and Syracuse.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sieg, one of the most exciting playmakers in the 2026 Class, has most recently been offered by Purdue and West Virginia. In his announcement about re-opening his recruitment, he said he was \u201cstill open to being a Lion but with the uncertainty of the current situation\u201d wanted to ensure he was making the best decision possible.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Wiggins, who just visited Penn State again in September, picked up recent offers from Vanderbilt, West Virginia and North Carolina. The Mountaineers and Tar Heels also offered Davis, and Bright has a recent offer from Purdue. Branch also has offers from West Virginia and Purdue, as well as Ole Miss and Nebraska. Peterson announced last week he will head to UNC for an official visit this week for the Tar Heels\u2019 matchup against Virginia, as Bill Belichick and company look to take advantage of the domino effect around them.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Rogers, a Delaware native, has arguably been one of Penn State\u2019s hottest commodities since opening his recruitment, with offers pouring in from Oklahoma, North Carolina, Kansas State, Indiana, Nebraska, Wake Forest, Alabama and Toledo. He already has plans to take official visits to Alabama, Oklahoma, Indiana and Nebraska, he confirmed Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Keys, a Maryland native, said Tuesday he plans to visit Indiana this week and Maryland next week. The in-state Terrapins have just one receiver in their class at the moment in three-star Virginia native Jayden Kitchens, and keeping Keys home would give coach Mike Locksley his fifth commitment from a top-20 player in the state.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oh, and five-star Kemon Spell, the top running back in the Class of 2027 and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania, decommitted from Penn State the same day Franklin was fired. Spell wasted no time in opening his recruitment up and was at Notre Dame over the weekend to see the Fighting Irish beat USC. Nebraska, Oregon and Ole Miss have also offered him since Franklin\u2019s firing, on the heels of Georgia offering on Oct. 8.<\/p>\n

\u2022 In non-Penn State and Florida news, four-star linebacker Braylon Hodge, a recent Michigan State decommit, is planning to decide in the first or second week of November, he told The Athletic last week. Hodge is taking an official visit to Texas on Nov. 2-3 and is choosing between the Longhorns, Michigan and Oregon.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Last but not least, Hugh Freeze may be on the hot seat at Auburn, but he scored a major recruiting win last week when he landed four-star linebacker Shadarius Toodle for the second time. Toodle first committed to Auburn in July 2024, then flipped to Georgia in June before flipping back to Auburn last week. Toodle, a big in-state get for Freeze, is ranked No. 252 overall and the No. 13 player in Alabama.<\/p>\n

In related news, the Tigers last week picked up Toodle\u2019s brother, Shadrick, a safety from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. That might have played a factor in Shadarius\u2019 swing back to the Tigers, according to Carvel Jones, the brothers\u2019 coach at Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t say this, but just knowing the type of person he is and his family, I think what kind of pushed them over the edge was when (Auburn) took a serious look at his older brother,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThey loved playing together when I had them both.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re getting a heck of a football player. He\u2019s been a pillar in my program, and he\u2019ll be missed. But they\u2019re getting a really, really great young man and football player.\u201d<\/p>\n