Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

2026 CB Julian Peterson decommits from Penn State

hunterby: Hunter Shelton3 hours agoHunterShelton_
julian-peterson-penn-state-football-recruiting-on3
Penn State cornerback commit Julian Peterson (2026). (Credit: Ryan Snyder | Blue White Illustrated)

Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township three-star cornerback Julian Peterson has decommitted from Penn State, he announced on Wednesday.

He’s now the latest to decommit from the Big Ten program following the firing of head coach James Franklin on Oct. 12. Peterson originally chose PSU on Jan. 25 and had been solid up until the staff shakeup.

“After much thought and discussion with family, I have decided to decommit from Penn State and reopen my recruitment,” Peterson wrote on X. “I want to thank Coach Franklin and the rest of the coaching staff for believing in me and the opportunity. I am looking forward to what the future holds.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder is the No. 631 overall prospect and No. 60 corner in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 10 player in New Jersey.

Peterson wasted no time locking in with the local program as he committed during a big junior day weekend at the beginning of the year. He had shown zero signs of looking elsewhere since, but when Franklin was fired, he was one of many PSU commits that “re-opened” his process while staying in the class.

He’s now officially back on the board with the December signing period looming and is expected to visit North Carolina this weekend. The Tar Heels have a loaded visitor list filled with flip targets and are trying to add some firepower to a pledge list that already features nearly 40 names.

It’s the second loss in quick succession for Penn State, as three-star defensive lineman Alex Haskell flipped to Syracuse earlier on Wednesday. The PSU class is now down to 18 commits and ranks No. 18 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Who’s still committed to Penn State?

As previously mentioned, a majority of PSU’s commits have opted to hold onto their spots in the class but are still giving other schools a look. There’s still quite a bit in limbo heading into the end of October.

Harrisburg (Pa.) four-star teammates in IOL Kevin Brown and RB Messiah Mickens both remain at the top of the class but are among those set to visit elsewhere. Brown is the No. 3 IOL in the nation while Mickens checks in as the No. 14 RB.

Mcdonald (Pa.) Fort Cherry four-star safety Matt Sieg is coming off a visit to Indiana and is set to visit Pitt and Notre Dame, too. Georgia is among those after West Charlotte four-star LB Elijah Littlejohn. Other commits receiving heavy interest include: Bear (Del.) Appoquinimink Rivals four-star WR Jahsiear Rogers, Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic Rivals four-star OT Marlen Bright, Bear (Del.) Caravel Academy three-star DL Isaac Chukwurah and Taylor (Pa.) Riverside three-star DL Tavian Branch.

Penn State’s updated 2026 recruiting class can be seen here.