Penn State visits No. 1 CB Brandon Arrington

Earlier this month, Spring Valley (Calif.) Mount Miguel five-star cornerback Brandon Arrington took his first official visit. Penn State got the touted 6-foot-2.5, 180-pounder on campus.
Despite it being over 2,200 miles away from Arrington’s home, PSU is working diligently to make a Golden State splash and beat Oregon, USC, Texas A&M and Alabama for the nation’s top corner in the 2026 cycle.
Arrington is certainly giving the Nittany Lions a hard look. He enjoyed his time in Happy Valley and has also locked in July 5 as his commitment date. This weekend, PSU corners coach Terry Smith made his way to California to visit Arrington:
“Penn State was better than I expected it to be,” Arrington told On3’s Chad Simmons following the OV. “It was my first time there, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was just better than I thought it would be. After the visit, I can see myself there.”
“The people and the place really caught my attention. Everyone loves football there. It is all about Penn State and I loved that,” he added. “Then sitting down with coach Franklin and learning more about who he is, that was great. He and the coaching staff there know how he develop players. When they get top players, they get them coached up and developed. That is what I am looking for.”
Arrington has four more official visits coming up next month to each of his other finalists. A&M will get him back to College Station on June 5. Alabama (June 13), USC (June 17) and Oregon (June 20) will round things out.
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The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine continues to favor the Aggies, and On3’s Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong like where the SEC program stands, too. Arrington’s pledge remains up for grabs, however, and PSU is right in the thick of things.
Arrington is the No. 9 overall prospect and the top-ranked CB in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 1 recruit in California.
To date, Penn State has the nation’s No. 11 class, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. A whopping 17 recruits are already pledged to head coach James Franklin and Co., 10 of whom are blue-chippers.
“It is going to be a foot race to the end,” Arrington said. “All five are up there now. Who recruits me the hardest, who gets me on the field early and who I believe can develop me the best will get me.”