James Franklin is Out-Recruiting Matt Campbell & Penn State?! — Recruiting Expert Weighs In...

Penn State football recruiting is ahead of schedule under Matt Campbell, but the Nittany Lions still have important needs to close out in the 2026 class. Zach Seyko and Brian Smith break down whether James Franklin is really out-recruiting Campbell, how Penn State’s class compares to Virginia Tech, and why the current recruiting picture is more positive than some fans may realize. The conversation covers Penn State’s 20 commitments, remaining needs at edge rusher, linebacker, safety, and wide receiver, plus key targets like Abraham Sesay, Ifeanyi Emedobi, Case Alexander, Khalil Taylor, DeShawn Hall, Landon Blum, and Jamir Dean. The episode also gets into Steve Sarkisian’s comments about Penn State firing James Franklin and whether that criticism ignores the full context of Franklin’s 12-year tenure. This matters now because official visit season is arriving, Penn State still needs to finish the class with impact defensive talent, and the Campbell vs. Franklin recruiting debate is already shaping how fans judge the new era. Penn State fans: do you feel better about the class now, or is edge rusher still too big of a concern? Become an every-dayer! Subscribe to Locked On Nittany Lions on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lockedonnittanylions?sub\_confirmation=1 Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast   Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONittanyLions?sid=YouTube Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege Follow the show on X! https://x.com/LockedOnNittany https://x.com/zach\_seyko #lockedonnittanylions #pennstate #nittanylions #pennstatefootball #collegefootball #bigtenfootball #ncaafootball #lockedon #weare #football #recruiting #footballrecruiting #pennstaterecruiting #collegerecruiting #collegefootballrecruiting #weare #highschoolfootball 0:00 Is James Franklin Out-Recruiting Matt Campbell? 1:29 Brian Smith on Penn State vs Virginia Tech Recruiting 3:13 Why Campbell Wasn’t Hired Just to Recruit Better 5:12 What Penn State Fans Need From Matt Campbell 7:29 Penn State Is Ahead of Schedule With 20 Commits 10:20 Abraham C. Say and Penn State’s Edge Rusher Need 12:04 Ifeanyi Emedobi and Other Pass Rush Options 13:13 Case Alexander, Linebacker Needs, and Family Ties 14:00 Khalil Taylor, DeSean Hall, and WR Recruiting 16:03 Penn State Recruiting Receivers Better Already? 18:00 Pass Rusher Is Penn State’s No. 1 Priority 19:20 Steve Sarkisian Calls Out Penn State 21:05 The Missing Context on James Franklin 22:57 Why Penn State Eventually Drew the Line 24:47 Would Texas Fire Sarkisian in the Same Situation? 25:40 Final Thoughts on Recruiting and Official Visits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.