Penn State Football Recruiting

Welcome Back: Staffer Expected to Return to Penn State, Per Report

Joe Smeltzer

Published

February 13, 2024

James Franklin during pregame warmups before Penn State's matchup with Delaware.

It looks like Penn State is getting a big piece of its recruiting staff back.

Khalil Ahmad came to PSU from Syracuse before the 2023 season and left Penn State to return to Syracuse in December.

In February, Ahmad announced that he was leaving Syracuse.

Now, it looks like we know where he’s going. Per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Penn State is expected to hire Ahmed.

Penn State is expected to hire Syracuse executive director of personnel and recruitment Khalil Ahmad, sources tell @247sports.

A return to Penn State for Ahmad, who was a valued member of the Nittany Lions’ personnel and recruiting staff before leaving for Syracuse.… pic.twitter.com/5d73Cf0ArO

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2024

At Penn State, Ahmed’s title was Recruiting Coordinator for personnel and recruitment. In Ahmed’s brief first stint, PSU got some key commitments from his home state of New Jersey. Jersey City Snyder linebacker DJ McClary and Newark Shabazz safety Omari Gaines each committed to Penn State’s ‘25 Class.

In his first stint at Syracuse, Ahmad worked on Dino Babers’ staff as the Director of High School relations.

Ahmad is a graduate of Delaware State. He has experience in the Big Ten, having worked in Rutgers’s recruiting department. He also has experience with on-field coaching, leading the high school program at New Jersey’s Patterson Eastside. New Jersey has long been a state where PSU has a big presence.