Since James Franklin took over the head coaching job at Penn State in 2014, his goal on the recruiting trail has been to dominate the state of Pennsylvania.
One of the most coveted recruiting pipelines in the entire country, getting the best players to stay home and play for the Nittany Lions has been one of his biggest priorities.
He was able to accomplish that in 2015 when signing Saquon Barkley, who was the No. 1 ranked player in the state. Franklin has continued this dominance, signing Pennsylvania’s best player, during eight of his 11 recruiting cycles according to 247Sports’ rankings.
Moving into the class of 2025, the Nittany Lions had gone three straight years signing the state’s No. 1 player after getting Nick Singleton in 2022, J’ven Williams in 2023 and Quinton Martin most recently in 2024.
But, unfortunately this streak has seemingly come to an end after 2025 edge rusher, Zahir Mathis, committed to Ohio State on Wednesday.
Were Legends are made 🌟🌰 @R2X_Rushmen1 pic.twitter.com/w1ntn3k2kJ
— Zahir Mathis (@ZahirMathis5) January 10, 2024
The 6’5″ 230 pound four-star prospect from Philadelphia is the No. 55 overall player in the class and the best in Pennsylvania according to On3’s industry rankings.
While it’s disappointing to have this streak come to an end, the most notable thing about Mathis’ recruitment before making his commitment was that Penn State did not make his final list of schools.
Before deciding on Ohio State, he was between them, Florida State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Much of Mathis’ decision came down to his connection between himself and Ohio State’s defensive line coach, Larry Johnson, stating that was a major factor throughout his recruitment.
So, Penn State will need to turn their attention to other top prospects in the state with the sixth rated player, Anthony Sacca, being on their list of targets.
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