Matt Campbell Just Changed The FUTURE of Penn State Recruiting!

Penn State football recruiting could be getting a major early boost in the 2028 class with Hopewell quarterback James Armstrong trending toward the Nittany Lions. Armstrong is one of the top quarterback prospects in Pennsylvania, and his recruitment matters because one of the biggest questions around Matt Campbell has been whether he can rebuild and protect Penn State’s in-state recruiting presence. Zach Seyko and Patrick Koerbler (https://x.com/Poerbler) discuss what Armstrong would mean for Penn State’s 2028 recruiting class, how Deonte Flemings Jr. fits into the early foundation, why a true dual-threat quarterback changes the offense, and why Penn State’s six-hour recruiting radius still matters. They also get into EA Sports College Football 27 ratings and why several Penn State players — including Anthony Donkoh, Andrew Rappleyea, Cooper Cousins, Koby Howard, Zion Tracy, Armstrong Nnodim, and Yvan Kemajou — may be underrated. This matters right now because Penn State fans are still trying to figure out what Matt Campbell’s recruiting identity will look like in Happy Valley. The James Armstrong buzz is a strong early sign, while the EA CFB 27 ratings show how much of the national conversation still views Penn State through the Iowa State transfer lens instead of the full returning roster. What do you think matters more for Penn State right now: landing James Armstrong in 2028 or proving the returning roster is better than people think? Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 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! FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now. 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 0:00 Intro 0:46 Why James Armstrong matters for Penn State’s 2028 class 1:40 Deonte Flemings Jr. and Penn State’s early 2028 foundation 3:00 Why dual-threat quarterbacks change Penn State’s offense 5:20 Armstrong, Georgia pushback, and the bigger recruiting picture 6:51 Penn State’s six-hour radius recruiting strategy 8:52 Why a top QB commit can help peer recruiting 9:55 EA College Football 27 ratings reaction 12:39 The Penn State players EA may have underrated 14:41 Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State transfers, and roster context 16:21 Are people sleeping on Penn State’s returning players? 17:35 Why the EA ratings reflect the “Iowa State copy-paste” narrative 18:28 Final thoughts with Patrick Koerbler Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.