Top 20 EDGE 2025 with ties to James Franklin projected to Penn State football

Just as it seemed the dust was starting to settle for the Penn State football 2025 recruiting class, more predictions have been made. The Nittany Lions now appear to be in the driver’s seat for top-20 edge Jayden Woods who shares a connection to head coach James Franklin. Recruiting experts from On3 and Rivals have placed predictions that Woods will end up in Happy Valley.

Jayden Woods is a 6-3 235-pound four-star edge rusher from Shawnee (Kansas). Over the past month, he has traveled around the country taking official visits. He was able to see Wisconsin (May 31), Penn State (June 7), Purdue (June 14), and Tennessee (June 21). Now, that all of his visits are completed he’s in a position to start his decision-making process.

On Wednesday morning, Steve Wilfong and Ryan Snyder of On3 placed two new RPM predictions that Woods will commit to Penn State. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Woods is a top-5 prospect in Kansas and ranks as a top-20 edge rusher (No. 201 nationally).

Jayden’s father Justin Woods played football for Kansas State from 2007-08. Which overlapped with James Franklin and his time with the Wildcats. Franklin served as the offensive coordinator at Kansas State from 2006-07. Now, Justin’s son is projected to play under Franklin in Happy Valley.

Last minute turn of events for 2025 DB

Credit: Grace Carella // Basic Blues Nation, 2023.

The Nittany Lions were projected to land Brandon Finney on Tuesday. Multiple predictions were placed for the 2025 recruiting class DB to commit to Penn State football. However, Finney decided to commit to the Oregon Ducks instead.

On3 lists Finney as the No. 1 ATH in Maryland. He is the No. 3 prospect in the state and a top-5 athlete in the country (No. 131 nationally). According to 247Sports, football isn’t the only sport that Finney excels in. He has shown off his blazing speed in track and field. During his junior season, Finney qualified for the Maryland A state finals in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.

While the Nittany Lions are on to the next prospect as they close in on Jayden Woods, they look to grow they carry the No. 14 2025 recruiting class nationally according to On3.

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