Eight weeks without a head coach has turned a top-15 class into one of the smallest in the nation. Now, with the early signing period opening Wednesday, the few remaining commits are wavering.

The numbers tell a story no Penn State fan wants to read.

A 2026 recruiting class that once boasted 28 verbal commitments and a top-15 national ranking now sits at roughly six players—possibly fewer depending on how you count the flips still trickling in. The Nittany Lions are ranked 123rd nationally by 247Sports and 101st by On3, down from 13th earlier this fall. These are figures that would have been unthinkable when James Franklin was fired on October 12 after Penn State stumbled to a 3-3 start, including losses to unranked UCLA and Northwestern.

But here’s the part that stings most: only one of those remaining commits has publicly confirmed he’ll actually sign with Penn State on Wednesday.

That would be Jackson Ford, a four-star edge rusher from Malvern Prep. Even he spent last weekend in Blacksburg, visiting Virginia Tech—where his former head coach now runs the show.

The Franklin Effect

When Virginia Tech officially hired James Franklin on November 17, the recruiting damage accelerated from a slow bleed to a hemorrhage.

Franklin didn’t waste time. According to ESPN, he contacted running back Messiah Mickens—his longest-tenured commit at Penn State, pledged since August 2023—within hours of being introduced as the Hokies’ new coach. Eight days later, Mickens announced for Virginia Tech.

The dominoes fell fast after that. By Tuesday, December 2, the former Penn State commits following Franklin to Blacksburg had grown to eight players: Mickens, four-star quarterback Troy Huhn, four-star wide receiver Davion Brown, tight end Pierce Petersohn, linebacker Mathieu Lamah, and offensive linemen Marlen Bright, Roseby Lubintus, and Benjamin Eziuka.

That last name—Eziuka—was listed among Penn State’s remaining commits as recently as Sunday. He flipped to Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

The four-star Huhn, a 6-foot-4 passer from San Marcos, California, announced his flip to Virginia Tech on the final Monday before signing day. It was the same morning another Virginia Tech quarterback commit, Cole Bergeron, decommitted from the Hokies—as if Franklin had choreographed the timing.

“The immediate threat is to take Penn State players,” interim coach Terry Smith said last week, acknowledging the obvious. “With the uncertainty of the next head coach, the most important thing that we can do is to protect the locker room. When it comes to high school recruits, [Franklin] has an advantage right now because we don’t have a permanent head coach.”

Who’s Left—And Who’s Staying?

Penn State’s remaining committed players heading into Wednesday’s early signing period, according to 247Sports:

Matt Sieg (Safety, Fort Cherry HS, McDonald, PA) — The highest-rated player still technically committed. A four-star ranked inside the top 120 nationally. The problem? Sieg announced the day after Franklin’s firing that he was staying committed but reopening his recruitment. He’s since visited Notre Dame, Indiana, Pitt, and Virginia Tech. ESPN sources consider Notre Dame and Virginia Tech the leading contenders to flip him. He’ll announce his final decision Wednesday.

Terry Wiggins (Linebacker, Coatesville, PA) — A four-star linebacker who visited Virginia Tech alongside other remaining commits over the weekend.

Jackson Ford (Edge, Malvern Prep, PA) — The lone commit to publicly confirm he plans to sign with Penn State. Ford told Nittany Sports Now he intended to sign Wednesday. But that statement came before his Virginia Tech visit, and with no head coach in place, his status remains uncertain.

Tyson Harley (Linebacker, Gonzaga, Washington D.C.) — Also made the trip to Blacksburg recently. Listed as a top-50 linebacker nationally.

Amauri Polydor (Cornerback, St. Frances Academy, Baltimore) — A three-star corner who hasn’t announced alternative visits publicly.

The math here is brutal: even if all five remaining players sign, Penn State would have its smallest recruiting class in the modern era. Franklin’s worst class at Penn State was his first in 2014, ranked 24th nationally. His typical classes landed between 12th and 15th with approximately 25 players each. His best—in 2018 and 2022—ranked sixth and featured future stars like Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Dani Dennis-Sutton.

This class could end up at zero.

The 2027 Class Is Already Gone

If the 2026 situation looks bad, the 2027 picture is worse—because there is no 2027 class.

All four members of Penn State’s 2027 recruiting class decommitted following Franklin’s firing. The biggest loss: Kemon Spell, a five-star running back from McKeesport considered one of the top players in the entire country regardless of position. He was the crown jewel of what was shaping up to be another elite Penn State class.

Now he’s gone. So are the other three. Penn State has zero 2027 commits.

The Coaching Search Drags On

Eight weeks. That’s how long Penn State has operated without a permanent head coach.

The delay has been costly. Multiple candidates who seemed like natural fits—Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko—signed contract extensions with their current programs shortly after their names surfaced in connection with the Penn State opening.

Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, another rumored target, is expected to remain in Atlanta after steering the Yellow Jackets to an 8-4 season and an ACC Championship Game appearance.

The remaining candidates, according to industry sources and the prediction market Kalshi: BYU’s Kalani Sitake (currently the betting favorite around 26%), Tennessee’s Josh Heupel (18%), former Giants coach Brian Daboll (17%), James Madison’s Bob Chesney (15%), interim coach Terry Smith (14%), and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline (8%).

Hartline makes intriguing sense—he’s one of the nation’s elite recruiters and just orchestrated Ohio State’s offense in a dominant win over Michigan for the first time since 2019. But he’s never been a head coach, and Penn State may be more likely to swing for a proven program leader than a first-time hire deeply rooted at a rival school.

Smith, meanwhile, has built real momentum. After starting 0-3 against Iowa, No. 1 Ohio State, and No. 2 Indiana—losing to both the Hawkeyes and Hoosiers by a single point—Smith rallied the Nittany Lions to three straight wins over Michigan State, Nebraska, and Rutgers. Penn State finished 6-6 and bowl-eligible, with players holding “Hire Terry Smith” signs after the season finale. A plane flew over the Rutgers game with the same message.

But Smith hasn’t been able to stop the recruiting bleeding.

“It’s just challenging for any team with an interim head coach, because the recruits want to know what’s next,” Smith said last week. “As you get close to Signing Day, they get a little bit antsy and nervous and they just want to know where their home is.”

What Happens Next?

The early signing period runs Wednesday through Friday. Most elite recruits nationwide will sign during this window. Penn State will be watching from the sidelines, hoping to retain whoever remains while competitors lock down their classes.

The traditional signing period opens February 4, 2026. That’s when Penn State’s new coach—whoever that ends up being—will have to rebuild. The transfer portal will be essential. The relationships that took years to build are already gone.

Kenny Sanders, Penn State’s director of player personnel, has been credited with holding together what remains of the recruiting operation. Smith called him “invaluable” and “a gem” for traveling to visit remaining commits while the coaching staff focused on finishing the season.

But Sanders can only do so much without answers.

“Whoever is ultimately named the next head coach of the Nittany Lions is going to have to do the bulk of his recruiting for the Class of 2026 with a focus on the traditional signing period,” noted Nittany Lions Wire, “because they will be missing out on the early signing period entirely.”

The 2026 class might end up historic for Penn State—just not in the way anyone hoped. A class that once had 28 players committed might well end up at zero.

When Jackson Ford visited Virginia Tech last weekend, he was still technically committed. When Matt Sieg announces his decision Wednesday morning, Penn State will find out just how much of its class remains.

For the first time in the James Franklin era, Penn State will enter a signing day without a head coach, without a vision for the future, and with a coaching search that shows no signs of ending.

The Blue and White faithful can only watch—and wait.

The early signing period runs December 3-5, 2025. The traditional National Signing Day is February 4, 2026.