RECRUITING: James Franklin offers son of former Penn State football player

This weekend, Penn State hosted the White Out Camp, which is one of the program’s biggest prospect camps each summer. Some of the top Penn State football recruiting targets from across the country were in attendance yesterday, including 2024 commits Cooper Cousins, Corey Smith, and Caleb Brewer. But with all the attention on the future, there was one attendee who may harken thoughts of the past for Nittany Lions fans. On Saturday, James Franklin offered the son of former Penn State football player Mike Carroll, 2025 offensive lineman Michael Carroll.

James Franklin offers son of former Penn State football player

Michael Carroll is a 2025 interior offensive lineman who plays at Central Bucks East High School. The 6-5, 300-pound prospect is rated as a three-star and the 12th-best player in the Keystone State for the 2025 cycle by Rivals, although the other major recruiting services currently have Carroll unranked.

After a standout performance at Saturday’s White Out Camp, Carroll left Happy Valley with a scholarship offer from James Franklin and the Nittany Lions. “He [Franklin] said he would have offered me even if my dad did not play here,” Carroll said. “That was just the icing on the cake.”

#Weare 🔵⚪️!!! https://t.co/oIeJsUDi57

— Michael Carroll (@BIIGMIKE_55) June 24, 2023

Carroll’s father, Mike Carroll Sr., played linebacker for Penn State under Joe Paterno in the late 1990s. Although he left the Beaver Stadium grass nearly two decades ago, Carroll Sr. can provide his son with insight into the life of a Penn State football player, an opportunity afforded to few other recruits. “It’s a greatly run program and will be good this year and for years to come,” Carroll Sr. told Blue-White Illustrated after his son’s visit for the home opener last season.

Although Penn State appears to be the leader in the clubhouse early on in this recruitment, it’s by no means a shoo-in. Carroll already has offers from Rutgers, Temple, and South Carolina. Last week, Michael Carroll picked up an offer from Michigan State, where his mother played basketball.

While most recent attention has been given to the steam being picked up by Penn State’s 2024 class, Penn State football recruiting in 2025 is also off to a solid start. With three commits so far, including from one of the top offensive linemen in the nation Jaelyne Matthews, the Nittany Lions’ 2025 class is currently ranked third nationally.

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