Penn State football offers pair of rising 2026 recruits following official visits this weekend

James Franklin and Penn State football put on their final junior day of the January window this weekend. While the majority of the visitor list centered on 2025 players, several prospects in the 2026 recruiting cycle made their way to Happy Valley, as well. Two rising prospects in the 2026 cycle didn’t leave empty-handed, as LB Isaiah Harris and OT Carter Scruggs both went home with offers from the Nittany Lions.

Penn State football offers rising prospects Isaiah Harris and Carter Scruggs

Penn State football doled out a pair of offers coming off of Saturday’s junior day in State College. James Franklin and his staff are now among the early programs in on 2026 prospects Isaiah Harris and Carter Scruggs. Although currently unrated by the major recruiting services, both are rising prospects in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

Isaiah Harris is a 6-1, 195-pound LB out of Saline, Michigan. Already one of the top defensive players in the Ann Arbor area, Harris recorded 79 tackles, including 11.5 sacks, this season. Penn State becomes his fifth FBS offer, with Louisville and Indiana also in the mix from the ACC and Big Ten.

After a great day in Happy Valley, and a great conversation with @CoachTerryPSU, I am blessed to receive an offer from Penn State University!!! @SalineFootball @TheD_Zone @MohrRecruiting @SWiltfong247 @AllenTrieu @PrepRedzoneMI @MIexposure @Bryan_Ault @CoachAllenPSU @RisingStars6 pic.twitter.com/jAWerMAg39

— Isaiah Harris 2026 (@isaiah_harris37) February 3, 2024

Carter Scrugss from Leesburg, Virginia, has recently popped up on the radar of more major programs. The Nittany Lions become 6-1, 275-pound OT’s 10th offer. Most of the top schools in the Mid-Atlantic, including Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Maryland, have offered Scruggs, as well. Playing for Loudon County, Scruggs made the Virginia High School League Class Four second-team all-state offense in 2023.

After an awesome visit I am extremely blessed to have received my 10th D1 offer from @PennStateFball thank you @coachjfranklin @CoachTrautFB @kevceh @LoudounCountyFB @MattReidenbaugh @Mitch5003 pic.twitter.com/NpGQaN2j9p

— Carter Scruggs (@CarterScruggs_) February 3, 2024

Current state of the 2026 recruiting class

Carter Scruggs and Isaiah Harris are the latest in a growing list of offers handed out by James Franklin and the Nittany Lions for 2026, nearing almost 200 in total.

Penn State football only has one commitment so far in the 2026 cycle, but it’s a good one. In August, Trinity RB Messiah Mickens committed to the Nittany Lions. Mickens is already the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania for 2026 and is one of the top RBs in the entire country.

“The standard there,” Mickens recently said of why he remains committed to James Franklin and Penn State. “Just because they lose a game or something happens, the bond doesn’t break. Everyone stays locked in. [I’ve had] great communication with the coaching staff, how they communicate with me. As soon as [new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki] got hired, they called me first just to let me know what was going on. Things like that.”

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