Penn State football to host 5-star, No. 1 player in Texas next month

The recruiting season continues to push forward in the world of college football. Things do not seem to be slowing down for the Penn State football coaching staff in that area. After wrapping up a few recent visits from earlier this month, the Nittany Lions have more visits scheduled before and after the Blue-White game. Now, 2026 recruiting class five-star prospect Kevin “KJ” Ford Jr. has lined up a visit to Penn State.

Penn State football to host 5-star, No. 1 player in Texas next month

Kevin Ford Jr. is a five-star prospect from Duncanville, TX who is currently listed as the No. 1 player in Texas in the 2026 recruiting class according to 247Sports. Standing at 6 foot 3 225 pounds Ford Jr. is a top-five defensive line prospect in the class.

He holds offers from USC, Nebraska, Texas, UCF, Baylor, Penn State, and several other schools. Now, Director of Recruiting for On3 Chad Simmons has reported that Kevin Ford Jr. will visit the Penn State football team on March 26th. This will be a massive weekend for Deion Barnes as he needs to make a big push for one of the best high school defensive line prospects.

2026 EDGE Kevin "KJ" Ford has lined up visits to six schools.

• March 21: Baylor
• March 22-23: Texas
• March 26: Penn State
• March 29-30: Texas A&M
• April 16: USC
• Working on SMU visit

Profile: https://t.co/hSZxfsNt1F pic.twitter.com/MrakoThOzK

— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) February 22, 2024

Can Ford Jr. team up with Jahkeem Stewart at Penn State?

Football always starts in the trenches and for a few seasons, it felt like the interior defensive line was a weakness on the recruiting trail. But once Deion Barnes took over the defensive line coaching position the recruiting picked up positively.

Looking ahead to the 2026 recruiting cycle, Penn State is in the mix for No.1 prospect Jahkeem Stewart from the 2026 recruiting class. He has listed 15 schools that he is focusing on moving forward. If Barnes can land Stewart and Ford Jr. this defensive line room will be scary good.

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