While James Franklin lost a three-star wide receiver from his 2026 recruiting class over the weekend, Penn State is still positioned well to assemble one of the most talented groups in the country. Franklin’s class currently ranks fifth nationally with eight commits and the Nittany Lions look to be a finalist for five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, who set his official visits heading into his final high school season.
Arrington does not yet know what position he will play in college football, cornerback or wide receiver, but he has recently released his top-12 and announced that he will take official visits to Penn State, Texas A&M, Oregon, and USC this summer.
Listed as an athlete, the 6-foot-2 180-pounds, Spring Valley, California native is an elite sprinter who has won state titles in track and field and is the No. 11 recruit in the 2026 high school class according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
Along with landing commitment from four-star talented like safety Matt Sieg, running back Messiah Mickens, and offensive tackle Kevin Brown, Franklin has assembled a talented group of players for official visits this summer. However, Arrington might be the top priority in the group, especially if he prefers to play wide receiver, where the Nittany Lions desperately need a long-term influx of talent.
As a band-aid on the Achilles heel that ultimately doomed Penn State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal loss to Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl, Franklin, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and wide receiver coach Marques Hagans cleaned house in the wide receiver room this offseason. Both Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans left for the transfer portal after recording zero combined catches against the Fighting Irish and were replaced by incoming transfer Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross.
Both Hudson, who left USC, and Ross who came to Happy Valley from Troy, have just one season of eligibility remaining and while they’ll provide a significant boost for quarterback Drew Allar in his senior season, are not long-term solutions on the outside. Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class featured four-star receiver Matthew Outten and three-star Koby Howard and Lyrick Samuel, but none are as talented as Arrington.
The Nittany Lions will have a difficult recruiting battle ahead of them, but with the quarterback succession plan solved by rising redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, if he plays wide receiver, Arrington should be the program’s No. 1 priority in the recruiting trail this summer.
If Arrington decides his best fit is on the defensive side of the ball, he could be a No. 1 cornerback with quality kick-returning ability, but may not be such a foundational piece for the future of the Nittany Lions.
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