The Penn State Nittany Lions are struggling to conclude their coaching search, and it is having ramifications across the rest of the program.
The Nittany Lions only landed two commitments on Wednesday, the start of the early signing period. A number of other recruits, including two alone on Wednesday, chose to flip to Virginia Tech to play for former Penn State coach James Franklin.
The pitiful signing day haul left the Nittany Lions with the No. 150 ranked class in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
With yet another commit flipping to Virginia Tech, Penn State’s recruiting class now sits at 150th overall.
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) December 3, 2025
They are one spot behind South Dakota State and one spot ahead of Prairie View A&M. pic.twitter.com/nHAniUZX9e
Typically a recruiting power, the Nittany Lions are slipping because they do not have a head coach. Franklin was fired on Oct. 30, and Penn State probably expected to have a new coach by now when they made the move. Instead, they have been turned down by all their leading targets, and it is not clear where they might turn next.
When Penn State made its move, the jobs at Florida and LSU had not yet opened up, and the school was probably confident it would have its pick of candidates. That has not happened, and the uncertainty is driving away recruits and threatening to derail their entire offseason.
