Penn State coach James Franklin out watching prospect committed elsewhere on Friday
Penn State head coach James Franklin is on the road recruiting on Friday evening. Per BWI’s Ryan Snyder, Franklin has a prominent flip target in his focus.
Franklin is at the Susquehanna Township–East Pennsboro matchup in Enola, Pa., per Snyder. The contest features Township wide receiver and South Carolina commit Lex Cyrus. A longtime target of the Nittany Lions, Cyrus committed to the Gamecocks over the summer after officially visiting both programs.
“It was super close,” Cyrus told BWI back in July. “I definitely feel very relieved right now. It’s been a lot of pressure these last couple of weeks. A lot of nervousness. But, it’s out now. I’m a Gamecock. And it’s good to just be able to focus on the season coming up.”
The four-star prospect has remained a focus of the Penn State staff ever since, however. The Nittany Lions hold commitments from four Class of 2025 wide receivers in Jeff Exinor, Matthew Outten, Lyrick Samuel and Koby Howard. Cyrus has held an offer from the Nittany Lions since June of 2023, when he earned a scholarship from wide receiver Marques Hagans following a standout camp performance.
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Link: The latest on Penn State’s 2025 flip season efforts
Penn State hosted Cyrus on the first weekend of summer official visits back in June.
“Basically they were letting me know that I’m a priority,” Cyrus said. “They want to keep me in PA and that’s where I need to be. They kept it real. I don’t think they came off too strong, but they made it known that they think I will have an impact immediately.”
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect is the No. 223 overall prospect in the Class of 2025 and the No. 29 wide receiver nationally according to the On3 Industry rankings. He’s the No. 6 prospect in the Keystone State in the cycle as well.
Penn State is looking to right the ship in Pennsylvania after a series of high-profile misses in the cycle, including losing Cyrus to South Carolina. The Nittany Lions have kept up on top PA prospects such as Cyrus, defensive end Zahir Mathis (Ohio State commit), tight end Andrew Olesh (Michigan commit) and linebacker Bradley Gompers (Duke commit). Franklin has secured commitments from six of the top 13 prospects in the state in the current cycle.
