Matt Campbell’s first full recruiting class at Penn State had the kind of early buzz that makes a fan base start dreaming big. At one point, the Nittany Lions were sitting inside the top five nationally with one of the largest classes in the country. But that momentum hasn’t held.
Now with 22 commits, and after a few notable flips, Penn State’s class sits at No. 19 in the Rivals Industry Rankings, one spot behind James Franklin’s Virginia Tech Hokies. And on Monday, Campbell missed a chance to move past his predecessor when one of the class’s biggest targets went elsewhere.
Four-star wide receiver Khalil Taylor had been the No. 1 priority for Penn State’s 2027 class for much of the offseason. He’s a top-100 national prospect, the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania, and a major answer to a position of need for the program. But the former Penn State commit chose Matt Rhule and Nebraska over the Nittany Lions.
The 5’11 195 WR chose the Cornhuskers over Penn State and Colorado
“Taylor to Taylor😉” https://t.co/QhCvgldm4W pic.twitter.com/bnjG2nhely
- Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 6, 2026
That loss naturally puts the spotlight on Campbell’s recruiting ceiling. He has never carried a reputation as a dominant recruiter, and that’s mostly because he’s never coached at a place with the kind of resources he has now.
At Iowa State, he had to build differently. At Penn State, the expectations are much bigger.
To his credit, Campbell has already landed eight four-stars in the 2027 class. He’s also pulled in some notable wins, including Elijah Guertin, whom he took away from new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, and Kei’Shjuan Telfair, whom he beat out Miami and Clemson for.
But the misses have been loud, too. Kirby Smart landed in-state five-star running back Kemon Spell for Georgia, Sumrall took in-state five-star offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller, and James Franklin pushed Penn State off four-star quarterback Peter Bourque and onto three-star Will Wood.
There’s also been real success in spotting talent early. David Tarawallie is a good example.
He went from unranked to a top-100 player and is now Penn State’s top commit by 247Sports. Campbell has also shown he can work the transfer portal and has built a strong reputation for development.
Still, battles like the one for Taylor raise the question that’s hanging over all of this: can Campbell win enough of the biggest recruiting fights?
Taylor would have filled a glaring need. He’s a dynamic receiver with the kind of profile that suggests a high-volume No. 1 option in a Power Conference, and Penn State hasn’t had that sort of player at wide receiver in years. Losing him hurts, even if there remains a chance to flip him back before signing day.
That said, Campbell doesn’t have to become an elite recruiter to succeed. He’s a development-first coach, and the ideal version of that at Penn State is turning four- and five-star talent into something even better. If he can do that - and if he can recruit Pennsylvania well enough to make it work - the ceiling is still high.
Even if he never stacks top-10 classes, there’s still a path to Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances. Curt Cignetti won it all with a roster built almost entirely through the transfer portal, which is a reminder that there’s more than one way to get to the top in today’s game.
Campbell’s road probably won’t be defined by recruiting rankings alone. It’ll be defined by whether he wins enough games to make the rest of it matter. And for Penn State fans, the real nightmare question is still years away: “why did we ever fire James Franklin?”
In Other News...
Penn State Needs Quinton Martin Jr To Answer One Huge Question
Quinton Martin Jr. is headed into a pivotal offseason at Penn State, and the setup is clear enough: the redshirt sophomore running back is in line for a much larger workload in 2026 after the Nittany Lions moved on from their top two backs. Martin has already given the staff a reason to believe he can handle more, flashing in the bowl game against Clemson and reminding everyone why he arrived in Happy Valley with so much recruiting buzz out of Belle Vernon.
Still, the path to a featured role is not wide open. Penn State also brought in transfers James Peoples and Carson Hansen, so Martin will have to prove he can be more than a promising option and actually separate himself in a room that suddenly looks a lot different. The talent has always been there, but the next step is answering whether he can turn that promise into the kind of consistency the Nittany Lions need when the 2026 season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
James Peoples Could Become More Than Depth In Penn State's New RB Battle
James Peoples arrives in Happy Valley with a chance to do more than simply fill out the running back room. The Ohio State transfer brings Big Ten experience and two seasons of game reps to Penn States 2026 roster, and he showed enough at his previous stop to suggest there is some real value beyond the usual depth-chart insurance. In a backfield that has been turned over by the transfer portal and new staff, there is at least a path for him to get on the field if he can carve out a role.
The bigger question is whether Peoples can round out the parts of his game that will determine how quickly he climbs. Penn State will be watching how he handles pass protection and whether he can contribute as a receiver, because those are the areas that could separate a rotational back from someone who becomes part of the weekly plan. He is set to compete with Quinton Martin Jr. and Carson Hansen for opportunities, and the early shape of that battle may say as much about the new-look offense as it does about Peoples himself. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A Massive Decision Day For Elite In-State Receiver
Decision day is here for Khalil Taylor, and Penn State has a real stake in how it plays out. The 4-star wide receiver from the Pittsburgh area is one of the top Pennsylvania prospects in the 2027 class, and his path has already taken a turn once after he initially committed to the Nittany Lions under James Franklin before backing off after Franklins firing.
Since then, Taylor has taken visits and trimmed his list to Penn State, Nebraska and Colorado, with the new staff staying active in his recruitment. For Penn State, this is bigger than just landing another receiver. Taylor would instantly shape the look of the 2027 wideout class and give the program a major in-state win at a position group it wants to keep building around. [Read more 🡒]