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Southland Conference social media fires shot at Penn State over 2026 recruiting rankings

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax9 hours agoBarkleyTruax

National signing day went off without a hitch for many programs around the country. For some, it didn’t go so smooth.

Penn State is currently tied for 163rd in the country in the current Rivals Industry Rankings with two recruits signing with the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. However, their tumble down the rankings following James Franklin’s firing now sees them as the butt of a joke made by the Southland Conference.

The two signees set to join Penn State’s roster next season are a pair of four star recruits, EDGE Jackson Ford and QB Peyton Falzone. Falzone is currently ranked as the No. 296 overall prospect nationally, including being ranked No. 19 at quarterback and 10th overall player in his state. Both players are Pennsylvania natives.

Penn State’s recruiting class took a nose dive after Franklin was named head coach at Virginia Tech. On signing day, the Hokies signed nearly a dozen Penn State flips. Virginia Tech currently has the 25th-best recruiting class in the country heading into Franklin’s first season at the helm.

Franklin left State College after compiling a 104-45 record since 2014 when he took the job. He is 128-60 overall as a head coach, which includes his three-year stint at Vanderbilt (24-15).

However, the 2025 season unraveled quickly for Franklin and his Nittany Lions. A 3-0 start against unremarkable non-conference opponents led to an 0-3 start against teams in the Big Ten. This came after a national semifinal run in the College Football Playoff the year prior.

Per Big Ten rules, Penn State isn’t required to play a Power Four opponent during its non-conference schedule. So, they didn’t.

Their first real test came against a top-10 Oregon team at home, which ended up being a 30-23 loss in double overtime. It was consecutive losses to UCLA and Northwestern after that which spelled the end of Franklin’s tenure in State College. All three losses came by one score.

Now, signing day has come and gone and the Nittany Lions still don’t have a head coach. The athletic department has nearly a full month until the NCAA transfer portal is open, so a decision would need to be made well before then. At 6-6 overall, Penn State will still play in a bowl game later this month.