Penn State is facing one of the sharpest recruiting collapses in its modern history, and the fallout ties directly to James Franklin’s departure. The longtime head coach was dismissed in mid-October, ending a turbulent final stretch that had already strained relationships across the program.
Within weeks, Franklin resurfaced as the new head coach at Virginia Tech. That single move triggered a chain reaction that hit Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class harder than anyone inside the program anticipated.
The moment Franklin left, commitments began to unravel. Recruits who had built relationships with him and his staff opened their recruiting again. Others followed him to Blacksburg as soon as he settled into his new role.
What had once been a promising class sank rapidly as the de-commit list grew longer. Penn State is now sitting outside the Top-100 in industry team rankings, with only a handful of commitments left on the board.
Fans have seen this sort of decline before under previous transitions, but the abruptness of this drop has made the reaction far more heated.
“The sins of yesterday have caught up to the Nittany Lions,” a fan wrote.
The sins of yesterday have caught up to the Nittany Lions
— Raund Maund of Rebaund (@chAUrlesBarkley) December 3, 2025
“At this point Penn State’s recruiting board looks like someone accidentally hit select all → delete. Meanwhile Virginia Tech is out here stuffing recruits like it’s Thanksgiving every day,” a fan wrote.
“Probably shouldn’t fire a coach who wins 9-10 games every season then,” a fan wrote.
“It was at this moment the Penn State AD knew, he f**ked up,” a fan wrote.
“Penn state has to be regretting firing Franklin by now,” a fan wrote.
“Genuinely sad to see. I like to clown on Penn State as much as the next person but this is a historic program that’s sinking seemingly thanks to NIL and a few other elements,” a fan wrote.
The result of all the chaos is a class that looks gutted, unstable, and far removed from the top-20 expectations the program carried earlier this cycle.
Firing James Franklin Has Backfired on Penn State
The decision to part ways with Franklin was meant to reset the direction of the program. Instead, it has created a vacuum that other teams exploited. Franklin’s move to Virginia Tech was especially damaging.
Once he arrived in Blacksburg, long-standing relationships with Penn State commits shifted in his favor. Multiple prospects flipped to the Hokies. Several star targets who once appeared locked in moved their commitments within days.
As per On3, “James Franklin has flipped 10+ PSU recruits.” What’s even more surprising for the fans is that while Penn State is struggling, Virginia Tech currently ranks 25th in the Industry Team Recruitment Rankings.
The situation underscores how fragile modern recruiting can be. A single departure can lead to a full-scale collapse if the structure around it isn’t ready to absorb the hit. Penn State is now learning that lesson in real time.
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