Jackson Ford’s recruitment ride has been a whirlwind of sorts. From Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania, Ford was an instant hot commodity among edge rushers in the 2026 class, securing offers and interest from some of the sport’s biggest college football programs. His schedule this spring and summer was full of official visits—six total—each school taking its turn.

Stanford and Kentucky also took their turns, but when the dust finally settled, Ford determined his finalists: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Each program had something to give, but with Ford, it wasn’t facilities or depth charts.

It was about the equation with the coaches. That sense of belonging resonated most during his official visit to the University of Pennsylvania. “No. 1 was the relationships with coach Barnes and coach Franklin. It is easy to have a relationship with your position coach, but the one with the head coach meant a lot to me.” Ford said to On3. “Coach Franklin was really invested in me. We had real conversations, and he gave me great energy. How he acted in my recruitment was big.” And so, after months of waiting and plenty of back-and-forth speculation by fans and analysts alike, Ford finally made it official—he committed to Penn State, his own “dream school.”

Ford’s relationship with defensive line coach Deion Barnes played an enormous part. Ford and Barnes had been communicating for more than a year, ever since Ford received his Penn State offer during the Whiteout Camp last July. That rapport only intensified with time. “I feel like the connection between me and Coach Barnes has been building for a while now and is really strong,” Ford said. “We’ve been talking for over a year now. Penn State was one of my first big offers. But since then, the plan that he’s laid out there and has shown me and my parents it’s been really impactful. He sees my upside and plans to build on that over the coming years.”

Ford visited Penn State the maximum no. of times. Jackson explained, “Penn State is in-state, three hours away, and so my parents will be able to come to all of my games,” Ford said. “As I thought about it, I felt like I should stay at home. I felt completely confident in that decision.” Ultimately, it was Penn State and Wisconsin tied, but home was too attractive an option to resist.

Penn State scores again with Pierce Petersohn

Just as Penn State loyalists were getting their breath back from Jackson Ford’s huge commitment, the Nittany Lions hit pay dirt once more, this time, all the way from Minnesota with four-star all-around talent Pierce Petersohn. This young man is a three-sport standout at Triton High. Quarterbacking the football team, breaking school records on the basketball team, and excelling in track and field. Last year, he was his district’s player of the year in offense after passing for almost 1,470 yards and rushing for 398.

On the court, he’s the all-time leading scorer in the school in hoops, and on the track team, he’s breaking records in high jump and sprinting. In recruitment, Petersohn had choices—Minnesota pushed hard to have him stay at home, and Duke, Iowa, and Kansas State were all interested. But Penn State’s tight ends coach, Ty Howle, and James Franklin did their thing. Petersohn came to Happy Valley in May, and it didn’t take much time for him to realize the fit.

What makes Petersohn’s pledge even more special for Penn State is the timing. The Nittany Lions had recently fallen short on a couple of high-profile recruits, and Petersohn’s commitment was the perfect pick-me-up. Now, he’s the 21st commit in the 2026 class and the first from Minnesota, adding the Nittany Lions a diverse playmaker who might play tight end or linebacker.