2027 Recruiting Thread

LB99

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There is little to no difference in talent or potential between Taylor, Dean and Hall. One of the 3 has a really high price tag.
You’re a podcast guy, right? Watch the May 19 On3/BWI podcast with Sean Fitz. He says this staff has to learn how to recruit elite talent and that they are learning on the fly and it’s a mixed bag. That’s coming from a long time PSU recruiting insider. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
 
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LMTLION

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According to this we're 22nd in NIL spending behind OSU, Oregon, Michigan, USC, and Indiana in the BiG (just ahead of Nebraska & Wisconsin). Believe it or not Iowa State isn't that far behind at 33rd. Colorado is 74th so I can't imagine PSU getting outbid by them unless Campbell doesn't see the kid as a priority.

NIL Tracker 2026 | School Rankings | The Sideline
Just a word of caution that none of those online trackers really have actual figures but perhaps not far off in terms of ranking. I have read from those actually in the know that we are likely around 15 or somewhere in the bottom half of the top 25. The stadium is a drag on our abilities, as are the abilities of Kraft to organize all of this. Also read that PSU has the worst of the worst coordination between the different donors and groups, even the alumni association that guards their information like it is top secret. It’s quite possible that some of our wealthier alums have never heard of NIL. That is how disorganized it all is.
 

LMTLION

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There’s a lot of scouts that disagree with you apparently.
It is early in the cycle. No team in the country uses recruiting service rankings to evaluate the field. Hall and Taylor are just about identical on 247.
 

LB99

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It is early in the cycle. No team in the country uses recruiting service rankings to evaluate the field. Hall and Taylor are just about identical on 247.
I’m fine with Hall, but the 24/7 composite rankings have Taylor ranked #13 at 96. Hall is #25 at 92. Not identical. Bottom line is that if Campbell wants to compete for the B1G championship yearly or highly compete on the national stage, he is going to have to be able to seal the deal with some elite recruits, and, yes, that is going to require spending money. That’s the reality of it all. Talent wins and money gets talent apparently.
 
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bdgan

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If that 22nd ranking is indeed accurate it is no wonder that in this pay fo play recruiting market that PSU is < 50% in the vaunted blue chip ratio. You have to wonder how much the Beaver Stadium renovation is affecting it all also well. Also, after being all in for the 2025 reason are NIL donations down because the season was a disaster.
The stadium renovations should motivate kids to come to PSU but not as much as $$$. My guess is the order of priority is:
  1. $$$
  2. Facilities
  3. Winning tradition, get to NFL
  4. Proximity to home
I know it doesn't work this way but I wish PSU could have done a scaled down $500 million renovation and used the extra $200 million to attract players.
 
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LMTLION

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I’m fine with Hall, but the 24/7 composite rankings have Taylor ranked #13 at 96. Hall is #25 at 92. Not identical. Bottom line is that if Campbell wants to compete for the B1G championship yearly or highly compete on the national stage, he is going to have to be able to seal the deal with some elite recruits, and, yes, that is going to require spending money. That’s the reality of it all. Talent wins and money gets talent apparently.
We have a high likelihood of landing the best 3 wr haul in 10-20 years at PSU with some combo of Dean, Taylor, Blum and Hall. You cannot expect better than that.
 
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LMTLION

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The stadium renovations should motivate kids to come to PSU but not as much as $$$. My guess is the order of priority is:
  1. $$$
  2. Facilities
  3. Winning tradition, get to NFL
  4. Proximity to home
I know it doesn't work this way but I wish PSU could have done a scaled down $500 million renovation and used the extra $200 million to attract players.
Based on our alumni base we should be top 5-8 at worse. I agree with you. The stadium, while needed, is a huge drag on PSU’s abilities and too bad it couldn’t have been done at a lower dollar amount as you said. As it stands right now if LSU, Miami, ND, OSU and perhaps a few others really want a player they will outbid us every time.
 

bdgan

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There is little to no difference in talent or potential between Taylor, Dean and Hall.
I don't know how you can make that claim

Taylor .97, 77th nationally, 13th WR
Hall .92, 202 nationally, 25th WR
Dean .89, 382 nationally, 50th WR
 
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LMTLION

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I don't know how you can make that claim

Taylor .97, 77th nationally, 13th WR
Hall .92, 202 nationally, 25th WR
Dean .89, 382 nationally, 50th WR
First off, it’s still early in the cycle on the and rankings aren’t done. I think out of the three, Dean may be the best. Secondly, the services have each rated somewhat differently from one to another. Third, based on the numbers you provided, there’s no difference in potential between Hall and Taylor. What does that even mean to be 13 verse 25 in terms of a high school talent? Does that mean that Taylor is definitively better than Hall? Of course not, it means that they both have a strong likelihood of being college starters and drafted by an NFL team. That is what those rankings mean. They’re not meant to evaluate one player versus another in the same star category. Lastly, there are very few people that actually do these rankings for each service. Each player is not particularly evaluated. The services do not actually see these guys play. Teams are sending scouts to high school games to evaluate talent and meticulously evaluating game tape.
 

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
10,318
15,083
113
First off, it’s still early in the cycle on the and rankings aren’t done. I think out of the three, Dean may be the best. Secondly, the services have each rated somewhat differently from one to another. Third, based on the numbers you provided, there’s no difference in potential between Hall and Taylor. What does that even mean to be 13 verse 25 in terms of a high school talent? Does that mean that Taylor is definitively better than Hall? Of course not, it means that they both have a strong likelihood of being college starters and drafted by an NFL team. That is what those rankings mean. They’re not meant to evaluate one player versus another in the same star category. Lastly, there are very few people that actually do these rankings for each service. Each player is not particularly evaluated. The services do not actually see these guys play. Teams are sending scouts to high school games to evaluate talent and meticulously evaluating game tape.
It’s 24/7 composite ratings. It takes all the services into account.
 

LMTLION

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It’s 24/7 composite ratings. It takes all the services into account.
Even the industry rankings are done differently from each service - very little difference between Taylor and Hall. And I say that knowing that there’s a lot more hope for Taylor this morning.
 
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LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
10,318
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113
We have a high likelihood of landing the best 3 wr haul in 10-20 years at PSU with some combo of Dean, Taylor, Blum and Hall. You cannot expect better than that.
If you say so. You keep saying it, so I guess it must be true. All of this is still a projection though.
 

LMTLION

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If you say so. You keep saying it, so I guess it must be true. All of this is still a projection though.
Absolutely. They could all bomb in college. It sounds we will get at least one of the two uncommitted WRs in town soon - either today or this week. 😉
 

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
10,318
15,083
113
I would put my money on this wr class being Hall, Dean and Blum being the wr class. That’s the best wr class that PSU has landed in a very long time. Taylor has really high monetary demands. A number of the PA kids in the cycle are really expensive. Jenkins, for example, got stupid money from Colorado and they are moving his family there as well. And he’s in a position that’s not high priced or coveted in cfb. Sesay wants money and academic prestige, until LSU (the Harvard of Louisiana?) crushed Duke‘s offer and now is in the lead for his services. The 2028 PA class is similar to the 2027 class in talent, so hopefully Campbell will have time to build relationships with those kids.

Sesay and Taylor are uncommitted top level recruits sitting right in PSU’s back yard. Striking out on both would be a bad look for this staff.
 

LMTLION

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Sesay and Taylor are uncommitted top level recruits sitting right in PSU’s back yard. Striking out on both would be a bad look for this staff.
Sesay will not happen. Out of our price range. Same money that was there for multimillion dollar deal (different money source) for Spell offer (who we still lost) is not there for Sesay. Sesay os not the same level of player and needs at least a year of college s&c to get on the field.
 

MacNit

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You have a rather strict standard for identifying "big games." If that is your opinion, you are certainly entitled to it.
However, it does put the new coach in a bit of a bind. If winning a Rose, Fiesta, Cotton Bowl and playoff games are not "big wins," then by definition PSU doesn't have a potential for a "big" win on the 2026 schedule. Neither Washington or USC have proven to be top echelon Big Ten programs and Michigan has been quite pedestrian since the Harbaugh/Stalions era. To win a big game, the new coaching staff (by your definition) must reach the playoffs and beat two teams in the 2026 standings higher than Boise and SMU (were in 2024). I agree.
As for contract extension, I agree, can you imagine any coach, who didn't win the NC or at least his conference, getting an extension. Disgusting!

Penn State search helps coaches secure $370 million in contract extensions
Joe won more in one month that BGJ won in his career…so there is that.