James Franklin has Penn State in the mix to flip a top pass-rush commit from Alabama despite major hurdle
The Alabama Crimson Tide have embraced they'll have to fight off Auburn for top southern recruiting battles, but there's another lurking program for one of their best targets in the 2026 class. 4-star edge rusher Jamarion Matthews committed to the Tide back in February, but he'll be making an official visit to Penn State this […]
The Alabama Crimson Tide have embraced they'll have to fight off Auburn for top southern recruiting battles, but there's another lurking program for one of their best targets in the 2026 class. 4-star edge rusher Jamarion Matthews committed to the Tide back in February, but he'll be making an official visit to Penn State this summer.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder from Georgia will also go to Alabama in June, Michigan and Oregon in April, and the final visit dates for Penn State and Auburn are coming soon. Despite being invested into Alabama, Matthews is giving the Nittany Lions a bit of hope with his words and actions.
“In the summer, I will be visiting Auburn, Alabama and Penn State,” he said. “I’m locked in with Alabama, but there always could be a change of mind. That’s why I kept my recruitment open. I like that they keep communicating with me even though I’m committed to Bama, that shows that they really have interest in me.”
Penn State head coach James Franklin has to see this as a gap to attack. Going into Alabama and Georgia is a difficult task for any Big Ten school, but the top dogs in the conference have seen a little more success in recent years.
The Nittany Lions can pitch recent elite NFL prospects from their pipeline to Matthews. Micah Parsons, Chop Robinson, and Abdul Carter are among the most recognizable pass-rushers in the country.
Coming off a season with 17 sacks and 29 tackles for loss, Matthews is a decent candidate to be boosted to be a 5-star despite being on the shorter side of the tape for his position. He said NIL won't be a big part of his recruitment any time soon despite the conversation becoming such a big part of the game.
“I don’t know a specific number,” he said. “I’m really not worried about the money, for real, the money is going to come later. I’m just worried about going on the field and making plays. I’m looking to get on the field early and feel at home, and is this where I want to be.”
Penn State has to make Matthews feel at home and swing big with an NIL offer. If they can nab him, the team could get him on the field early for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' multi-front, blitz-friendly scheme.
