REPORT: Penn State football to rehire key staffer after 2 month departure

After a very brief departure, Penn State football is expected to rehire a key member of its recruiting department. On Tuesday afternoon, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that James Franklin is expected to hire Syracuse Executive Director of Personnel and Recruitment Khalil Ahmad. Ahmad previously served as the Recruiting Coordinator for Personnel and Recruitment for the Nittany Lions in 2023 before leaving for the Orange in December.

Penn State football set to rehire former staffer Khalil Ahmad, per reports

Within recruiting circles, Khalil Ahmad is known to be a valuable resource for recruiting the mid-Atlantic region. As a member of the Penn State football staff in 2023, Ahmad helped Franklin and the Nittany Lions sign a top-15 recruiting class. The class included the No. 1 overall prospects from Pennsylvania and Connecticut, as well as top three talents from Massachusetts and New York.

The Nittany Lions suffered a significant blow in December when Khalil Ahmad announced his departure for Syracuse. However, the decision was understandable, given that Ahmad had worked as the Orange’s Director of High School Relations before joining the Penn State football staff. He also had connections to newly hired Syracuse head coach Fran Brown.

However, Ahmad abruptly announced his departure from Syracuse last week after two months with the program. “Appreciate Coach Brown and the Administration for the opportunity,” Ahmad said in a post on social. “Nothing but love to the entire Orange community, but I’ll be moving on to the next chapter of my journey.”

Speculation around a potential reunion was confirmed late Tuesday, when Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that James Franklin is set to rehire the former staffer two months after he left the program.

“[Ahmad] was a valued member of the Nittany Lions’ personnel and recruiting staff before leaving for Syracuse,” Zenitz wrote on X.

Penn State is expected to hire Syracuse executive director of personnel and recruitment Khalil Ahmad, sources tell @247sports.

A return to Penn State for Ahmad, who was a valued member of the Nittany Lions’ personnel and recruiting staff before leaving for Syracuse.… pic.twitter.com/5d73Cf0ArO

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2024

Before his first stint at Syracuse, Khalil Ahmad spent a season as a player development coach at Rutgers. Prior to starting his career in college football, Ahmad worked for eight years as a student mentor for The OHGI Foundation in Montclair, New Jersey.

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