Penn State’s 2027 recruiting class took another hit this weekend when linebacker Blake Betton flipped to Wisconsin, adding more movement to a group that is already starting to look different than it did in the spring.
Betton had been committed to the Nittany Lions since April, but the change became official on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Minnesota product is listed as the No. 468 overall recruit in the country by the 247Sports Composite and the No. 35 linebacker nationally. He had been one of Penn State’s defensive building blocks in the class.
The flip comes at a tricky time for first-year head coach Matt Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer. Penn State put together the No. 20 class in the country this summer with 21 commits, but holding that group together has become the bigger job as the early signing period approaches on Dec. 2 for the 2027 class.
The Nittany Lions have already lost quarterback Will Wood, who chose to stay closer to home at Boston College. Betton followed a week later, and that is the kind of drip-drip attrition that can turn a solid class into a shaky one if it keeps going. Campbell did get a boost on Saturday, landing 3-star running back Jordan Hall over Ohio State, but the staff still has pressure on it to deliver the kind of talent infusion this roster needs.
Betton’s exit leaves Penn State with just one linebacker committed in the class: four-star Case Alexander. That’s a problem for a position group that already looks thin for the future.
Tony Rojas technically has another year of eligibility, but he could be headed to the NFL after this season. Kooper Ebel and Cael Brezina have had trouble adjusting from the 3-3-5 system they played under Campbell’s longtime defensive coordinator Jon Heacock at Iowa State to the 4-2-5 D’Anton Lynn is using at Penn State this year.
Behind them, Cam Smith and Alex Tatsch are both in their second year on campus, but neither situation is clean. Tatsch is out for the rest of the year after suffering his third significant injury in the last three seasons, while Smith is only now working back from a nagging injury that kept him out for much of the early part of the year.
Linebacker has long been one of Penn State’s most dependable positions, but right now it is in rough shape. Wisconsin, meanwhile, has a strong young group at the spot with Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa, and the Badgers’ Week 8 win over USC gives them a path to 10-2. Once financials are factored in, the pull of Madison makes more sense, especially with Wisconsin having made a major investment this offseason to help save Luke Fickell from the hot seat.
That’s the reality Campbell is dealing with now. In the NIL era, commitments are more fragile than ever, and flips are part of the landscape.
Reshuffling is one thing. If the departures start piling up faster than the additions, though, then Penn State has a much bigger problem on its hands.
In Other News...
Penn State Just Won A Recruiting Battle Ohio State Wanted
Penn State has added another piece to its 2027 recruiting board with the commitment of Jordan Hall, a three-star running back from Princeton High School in Cincinnati. Hall had been committed to Miami (OH) before reopening his recruitment, and the move quickly drew more attention as Power 4 programs lined up with offers, including Missouri and Ohio State.
For Penn State, landing Hall matters not just because of his upside at a position the staff always tracks closely, but because the Nittany Lions won out in a battle that had plenty of competition attached to it. Ohio States presence in the mix gave the recruitment an extra edge, and Halls decision gives Penn State an early win on the trail for a class still years from signing day. [Read more 🡒]
Former Penn State QB Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Huge ACC Win
Ethan Grunkemeyer has become one of the more interesting quarterback stories in college football this fall, and Penn State fans have reason to notice. The former Nittany Lion is now at Virginia Tech, where he has helped push the Hokies to a 6-2 start while piling up more than 2,140 passing yards and 17 touchdown throws in eight games.
His latest spotlight moment came in Virginia Techs win over Clemson, when he delivered the game-winning touchdown pass. It is a significant turn for a quarterback who once stepped into the Penn State starting job after an injury to the quarterback ahead of him, and it adds another layer to a season that has suddenly put him near the top of the national conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Recruiting Just Took Another Hit On Defense
Penn States 2027 recruiting board on defense took another setback when three-star linebacker Blake Betton flipped his commitment to Wisconsin. The Shakopee, Minnesota, prospect had been pledged to the Nittany Lions since April, but he chose to stay closer to home and head to Madison instead, leaving Penn State with only one linebacker commitment in the class.
Blake Bettons change of heart comes on the heels of another recent flip, this one involving quarterback Will Wood, and it adds another reminder that the early work on future classes is never secure. For Penn State, the loss is more than just one name changing direction, because linebacker depth remains one of the spots the staff will keep trying to build out as the 2027 cycle develops. [Read more 🡒]