Penn State may not have landed a commitment from Michel Adams yet, but the 6-foot-6, 245-pound edge prospect is clearly paying attention.
The Middletown, Delaware, standout was in State College on Saturday for Penn State’s 55-13 win over Buffalo, and he came away impressed with what he saw from a program he described as being in the middle of a rebuild with a new coaching staff.
“Obviously, they put on a great show the other day and beat the team very bad,” Adams told Nittany Sports Now. “So I feel like they’re on a rebuild (with a new coaching staff), but they’re doing pretty good so far from what I’ve seen.”
Adams’ size alone makes him easy to notice, and the recruiting industry has taken plenty of notice too. 247Sports lists him as the No. 231 overall player in the Class of 2028, the No. 24 edge prospect and the No. 2 player in Delaware.
Penn State has a recent history with a towering defensive end from Delaware in Dani Dennis-Sutton, and now the Nittany Lions are trying to make another strong impression on Adams. One thing that stands out to him is the coaching setup on the edge, where Christian Smith works directly with the defensive ends.
“He’s a great guy, great coach,” Adams said. “You know what he’s talking about, you know, like what to do at the right time, what technique is the best, stuff like that. So he’s a great coach, great uh person, and that’s my guy.”
Adams knows what part of his game he wants to sharpen before he gets to college. He feels good about rushing the passer, but he wants to get stronger against the run.
“I feel like I think I’m really good on my pass rush,” he said, “but I think, man, when I’m in the run game, sticking the point, I feel like I struggle with that sometimes. But I think this past week I did a pretty good job with it, and I will continue to do a good job with it.
He also knows the level of player he wants to become someday. Adams said he admires NFL defensive ends Mike Green, Aidan Hutchinson and Myles Garrett.
For now, though, the focus is much more immediate: finish high school the right way and figure out the best college fit. Adams already has a long list of offers that includes Boston College, Duke, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, along with Penn State.
And when it comes to the Nittany Lions, he’s not brushing them aside.
“I would say they’re they’re pretty uh pretty high on my list,” he said. “Like obviously, I haven’t made a big decision yet, but I think Penn State, I’m definitely making sure to keep my eyes on them because it’s a program that’s on the come up.”
In Other News...
Penn State Suddenly Has A Koby Howard Concern Heading Into Next Week
Penn States injury watch after the Buffalo game centered on a few familiar names, but Koby Howard is the one carrying the biggest question into next week. Matt Campbell said Howard was hurt on a long touchdown run, and with the Lions moving on to the next opponent, his availability is now uncertain. For a team trying to keep early-season momentum rolling, even a single injury note can matter when it involves a player who was in the middle of a scoring play.
Brock Riker appears on sturdier ground and is expected to be available for the next game, while Andrew Rappleyea and Tyler Armstead are still listed as questionable after leaving the Buffalo contest banged up. For Penn State, the focus now shifts from the box score to the training room, where the answers on a few key depth pieces could shape how the rotation looks when the Lions line up again. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Face One Annoying Hurdle For Wisconsin Opener
Penn States Big Ten opener against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium arrives with the usual conference-stage stakes, but there is one wrinkle for fans planning their Saturday around it. The 5 p.m. ET kickoff makes for a prime-time atmosphere in State College, yet the game will not be on traditional television. Instead, it will be available exclusively on Peacock, NBC Universals streaming platform, which means anyone wanting to watch will need a subscription.
Peacocks role as a Big Ten Saturday Night home will extend beyond this matchup, with the service carrying other conference games throughout the 2026 season while also offering football and entertainment programming. For Penn State supporters, though, the immediate issue is simpler and more annoying: if they want to see the opener against Wisconsin, they will have to navigate another streaming paywall first. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Got An Early Recruiting Sign Matt Campbell Needed
Penn States 2028 recruiting class got a noticeable boost this week when quarterback commit James Armstrong climbed 40 spots in Rivals latest rankings, landing at No. 61 overall and No. 7 among quarterbacks. Even in a staff that is known to trust its own evaluations more than outside lists, movement like that matters, especially when it comes from a quarterback and especially when it helps validate the early work being done in Pennsylvania.
There is still a long way to go with this cycle, and rankings will keep shifting as more evaluations come in, but Armstrongs rise is the kind of public sign a program can point to while building momentum. Another in-state commit, cornerback Deonte Flemings Jr., went the other direction with a 50-spot drop, a reminder that the early stages of recruiting rarely tell the full story even when they offer a glimpse of where the class might be headed. [Read more 🡒]