Penn State football suffers decommitment from top 2025 RB

Just as the Penn State football team began to gain momentum on the recruiting trail they suffered a setback on Friday afternoon. The 2025 recruiting class was headlined by Alvin Henderson a four-star running back from Elba (Alabama). However, he has officially decided to flip his commitment from the Nittany Lions to the Auburn Tigers.

The reports started to pour in on Thursday evening. Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong of On3 logged commitment flip predictions for running back Alvin Henderson. On Friday, those predictions became reality. Hayes Fawcett of On3 announced that Henderson has decided to make his pledge to Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers.

Henderson was quoted saying, “I’m staying home, Auburn family thank you for the support and dedication! Can’t wait to make this great state happy WARDAMN”

On April 11, Henderson made his initial commitment to the Nittany Lions. The four-star running back ranks as the No. 8 running back in the 2025 recruiting class. He will now keep his talents at home in the SEC.

BREAKING: Four-Star RB Alvin Henderson has Flipped his Commitment from Penn State to Auburn, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 5’10 200 RB from Elba, AL had been Committed to the Nittany Lions since April

“I’m staying home 🦅, Auburn family thank you for the support and… pic.twitter.com/cNhn2JCpYf

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 21, 2024

Henderson’s recent double-down on Penn State

One of the more confusing parts of Henderson’s decision on Friday was his recent visit to Happy Valley. This past weekend he completed his official visit with Penn State which made many believe James Franklin had a chance to put the nail in the coffin of Henderson’s recruitment.

On social media, Henderson even shared on Twitter / X on June 17 that he was “locked in” with the Nittany Lions. While it’s unfortunate that he has decided to leave the 2025 recruiting class.

🏡 https://t.co/Jt0YcOmjTm

— "𝐀" 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 2️⃣ 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 (@AlHenderson_1) June 17, 2024

On the flip side, Penn State still carries two talented running backs in the 2025 cycle. Keandrea Barker who recently shut down his commitment to the Nittany Lions. They also hold a commitment from in-state prospect Tiqwai Hayes who won Mr. Football PA this spring. While it’s never ideal to have any recruit decommit, Penn State has created a winnable scenario with how they have built this class.

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