#WeAre…Better!

While Penn State football gets ready for a surprise appearance in the Big Ten Championship, James Franklin and his recruiting team first have to get through a day of signing some of the nation’s top football recruits with early signing day.

The Nittany Lions’ recruiting class of 2025 is rated No. 17 in the nation by the 247Sports Composite rankings. While Penn State doesn’t have any five-star recruits committed to the program (yet), it does boast the likes of Daryus Dixson, Malachi Goodman, and 24 others.

Unlike many years, the Nittany Lions aren’t finished recruiting with early signing day. Penn State is still chasing four-star defensive end Zahir Mathis, a Philadelphia native who decommitted from Ohio State, and four-star quarterback Bryce Baker, one of the nation’s top quarterback commits who decommitted from North Carolina and took a visit to Happy Valley. Neither player is expected to sign on Wednesday.

Follow along with Onward State’s live blog as commits become signees throughout Wednesday.

Live Blog

11:45 a.m.: That wraps up coverage of Penn State football’s early signing period. All 26 commits have officially signed with the Nittany Lions on a relatively drama-free early signing day in Happy Valley.

11:40 a.m.: The 26th and final commit of Penn State football’s class of 2025 has just been signed. Grant Haley announced that Daryus Dixson is officially a signee.

Dixson is out of Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California. He is the No. 9 player from the state, the No. 15 cornerback in the nation, and the No. 166 overall player in the class.

11:25 a.m.: That’s all, for now, on coverage of this year’s early signing day period. Four-star corner Daryus Dixson has not signed with Penn State football yet and is the only commit to do so. He is the No. 1 commit in Penn State’s class of 2025, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

“Still waiting to hear on a couple of guys this morning that we’re hopeful for,” Franklin said moments ago.

11:14 a.m.: Four-star corner Jahmir Joseph is the next signee. He committed to the Nittany Lions in June.

Joseph has 29 tackles, three for a loss, four interceptions, and 11 pass breakups in his senior year at St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, New Jersey.

11:02 a.m.: Jaquan Brisker announced that the next signee is three-star corner Josh Johnson. Johnson stands at 6’3″ and 185 pounds and is the No. 74 corner in the nation.

10:55 a.m.: Terry Smith adds another. Three-star safety Braswell Thomas has signed with Penn State. Thomas is the No. 19 player out of New Jersey and is the No. 51 player in the country at his position.

10:52 a.m.: Linebacker Cam Smith on why he chose Penn State:

“The tradition around the program is second to none,” Smith said. “That just caught my eye and I just felt like this is the place to be.”

10:48 a.m.: Signing with the Nittany Lions was a surreal moment for Lavar Arrington II.

“As a kid, the goal that I had for myself was to make it to Penn State,” he said. “Now that it’s here, it doesn’t even feel real.”

10:45 a.m.: The next signee is four-star linebacker Cam Smith. The Philadelphia native was originally committed to Many Diaz and Duke until he flipped to the Nittany Lions in August.

10:35 a.m.: Lavar Arrington II has signed with Penn State football, Micah Parsons announced.

The son of legendary Penn State linebacker Lavar Arrington is a four-star linebacker out of Charter Oak High School in Covina, California. He had 65 total tackles, two for a loss, and 12 sacks as a senior, according to his MaxPreps profile.

“Welcome to LBU. It’s sticks city for life,” Parsons said.

10:26 a.m.: Pat Freiermuth announced that four-star linebacker Alex Tatsch is the next signee. Tatsch is another linebacker signee from the Pittsburgh area. Four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett, also from Pittsburgh, signed less than an hour ago.

Tatsch is the No. 7 player out of Pennsylvania and is the No. 27 linebacker in the country.

“I think you’re the most underappreciated linebacker in the country,” Franklin said. “We know what we’ve got.”

10:15 a.m.: Wide receiver signee Lyrick Samuel will be an early enrollee and said the thing he’s looking forward to the most is Penn State’s Berkey Creamery.

“I’m about to get some ice cream,” Samuel said jokingly. “If you want ice cream, you’ve got to go to Penn State.”

10:12 a.m.: The next signee is three-star defensive tackle Yvan Kemajou. D’von J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard made the announcement.

The Burtonsville, Maryland native has 63 total tackles, five sacks, and 16 tackles for a loss this season at Paint Branch.

Franklin said Kemajou is one of the most improved players in the entire country.

9:59 a.m.: After some technical difficulties, Adisa Isaac announced that Penn State’s next signee is four-star edge rusher Chaz Coleman.

Coleman committed to the Nittany Lions in November and is the No. 12-ranked player from Ohio and the No. 26-ranked edge rusher in the nation.

9:50 a.m.: Three-star defensive lineman Randy Adirika has signed with Penn State football.

9:43 a.m.: After a break, four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett and four-star edge rusher Cortez Harris have signed.

9:20 a.m.: Three-star tight end Brian Kortovich, who just flipped his commitment from Purdue, has signed. The Cleveland, Ohio, native will be on campus next month.

9:09 a.m.: Three-star Bekkem Kritza, Penn State’s quarterback of the class, just signed. A Chandler, Arizona, native, Kritza now has a chance to lead Chaminade-Madonna Prep to the Florida state championship.

Kritza’s signing was announced by Green Bay Packers quarterback Sean Clifford.

8:58 a.m.: Four-star running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman just signed!

He was introduced by none other than Saquon Barkley!

8:48 a.m.: And now, four-star running back Tiqwai Hayes has been announced by Nick Singleton and Quinton Martin Jr. Hayes is from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.

“The best in PA stay in PA,” Singleton and Martin said.

8:37 a.m.: Legendary Penn State and current Detroit Lions wide receiver Allen Robinson II just announced four-star wideout Matthew Outten. Outten was previously committed to Virginia Tech, but flipped to the Nittany Lions in September.

8:32 a.m.: “This is a very big step for me,” Howard said. He says he’s excited to play for Penn State’s coaching staff.

“They’ve always loved me, I’ve been through a lot of adversity in my life but they never gave up on me,” he said of the staff.

8:25 a.m.: Wideout Koby Howard is the ninth player off the board this morning.

8:18 a.m.: Another one. Four-star wide receiver Jeff Exinor Jr. has signed. He attends the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, where Franklin has a track record of recruiting. This includes Curtis Jacobs, the current New England Patriots linebacker who announced Exinor’s signing.

According to Franklin, it sounds like Exinor will arrive in the summer.

8:07 a.m.: We have a wide receiver! This time, it’s three-star Lyrick Samuel from Brooklyn, New York.

8:01 a.m.: On the call with Tripp, Aliciene said this is only his third year playing football. However, he thinks his lacrosse background could be a big help in his development.

“You definitely gotta be quick, play on your feet, move different directions…foot work in general is important for being an athlete.”

7:53 a.m.: Troutman told Tripp you never know what opportunity is your last, and he’s excited to get on campus at Penn State.

“I’m a leader on the field, and I don’t take anything for granted,” Troutman said. “You have my word that you’ll get my best everytime I’m on the field.”

7:52 a.m.: Another offensive lineman, it’s three-star tackle Owen Aliciene!

7:51 a.m.: O’Hara is excited to play college football in his home state of Pennsylvania.

“You can’t ask for anything different” O’Hara said. “They’re right here in your backyard, and we’ve got fans everywhere in Pennsylvania.”

7:46 a.m.: It’s a run on offensive lineman, folks. Next up is three-star offensive lineman Michael Troutman!

“You guys have been candid, you guys have always been honest,” Troutman’s mother said. The culture of the program has been a focus through the early few signings.

7:44 a.m.: It seems we’ve hit a brief lull, so it’s a good time to note that this year’s signing day looks a bit different than in the past.

Franklin greets the commit, they’re officially announced, and they briefly talk to an assistant coach or staff member before heading to an interview with Brian Tripp a bit later.

7:38 a.m.: “I’m a hard worker and I’m a vocal leader,” Goodman said.

Goodman also said the relationships he built during the recruiting process was one of the main reasons he came to Penn State.

“I’m excited to compete and grind everyday,” he added.

7:35 a.m.: North Catholic High School offensive lineman Brady O’Hara is the next Nittany Lion, and the second offensive lineman to sign to the Class of 2025.

The 6’6″ lineman is the No. 15-ranked player in Pennsylvania.

7:27 a.m.: The third signee of the day, announced by Olu Fashanu, is Malachi Goodman!

Goodman is a four-star offensive lineman from Paramus, New Jersey, and is the No. 3-ranked player from New Jersey.

7:21 a.m.: Next up is Pittsburgh Central Catholic cornerback Xxavier Thomas!

The three-star was one of the earlier commits to the Class of 2025.

7:15 a.m.: Four-star tight end Matt Henderson is the first player off the board!

Franklin said Henderson will be arriving on campus this summer.