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Penn State misses out on top Class of 2026 specialist, Pa., native Harran Zureikat; here's where he went

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel06/12/25GregPickel
penn-state-football-Harran Zureikat
Pittsburgh area specialist Harran Zureikat. (Sean Fitz/BWI)

At this time last week, Penn State football had high hopes of eventually landing one of the top specialists in the Class of 2026. But, Pittsburgh, Pa., Fox Chapel kicker and punter Harran Zureikat is taking his talents elsewhere. Two days after earning an offer from Georgia, the Keystone State native committed to the Bulldogs on Thursday. The Lions had offered him at the start of June following a trip to campus.

It’s clear why the college football heavyweights were in hot pursuit of the senior-to-be. Kohl’s Kicking ranks him as the cycle’s No. 1 kicker and No. 4 punter in the current recruiting cycle. He is a five-star in both roles, according to the nation’s premier specialist evaluation company. Zureikat has offers from Akron, Boston College, Syracuse, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, according to Kohls, in addition to the Lions and Bulldogs.

Zureikat is the rare recent high school specialist to earn a Penn State offer

Sander Sahaydak, who left the Lions after the 2024 season following two short and unsuccessful stints as the team’s starting place kicker, is the last high school specialist who earned a Penn State scholarship offer.

Penn State punter Riley Thompson is entering his final season of eligibility. He, of course, came in as a transfer. Kickoff specialist Gabe Nwosu is the only other punter on the roster. As for the kicking side of things, 2024 starter Ryan Barker enters his redshirt sophomore season and is backed up by Class of 2025 addition Matthew Parker. They are the only four kickers and punters currently on the team’s roster. Nwosu, Barker, and Parker all came to the Lions as walk-ons.

Last February, Penn State special teams coordinator Justin Lustig emphasized the importance of keeping in-state talent (such as Barker and Parker) home while also highlighting the rarity of a high school specialist receiving an offer.

“Number one, we’ve got to do a great job of recruiting the best specialists in PA,” Lustig said. “And at that position, historically, it’s very difficult to get a scholarship out of high school, even if you’re one of the best specialists. So I believe that we’re going to be able to recruit preferred walk-ons and do a really good job of getting really good walk-ons here that, down the road, can develop and compete for jobs. And if there’s a hole somewhere, the portal is always somewhere we can go out to and supplement our roster if we need to.”

It makes the loss of Zureikat sting even more, as he was both worthy of a scholarship and a Keystone State native.

Penn State, with 19 verbal commitments as of Thursday night, sits with the No. 10 Class of 2026 in the On3 Industry Team Rankings.

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