One of Penn State football’s top Class of 2026 targets has committed elsewhere.
It had been known for several days that Ohio State and USC were the favorite for blue-chip defensive end Luke Wafle.
Thursday afternoon, Wafle announced that he picked USC.
This one will sting coach James Franklin and company. Wafle is the No. 55 overall player in the country per 247Sports, the No. 6 EDGE and the No. 1 player in New Jersey, competing for The Hun School. Penn State offered him back in January 2024 and he took his official visit earlier this month.
Wafle will still be playing in the Big Ten, but not at PSU.
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The reason many Penn State fans figured Wafle had a good chance to commit was because his older brother, Owen, is already in Happy Valley. Owen Wafle, also a defensive lineman started his college career at Michigan before transferring to Happy Valley this winter. So although Luke Wafle certainly wasn’t obligated to join his brother, the fact that Owen is there will add to the frustration for some.
OTHER KEY TARGETS LEANING ELSEWHERE
There are other Penn State targets that could well go somewhere else. Notre Dame is favored to land five-star DB Joey O’Brien and four-star DB Khary Adams. Notre Dame has already landed Grayson McKeogh, a four-star in-state OL from La Salle College High School that had Penn State as a finalist.
Brandon Arrington, a five-star DB who took an official visit to Penn State last month, is down to Oregon and Texas A&M.
Nonetheless, Penn State’s class still ranks No. 7 in the country, improved from No. 18 last year.
