Penn State has lost another recruit in the Class of 2026.
On Wednesday, three-star cornerback Julian Peterson committed to Bill Belichick and North Carolina, per Rivals.com.
A 6-foot-2, 175-pound corner from Winslow Township High School, Peterson is the second former PSU commit to flip to UNC.
Imani Christian corner and Pittsburgh native David Davis flipped to the Tar Heels on November 13. This continues a trend of recruits in the 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes to commit elsewhere after James Franklin was fired on October 12, and is now the head coach at Virginia Tech.
Ranked as the No. 45 cornerback in the country and an 89 overall graded recruit by 247Sports, Peterson is the No. 600 player overall in the class, according to the detailed 247Sports Composite rankings.
Peterson visited UNC on October 25 and also made stops at Clemson and Wisconsin before committing to the Tar Heels.
Terry Smith, PSU’s former cornerback coach before being named interim head coach, was the main Penn State staff member recruiting Peterson.
Only 10 hard commits remain in Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class, now ranked No. 82 overall.
With the future of the program clouded by the coaching search, the next two weeks will be crucial for Penn State to find its next leader, whether it’s Smith or an outside hire, to pick up the pieces and put the roster back together to win next season.
