The Penn State recruiting Class of 2026 has 10 commits left, and half of them are visiting Virginia Tech this weekend.
There’s an obvious reason for this: James Franklin is now Virginia Tech’s head coach.
Enter Franklin: Virginia Tech Expected to Hire Former Penn State HC James Franklin
Here’s a breakdown of the five commits that will be in Blacksburg for this weekend’s Virginia Tech-Miami game.
MATT SIEG (4-STAR)
Penn State football’s top remaining recruit in the Class of 2026 is among those who will be at Virginia Tech this weekend. Matt Sieg, the No. 3 player in Pennsylvania, No. 11 overall safety and No. 104 overall player in his Class per 247Sports has been heavily pursued since opening his recruitment the day after Penn State fired James Franklin. Sieg has visited Curt Cignetti and Indiana, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame, Pat Narduzzi and Pitt and has a visit to West Virginia planned for Nov. 29 against Texas Tech.
“I love Coach Franklin,” Sieg told Nittany Sports Now earlier this month. “We have a great relationship. I’ve talked to him a few times. Just a great person, a great person that I really wanted to play for. Hopefully, I’ll still have that opportunity depending on where it is. He’s a great guy, and I’m sure that whatever happens, I’ll have a continued great relationship with him, no matter what. I’m just so thankful to him and his staff for being the first ones to give me an opportunity and make great relationships. Hopefully everything works out.”
PIERCE PETERSOHN (FOUR-STAR)
When Petersohn committed to Penn State over the summer, the top school it beat out for him was in-state Minnesota. Now, signs point to Petersohn becoming a Hokie.
There’s one reason for that.
“I don’t know a lot about them but I think, with Coach Franklin there now, I’ll definitely check them out,” he told On3 earlier this week.
Petersohn is the No. 2 player in Minnesota, the No. 17 TE and the No. 326 player nationally per 247Sports.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.MARLEN BRIGHT, 3-STAR
Bright is a unique case in that he was the only one of the remaining Penn State commits to be in Happy Valley for the Nov. 8 game against Indiana.
“Coach Franklin, amazing dude,” Bright told Rivals.com after his commitment over the summer. “Looks like my father. He’s always been there, even from the beginning. He loved me when he offered me as a freshman and still loves me to this day. It’s truly more than a coach-player relationship. It’s like uncle to nephew.”
Bright is also a big fan of Penn State OL coach Phil Trautwein, which is something to keep in mind if Trautwein goes with Franklin to Virginia Tech.
“Coach Traut he’s the best coach to develop tackles,” he told Rivals. “You see what he did with Olu (Fashanu) and he tells me I remind him so much of Drew Shelton. Ever since the beginning he said he’s had a man crush on me. That’s what Coach Franklin told me. That’s a crazy message coming to a freshman. Every coach there plays a role, even coaches that went other places because they talked highly about Penn State, the coaches, the environment and the people.”
BENJAMIN EZIUKA, 3-STAR
Virginia Tech doesn’t appear to be a major player for Eziuka, who committed to Penn State over the summer, at the moment.
“As of right now I’m not really considering (Virginia Tech) but things could change,” he told Rivals.
Along with Penn State and Virginia Tech, Eziuka has offers from Duke, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, North Dakota, North Dakota State and Northwestern.
MATHIEU LAMAH, 3-STAR
Lamah is a Virginia guy, hailing from Nokesville.
He has visited Rutgers and UVA since Franklin’s firing.
He also has offers from schools such as Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
