Penn State football suffers setbacks with multiple elite QB targets

Recently, the recruiting trail has been a total rollercoaster for Penn State football. The Nittany Lions have hit a rough patch in the 2025 recruiting cycle, missing on multiple legacy prospects and having seen other talent go elsewhere. The 2026 recruiting class has yet to get off the ground as well, with one lone commitment from Messiah Mickens. This week starts with more unfortunate news at the most important position on the field, with James Franklin and the Nittany Lions now expected to miss on two top quarterback prospects in both cycles: Malik Washington and Dia Bell.

Dia Bell is the son of NBA veteran Raja Bell. The four-star quarterback prospect from Fort Lauderdale, FL, carries elite traits. His size, at 6-3 190 pounds, and his accuracy are two aspects that make him one of the top talents in the 2026 recruiting class. On3 ranks Bell as the No. 2 QB in the 2026 class and the No. 1 player in Florida. Nationally, On3 ranks Bell as the No. 14 prospect in the cycle.

On Monday, Hayes Fawcett of On3 announced that Bell has made his pledge to the Texas Longhorns. This came as a bit of a surprise to those who have followed Penn State football recruiting. Bell had taken four visits to Happy Valley, which was tied for first with Ohio State.

With Bell off the board and off to Texas, the Nittany Lions will need to seek the next quarterback prospect.

Thank u to everyone who offered me a chance 2 pursue my dreams at ur school. I am grateful for all of u and the relationships we built! These 📸’s were from 2 years ago to the day. It was always the plan! @TexasFootball time to build the best 2026 class in the country! 🤘🏽 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/1LLqju4bkf

— Dia Bell 2026 QB (@DiaBell3QB1) June 17, 2024

Nittany Lions predicted to miss on Malik Washington

While official visits continue, in the 2025 recruiting class, one prospect who has not taken an official visit to Penn State this summer is quarterback Malik Washington.

The Baltimore, MD, prospect has taken 10 visits to Penn State during his recruitment. However, with the Nittany Lions securing a commitment from Bekkem Kritza at the end of 2023, it appears that Maryland made a strong argument to keep one of its top prospects in-state.

On Monday, 247Sports recruiting analysts Tom Loy and Brian Dohn announced that they both placed crystal ball predictions for Washington to commit to Maryland. The prediction was made ahead of Washington’s official visit to Maryland, which is scheduled for this weekend.

Teamed with @TomLoy247 to put in a @247CrystalBall pick for Maryland to land its top target with details on why that is the pick (VIP) https://t.co/djQQSxcXhb pic.twitter.com/ProAkOdNLC

— BrianDohn247 (@BrianDohn247) June 17, 2024

Washington is a four-star quarterback who ranks as the No.1 QB in Maryland in the 2025 cycle.

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