Penn State got in early on Jordan Hall. Ohio State may still get the last word.
Hall, a 3-star running back from Ohio who recently backed off his Miami (OH) commitment, has become one of those late-cycle recruiting names that can suddenly move fast once the big programs start circling. Steve Wiltfong has already crystal-balled him to Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are set to host him again this weekend when they’re expected to handle Kent State.
That would make this a familiar kind of recruiting win for Ryan Day’s program: an in-state prospect, newly available, with the heavyweight offer sheet starting to take shape. Hall is now ranked as the No. 60 running back in the country and the No. 30 recruit in Ohio for the 2027 class.
Penn State was actually the first Power Four program to offer Hall, even before Ohio State jumped into the picture. The Nittany Lions still have reason to keep pushing at the position, too. After Aiden Gibson flipped to Rutgers and reclassified to the 2026 class this summer, Penn State’s 2027 running back group was left with just Chukwuma Odoh, who is ranked No. 43 at the position.
For Penn State, Hall would be a clean fit as another back in the class. For Ohio State, the need is more immediate and more visible.
The Buckeyes lost out on 2027 five-star David Gabriel Georges to Tennessee, and the reported three-year, $6 million deal made that miss a loud one. That left Day without a running back in the 2027 class, and the pool of uncommitted options is shrinking fast.
There’s also the money factor. The Athletic’s roster spending report on Wednesday made clear that Ohio State has far more to work with, which matters in a recruitment like this one.
Penn State can identify undervalued talent, but once it does, the spotlight tends to follow. What might pass quietly in other places gets noticed in Columbus, Ann Arbor, South Bend, and beyond.
Hall’s profile fits that dynamic. He’s a Cincinnati product who ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns in his senior season debut for Princeton High School, and Penn State was the first to make a Power Four move.
Cincinnati had also offered him. But even with that early traction, the Buckeyes now look like the team in position to finish the job.
That doesn’t turn Hall into a must-win for Penn State. It won’t define the class or send the program off track. But it would be another reminder of how quickly these recruiting battles can shift once Ohio State decides to get involved.
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