BREAKING: Matt Campbell Rebuilds Penn State’s 2026 Class After Mass Exodus, No Single “Top Player” Flip to Report
**UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.** – The Penn State Nittany Lions’ 2026 recruiting story is not one of a single headline-grabbing flip, but rather a complete rebuild following a historic roster exodus. After former head coach James Franklin’s departure to Virginia Tech in October 2025, the program lost nearly its entire recruiting class before new head coach **Matt Campbell** arrived and methodically reconstructed it.
When Campbell was hired away from Iowa State in December, he inherited a recruiting class in shambles. The Nittany Lions had seen more than 20 decommitments following Franklin’s firing, including a mass exodus of players following their former coach to Virginia Tech. On the first day of the early signing period in December, Penn State had just **two signees**—quarterback Peyton Falzone and edge rusher Jackson Ford—and was ranked **150th nationally**, last in the Big Ten .
Campbell’s rebuild strategy was unconventional but effective. Rather than chasing top-ranked prospects, he relied on relationships from his previous stop. Ten of Penn State’s 15 high school signees originally committed to Campbell at Iowa State before following him to Happy Valley . The class now ranks **No. 41 nationally** and 10th in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports .
The centerpiece of the class is four-star edge rusher **Elijah Reeder**, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound New Jersey native who Campbell calls the “hidden gem” of the group. Reeder recorded 50 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and eight sacks during his senior season at Central Regional High School . He joins four-star edge rusher **Jackson Ford** from Malvern Prep near Philadelphia, who remained committed throughout the coaching transition and recorded 30 tackles and four sacks as a senior .
At quarterback, the Nittany Lions landed four-star **Peyton Falzone** from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in a winding recruitment. Falzone initially committed to Virginia Tech in 2024, flipped to Penn State in April 2025, then committed to Auburn two months later. When Auburn coach Hugh Freeze was fired, Falzone returned to Penn State and signed in December, two days before Campbell was hired . He enrolled in January after recovering from a broken clavicle suffered during his senior season .
The class also includes three-star quarterback **Kase Evans** from Texas, who threw for 11,640 career yards and 120 touchdowns in high school, and four-star defensive back **Josiah Zayas** from New Jersey, a top-50 cornerback nationally who caught 93 passes for 1,784 yards and 26 touchdowns on offense while making nine interceptions on defense .
While the high school class remains modest by Penn State standards, Campbell’s most immediate impact came through the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions added **40 transfers**, including 24 from Iowa State, to replace 47 outgoing players who entered the portal after Franklin’s departure . Headlining the transfer group is quarterback **Rocco Becht**, a three-year starter under Campbell at Iowa State who logged two 3,000-yard passing seasons .
For Penn State fans hoping for a single “top player” flip to celebrate, the reality is more complex but ultimately more significant. Campbell didn’t need to flip one star—he rebuilt an entire program foundation in just two months, turning a recruiting disaster into a sustainable path forward.
