2026 safety Darrell Carey decommits from Penn State
Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic three-star safety Darrell Carey has decommitted from Penn State a little more than two weeks after the firing of head coach James Franklin, he told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett,
He was committed since April 18 and joins his DeMatha teammate in three-star wide receiver Lavar Keys, who also decommitted from the program this month.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is the No. 659 overall prospect and No. 55 safety 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. 16 player in Maryland.
Penn State had long been at the top Carey’s recruitment prior to his spring pledge. Franklin played a major role in his process, as did co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter.
“It’s definitely a sad event going on, this does effect my commitment a little bit, but I’m going to have to communicate with Coach Poindexter to see how we move forward,” Carey previously told Rivals’ Adam Gorney when Franklin was fired.
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Penn State now looking to replace Franklin
In the middle of his 12th season at the helm, Franklin saw his tenure end after a loss to Northwestern on October 11.
Franklin left State College with 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). Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
A gut-wrenching overtime loss to Oregon on Sept. 27 spiraled into a three-game skid for the Nittany Lions. They went to Los Angeles and lost to a then-winless UCLA team that had just fired its head coach. Northwestern then went to Beaver Stadium and stunned PSU 22-21, dropping the preseason No. 2 team in the nation to 0-3 in Big Ten play and 3-3 overall.
The Nittany Lions are down to 17 commits, with their class ranking No. 20 nationally according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.