Nation’s top DE cancels upcoming Penn State football visit, commits to ACC power

Penn State football is primed for a busy month of recruiting over the closing weeks of January and start of early February. However, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions will now have to cross one top target off the official visitor’s list for an upcoming junior day. On Wednesday, Ari Watford, the No. 1 DE for the 2025 recruiting cycle, committed to Clemson and subsequentially canceled his visit to Happy Valley next week.

Ari Watford commits to Clemson, cancels Penn State visit

Earlier in the month, Penn State football locked in one of its more significant visitors for its upcoming series of junior days when Virginia EDGE Ari Watford confirmed he would be heading to State College on February 3. A four-star prospect, Watford is currently the top DE in the nation and the No. 17 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to On3.

However, that visit will not be taking place after all. Wednesday afternoon, Watford announced his commitment to Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. The choice may not be a shock, as Watford will take his fourth visit to Clemson this weekend. But with his only other scheduled visit being the trip to Penn State next week, the timing may have been a bit of a surprise.

BREAKING: Elite 2025 EDGE Ari Watford tells me he has Committed to Clemson!

The 6’5 230 EDGE from Norfolk, VA chose the Tigers over Ohio State, Virginia Tech, & Syracuse

Ranked as the No. 1 EDGE in the ‘25 Class (per On3) 👀

“I’m All In!”https://t.co/HPB7WkPUZU pic.twitter.com/1N00Ldrq60

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 24, 2024

“I get a home feeling kind of vibe,” Watford said of Clemson to Brian Dohn of 247Sports on Wednesday. “Compared to a few places I’ve been to, it just feels like the best spot. Every time I go there and leave, I want to come back. Every time.”

But now, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions will not have a chance to sway Ari Watford off his commitment. The top-ranked prospect in the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class informed Dohn that he has canceled his February 3 visit to Penn State. He will not take any other trips outside of return visits to Clemson.

Nittany Lions gearing up for 2025

Of course, landing Ari Watford was always going to be a challenge, especially with his strong relationships with the Clemson staff. But missing out on the chance to host him on campus still stings. Penn State football also recently missed on DE Zahir Mathis, the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania for the 2025 recruiting class, who committed to Ohio State.

But there’s still plenty of time to make up ground in 2025. Last week, the Nittany Lions were predicted to land four-star LB Alex Tatsch from Greater Latrobe. James Franklin and his staff also hosted several other notable prospects at last weekend’s junior day, including top 30 recruit Kainoa Winston and Penn State football legacy Anthony Sacca.

With eight commitments, Penn State football has the No. 7 class in the 2025 cycle, according to 247Sports. On3 has the Nittany Lions slightly lower at No. 13 nationally.

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