Penn State fired head coach James Franklin on Sunday amid a three-game losing streak for the No. 2 team in the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll. Former Syracuse football four-star and five-star recruits who were verbally pledged to the Nittany Lions are de-committing, or could de-commit, and we'll have to see if the Orange staff makes a run at these high school prospects.
One guy we've already discussed is 2027 four-star wide receiver Khalil Taylor of Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa. Taylor has received a scholarship offer from Syracuse football and will visit the 'Cuse on Saturday, Oct. 18, when the Orange will host Pittsburgh at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Here are other Penn State verbal commits who have held Syracuse football scholarship offers.
By the way, this list isn't meant to be fully exhaustive. The Orange coaching staff could pursue these prospects below or others that I haven't mentioned in this column.
2026 Class
•Three-star defensive back Julian Peterson of Winslow Township High School in Atco, N.J.
•Three-star defensive lineman Alexander Haskell of the St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia
•Three-star defensive lineman Tavian Branch of Riverside High School in Taylor, Pa.
•Four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins of Coatesville Area Senior High School in Coatesville, Pa.
•Four-star wide receiver Davion Brown of the Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Va.
2027 Class
•Five-star running back Kemon Spell of McKeesport Area Senior High School in McKeesport, Pa. (Spell de-committed from Penn State on Sunday)
•Five-star offensive tackle Layton Von Brandt of Appoquinimink High School in Middletown, Del. (Brandt de-committed from Penn State on Sunday)
•Four-star linebacker Gabe Jenkins of the Imani Christian Academy in Pittsburgh (Jenkins de-committed from Penn State on Sunday)
I could see the Syracuse football staff reaching out to some of these high school prospects. For one, a lot of them are located in key recruiting markets for the Orange, such as New Jersey, Pennsyvlania, Delaware and Virginia.
The 'Cuse has 29 verbal commits in its 2026 class. This cycle is ranked No. 26 nationally by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. In 2027, so far, Syracuse football has six verbal pledges in a class that is No. 4 overall, per the 247Sports Composite.