Penn State football suffers second decommitment of 2025 recruiting class

While it has been mostly all positive news in the recruiting world for the Penn State football team in 2024, it can’t always be that way. The class continues to grow in numbers, but today, the Nittany Lions took a hit to their 2025 recruiting class., Omari Gaines decided to decommit from Penn State, and now the Nittany Lions are left with 11 hard commits in the 2025 cycle.

Penn State football suffers 2025 recruiting class decommitment

Omari Gaines is a three-star safety prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, Gaines is the No. 12 player in New Jersey and the 430th-best player in the 2025 cycle. A native of Newark, NJ, Gaines was the longest-standing member of the Nittany Lions’ 2025 class, committing to Penn State on March 28, 2023.

Today, Gaines made it official on social media that he has decided to decommit from Penn State and re-open his recruitment. He did receive three new scholarship offers from Central Michigan, James Madison, and Stanford in January. So, the timing of his decision makes sense considering the new offers on the table, and the path to playing time could be more apparent at these other schools.

Please respect my decision. #AGTG 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/9PcWpHB9nU

— OmariGaines🎸 (@omarigaines_) March 1, 2024

Gaines is the second prospect to decommit from the Nittany Lions in the 2025 recruiting cycle. In September, four-star NJ OL Jaelyne Matthews parted ways with Penn State football after being committed for nearly eight months.

Where does the 2025 recruiting class rank without Gaines?

Losing any player that Penn State spent the energy and resources recruiting is never an easy pill to swallow. The 2025 recruiting class had shot up the national rankings to 5th overall. But after the decision made by Gaines, the Nittany Lions have fallen to the No. 7 class in the country, according to 247Sports.

Hopefully, James Franklin and his coaching staff can make a heavy push during the Blue-White game and the several official visits this summer to continue to stack talent in the world of recruiting.

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