Northwestern flips 2026 OT Jack Fuchs from Penn State

Hendersonville (Tenn.) Beech three-star offensive tackle Jack Fuchs announced on Tuesday evening that he has flipped his commitment from Penn State to Northwestern.

One of the many PSU commits who began to look elsewhere once head coach James Franklin was fired last month, Fuchs is now locking in with David Braun and the Wildcats after taking an official visit to Evanston over the weekend. He was committed to Penn State since June 27 b

Fuchs is the No. 433 overall prospect and No. 34 OT 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. 13 recruit in Tennessee.

The 6-foot-8, 300-pounder becomes Northwestern’s highest-ranked commit this cycle. The Wildcats now have 18 commits and a class that ranks inside the top 60 of the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Northwestern was among a crop of schools that offered Fuchs back in January. Once uncertainty emerged around PSU’s 2026 class last month, it got back in the mix with the tackle and has now added his commitment. Fuchs was scheduled to visit Georgia this weekend. Indiana and Kentucky were other schools in the mix for his pledge this summer.

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As the Wildcats remain one win away from bowl eligibility, they’ve added a piece to their 2026 class with National Signing Day just three weeks out.

Fuchs now headlines the haul and is the lone top-500 prospect in the class. There’s more than just a little local Midwest talent in the fold, though.

Edgewater (Md.) South River Senior three-star wide receiver Jaden McDuffie is the No. 12 player in Maryland and the No. 78 pass-catcher nationally. He was one of five May commits for Northwestern.

Richmond (Texas) Fort Bend Travis three-star safety Davis Kinney headlines the eight commits that came for the Big Ten program in June. He’s one of two Lone Star State products in the class alongside Houston Cy-Fair three-star cornerback Jaden Vaughn.

There are five in-state prospects in the class to date: Barrington interior offensive lineman Owen Fors, St. Charles North WR Keaton Reinke, Fremd quarterback Johnny O’Brien, Fremd IOL Owen Jakubczak and Fenwick kicker Noah Sur.

The class still ranks No. 17 in the Big Ten, ahead of only Nebraska. The full 18-man class can be seen here.