Penn State football: James Franklin reveals strategy for flipping recruits

To flip or not to flip? That is one of the main questions facing James Franklin and Penn State football as the 2025 recruiting cycle enters its closing stretch this fall. With 25 pledges now in the class, the few remaining spots that the Nittany Lions have available will likely only go to those prospects highest on the program’s big board, many of whom are already committed elsewhere.

We saw this in action once already this week, when Penn State flipped four-star Matthew Outten from Virginia Tech on Monday. The Nittany Lions staff had built a strong relationship with the Virginia wide receiver in recent months, but initially missed on his commitment to Brent Pry and the Hokies in July.

Outten is the second prospect that Penn State football has flipped in the 2025 recruiting class in the last month. In a similar pattern, the Nittany Lions flipped in-state linebacker Cam Smith from another former defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, and Duke early in August.

James Franklin details the Nittany Lions’ decision-making strategy for pursuing committed prospects

Following practice on Wednesday evening, James Franklin detailed how the Penn State coaching staff navigates the complicated, and sometimes fluid, relationships involved in college recruiting.

“Well, I think a couple of things [factor in],” Franklin said when discussing whether or not the Nittany Lions decide to continue pursuing prospects who have committed elsewhere. “I think number one, is this a player that we felt like we were legitimately in [the running for]? You know, so some of these guys, they put out a top five, and you’re not in it. That’s a top-five they’re just putting out for the media; there’s three schools that the young man has been really focused on.

“If it came down to us at another school, and we reach out, or the kid tells us, ‘Hey, I want you to keep recruiting me,’ then we’ll keep recruiting him. So I think your point is a good one, is we only have so many resources, and you got to make sure that the time you’re spending is time well spent.

“And so to me, it’s were we legitimately in it? Is the kid receptive? Is the kid open? And do you feel like, you know, you got a legitimate chance to get him before signing day? We’re not a negative recruiting team. We’re not a team that’s going to go after other people’s recruits just to go after other people’s recruits. It’s about a guy we’ve had a ton of time invested in and they still want to be recruited and we feel like we got a shot.”

Who are some other prospects in the 2025 cycle that Penn State football could flip?

© Travis Boyd / USA TODAY NETWORK

Without letting speculation run rampant, there are a few prospects in the 2025 recruiting class who are currently committed elsewhere but fit the mold that James Franklin outlined on Wednesday evening.

Perhaps the most obvious player is Imhotep edge rusher Zahir Mathis. The top in-state defensive prospect per the On3 Industry Rankings, Franklin and the Nittany Lions have continued to pursue Mathis despite his commitment to Ohio State earlier this year.

Conjecture around a potential flip only intensified when the four-star took an official visit to Happy Valley in June and returned for the Lasch Bash in July. Mathis has yet to take an official visit to Columbus.

Another top Keystone State prospect the Nittany Lions could circle back to is Lex Cyrus. The Susquehanna Township wide receiver was predicted by many recruiting experts to commit to Penn State before choosing South Carolina in July.

While the Nittany Lions’ 2025 recruiting class already has four receivers with the addition of Outten, Cyrus was among the program’s top choices at the position.

Defensively, Penn State fell on the wrong side of a battle with Oregon for McDonogh (Maryland) defensive athlete Brandon Finney in late June. However, Franklin and his staff have a historically good relationship with McDonogh, and the Nittany Lions’ 2025 class already includes Finney’s high school teammate Jeff Exinor.

Penn State football currently has the No. 16 ranked class in the 2025 recruiting cycle per On3.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.