No. 1 player in PA wants to be a Penn State football ‘leader’ in 2026 recruiting class

Kevin Brown shocked many over the weekend. He made his official commitment to the Penn State football team following the Lasch Bash this past weekend. Now, the Nittany Lions have the No. 1 player in PA locked into its 2026 recruiting class. Brown has recently started to reflect on his role in the class moving forward, where he is already showing leadership skills.

On Saturday, July 27 Kevin Brown made his official pledge to the Penn State football team. After some questioned James Franklin’s ability to keep the top talent in the Keystone State in Happy Valley, he landed the top player in the state.

Brown ranks as the No. 1 player in PA and the No. 3 IOL in the 2026 recruiting class (No. 28 nationally). He recently spoke with Ryan Snyder of Blue White Illustrated and opened up about why he committed to the Nittany Lions so early in the cycle.

“Penn State had it all, plus it’s the closest school, “Brown said. “So, I didn’t feel like delaying it any longer. I knew what I wanted to do. Also, I feel like because I’m committed now, I want to be a leader in our class.”

Penn State football is trending for another 2026 target

Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

While a flurry of commitments came over the weekend for the Nittany Lions, they’re showing no sign of slowing down. Now, Penn State is the favorite to land 2026 edge rusher Daniel Jennings.

Jennings is a 6-2 225-pound edge rusher from Princeton (West Virginia). According to On3, Jennings ranks as the No., 1 player in the state and the No. 14 edge rusher in the 2026 cycle (No. 183 nationally).

On Monday, Ryan Snyder of On3 logged an RPM with a confidence level of 70% for Penn State to land Jennings. He wasn’t alone with that prediction. As Brian Dohn of 247Sports logged a crystal ball for Jennings to commit to the Nittany Lions with a confidence level of 6.

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