A blue-chip Penn State recruiting target received an in-home visit from the guy who could be his future position coach.
Stan Drayton visited Brian Bonner, a four-star RB from California’s Valencia High School.
Bonner is one of America’s best prep RBs.
247Sports has him as the No. 6 RB in the country, the No. 17 player in California and the 105th-ranked overall player. This would make Bonner the top-ranked Penn State ‘26 RB commit. Harrisburg’s Messiah Mickens, who’s ranked No. 14, has been committed to Penn State since Aug. 2023. Penn State currently has a dynamic RB duo in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who each committed to the 2022 class.
To quote Yogi Berra, could it be “Deja Vu all over again” for the Class of 2026?
THE SCOUTING REPORT
Here’s the scouting report on Bonner provided by 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Bonner is on the short list when talking about the top running backs in the ’26 West Coast class,” Biggins wrote. “We liked him a lot at the Under Armour Next Camp in March and he has the total package of size, speed, wiggle and hands. He’s an all-purpose back who put up solid numbers as a sophomore running it and as a receiver. He has a very projectable frame at about 6-0, 185 pounds with room to add good weight and his speed definitely shows up on the football field. He’s both quick and fast with some wiggle and can play every down and in any situation. He has shined this Spring on the track with personal best 10.65-100m but he’s not a track guy playing football, he’s a true high level Power 4 prospect who can play for any college in the country. Bonner is a high ceiling player with NFL upside.”
THE BAD NEWS…
Here’s the bad news for Penn State— Notre Dame appears to be the favorite in this recruiting race. Eric Thomas of IrishIllustrated.com placed a “crystal ball” projection into 247 forecasting Thomas to Notre Dame.
The new RB coach at ND, of course, is Ja’Juan Seider, who previously spent seven seasons at Penn State.
Bonner has an official visit to Penn State scheduled for June 13-15.
