James Franklin’s message to 5-star visitor: ‘Let’s make history’

Another star-studded recruiting weekend is underway in Happy Valley. While many elite prospects are taking their official visits with Penn State football, the headliner is five-star Georgetown Prep (MD) offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho.

Iheanacho arrived in State College on Thursday evening ahead of his fourth visit with the Nittany Lions. The 6′7“, 380-pound lineman took to social media to share the welcome he received from the Penn State staff.

Although part of the message is cropped out, Iheanacho’s image does give us some insight into the personal recruiting pitch James Franklin will be delivering this weekend.

Franklin wrote that the Nittany Lions are “…building a special class at Penn [State] and I want you to be a part of [it].”

“Let’s make history together,” he added

Penn State football is pushing for a historic class in 2026, currently ranked No. 6 nationally in the 247Sports Composite.

In Happy Valley looking forward to tha PSU OV! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/31MeKU1QBX

— Immanuel Iheanacho ✭ (@immanueli24) June 13, 2025

Last week, Iheanacho named Penn State among his four finalist schools, which also included Auburn, LSU, and Oregon. Already checking out his two SEC contenders, the Baltimore product will conclude his summer visits with the Nittany Lions and the Ducks.

The second-ranked offensive tackle in the class, Iheanacho is the No. 3 recruit in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. This weekend’s visit will be one of the Nittany Lions’ final opportunities to make their case before the five-star’s August 5 commitment announcement. Currently, Oregon is viewed as the frontrunner for Iheanacho’s pledge.

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