Watch: Penn State continues hot streak, adds 2026 EDGE Daniel Jennings
The Penn State football recruiting staff is making an aggressive push into the Class of 2026. The team now has five members for the upcoming cycle after four-star defensive end, Daniel Jennings, committed to the program on Wednesday evening. Recruiting expert and insider Sean Fitz discusses the latest Nittany Lion to join the team’s future during an unexpectedly busy week. Catch Fitz’s full comments in the video embedded here.
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Jennings joins a growing trend of Penn State edge rushers
Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes seems to have a type now that he’s into his third recruiting cycle and his second full group of commits. Jennings is 6-1, 225 pounds and doesn’t have the typical size of a classic defensive end that most teams, and the NFL covet. We discuss this trend and what all of the Nittany Lions’ recruits have in common, other than their lack of height.
We also preview what sort of impact Jennings could have on the team with traits that fit both defensive end and linebacker. Can the Nittany Lions prove that their in-person evaluation of talent is once again superior? Fitz discusses how much those evaluations, and the testing data matters to the program.
Class of 2026 off to a fast start
Penn State’s upcoming class was already off to a strong star, but got a shot in the arm this week. The team secured two elite-level commits during the Lasch Bash when potential five-star offensive lineman Kevin Brown signed on to the class. Under-the-radar speedster Jahsiear Rogers preceded him. The Delaware native drew rave reviews for his work this summer at Penn State camp and made the leap to join the program during the latest Penn State event.
Before Jennings, Brown, and Rogers, Penn State’s staff were already in a strong position with two four-star, top-100 prospects. Harrisburg running back Messiah Mickens started the class of 2023, and California quarterback Troy Huhn committed in June. Huhn, Brown, and Mickens are all top ten players at their positions heading into their junior seasons.
Penn State’s Class of 2026 ranks second nationally in the On3 Industry rankings. However, the rankings only consider the average number of commits in a class, which limits the group to the top four players in this cycle.
