Jun 262 min read

Penn State Picks Up 2 Four-Star Recruits, Loses 2 in Process

It’s been another busy week on the recruiting trail for Penn State. They picked up two four-star recruits in the class of 2025 but lost two in the process.

Running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman from Philadelphia and EDGE rusher Cortez Harris from Upper Marlboro, Md., have committed to James Franklin’s Nittany Lions. Both recruits visited this past Friday and announced their commitments on social media over the weekend.

Cortez Harris' Recruiting Process

Harris chose Penn State over fellow Big Ten Conference rivals Maryland, Michigan State and Tennessee. He took an official visit to each school and with Penn State being his last trip, he made his decision. Harris can only hope his career at Penn State can end with the same accolades as the man who will be coaching him. Former 2012 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Deion Barnes, who played defensive end at Penn State, is now entering his second year as the defensive line coach.

Shady Recruiting by Auburn

However, the team lost linebacker DJ McClary to Rutgers and running back Alvin Henderson to Auburn. McClary flipping to Rutgers is not as strange as Henderson's.

The proximity of Henderson de-committing from Penn State and Coleman committing to State College, Penn., is nothing short of an odd coincidence. Henderson did not make an official visit to Auburn, but he did make multiple unofficial visits to Auburn’s campus last spring. He also, made an unofficial visit to Auburn in May of this year after he had already committed to Penn State in April. This begs the question, did Henderson use Franklin’s Nittany Lions as leverage to strike a deal with Hugh Freeze’s Tigers for NIL?

Familiar Faces at Penn State

Fortunately, Penn State seemed prepared for this move. Coincidentally, Coleman committed to Penn State just days after Henderson flipped to Auburn. Coleman’s high school teammates from Philadelphia, Imhotep cornerback Kenneth Woseley and wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, are both already on the Penn State roster. Coleman said that both Denmark and Woseley played a role in his committing to Penn State.

“I have so many connections there, I know a lot of people there already," Coleman said in an interview with 247Sports. "The atmosphere is amazing."

Coleman feels like the right pick for what the program is trying to build.