Pair of Penn State football commits debut as top 100 recruits in latest Top247 national rankings

Penn State football had its national stock rise in the 2025 recruiting cycle this week, largely thanks to a recent elevation in status for a pair of Nittany Lions commitments. Two of James Franklin’s top prospects in the upcoming class, Jayden Woods and Malachi Goodman, have ascended further into the cycle’s elite players, jumping into the top 100 of 247Sports’ Top247 recruiting rankings for the first time on Wednesday.

Jayden Woods made the most notable leap, climbing nearly 100 spots from the No. 172-ranked prospect nationally to No. 75 overall. The four-star edge rusher from Mill Valley High School (Kansas) is now the country’s seventh-ranked edge rusher and the No. 3 prospect from the Sunflower State in the 2025 recruiting class.

Based on the Top247, Woods is now the Nittany Lions’ highest-ranked commitment in the 2025 class. Woods’ ascension is significant given the decision of former 2025 pledge Max Granville to reclassify and join the Penn State football program this summer. The 6-3, 240-pound prospect will be next in line at a position that is turning into something of a pipeline under James Franklin and Deion Barnes.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Paramus Catholic (New Jersey) offensive lineman Malachi Goodman enters the top 100 at No. 86 nationally. Goodman was ranked No. 125 when he committed to Penn State football on September 3.

Previously called a “mauling presence” by evaluators, Goodman is the No. 4 interior offensive lineman and New Jersey’s No. 2 overall prospect for the cycle.

With the updated 247 rankings, Penn State football has also climbed up the rankings. The Nittany Lions now have the No. 14 class in the 2025 recruiting cycle, good for fourth in the Big Ten.

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