Penn State football is on legendary recruiting tear: Is big receiver help next?

Penn State football is riding one of the most successful summer recruiting tears during the James Franklin era.

Can it keep rolling — especially in helping rebuild the least productive spot on the team?

Franklin and his revamped coaching staff have added eight recruits over the past two weeks and are primed to add even more soon.

They've accomplished key work with this group of verbal commitments, from restocking their elite defensive end and defensive back rooms to replacing a key running back to even adding one of the nation's top junior-to-be quarterbacks — a rare second recruit this month from California.

Next up? Wide receivers, quite possibly.

The Nittany Lions are still looking for receiver help in their 2025 recruiting class that has surged into the Top 10 nationally. Though three freshmen wideouts arrived recently, it's uncertain whether any can be of immediate help to what continues to be the most troublesome position group on the team.

The continued rebuilding got a boost in the last days of June with a commitment from Jeff Exinor of the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Next in focus are high school seniors-to-be receivers Lex Cyrus (Susquehanna Township) and Pittsburgh native Taz Williams (Red Oak, Texas), who are expected to announce their college choices in July.

Both are coveted four-star prospects. Cyrus (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) is known for his national-caliber speed and quickness; Williams (6-foot, 190 pounds) is a bigger-bodied target with big-play ability downfield.

They would complement the only receiver so far in this class, Lyrick Samuel (6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Brooklyn, New York).

Here's how Penn State's 2025 class has evolved during one of the busiest June recruiting stretches in recent memory:

Penn State football adds edge rushers Max Granville, Cortez Harris and more

The Nittany Lions and defensive line coach Deion Barnes received impressive verbal pledges from four-star defensive ends Cortez Harris (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) and Max Granville (Sugar Land, Texas). Harris was recruited particularly hard by Tennessee, Alabama and the home-state Terrapins; Granville had been a favorite of Oklahoma, USC, Texas A&M and Baylor.

The Lions also continued to build upon one of the better defensive back rooms in the country under coaches Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter. They added four-star cornerback Jahmir Joseph from New Jersey and intriguing safety prospects Antonio Branch, Jr. (Miami, Florida) and Braswell Thomas (Pleasantville, New Jersey).

Branch and Thomas are potential-filled, three-star recruits with exceptional body-frame length. Thomas is a Power 4 prospect at receiver, as well.

Penn State also is a finalist for four-star New Jersey safety JaDon Blair, who is expected to announce his college choice in the coming days.

On offense, the Lions picked up a key verbal commitment from four-star Philadelphia Imhotep Charter running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman. He's regarded as one of the nation's top tailbacks and a top-five overall recruit in the state.

Penn State also received a very early pledge from one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 class — 6-foot-4 quarterback Troy Huhn from San Marcos, California. Huhn joins fellow four-star prospect Messiah Mickens, a running back from Harrisburg, as the only members so far 2026.

Penn State football: Recruiting departures

The Lions lost a pair of prestigious four-star recruits last week in running back Alvin Henderson and linebacker DJ McClary.

Henderson, an Alabama native, left to join Auburn's class. His loss is cushioned by the Lions' other two running backs in this class and by the immediate, replacement-piece pickup of a third. Wallace-Coleman is regarded with similar national recruiting prestige and was previously committed to the Georgia Bulldogs.

McClary, meanwhile, switched his pledge to home-state Rutgers, who has been one of the nation's biggest recruiting risers in the initial six months of this cycle. McClary's older brother played for Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano during his first run with the Scarlet Knights.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.