Penn State Nittany Lions miss out on a priority offensive recruiting target in favor of another Midwestern power
The Penn State Nittany Lions just suffered a huge recruiting loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The team loses out on four-star RB Isaiah Rogers.
There has been a lot of positive recruiting momentum for the Penn State program under head coach Matt Campbell. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions staff, that momentum didn’t carry over in their pursuit of Springfield (Mass.) Central running back Isaiah Rogers.
The talented runner decided between Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Indiana on Monday. The Massachusetts star opted for the Fighting Irish over the other four. It is a huge addition for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish. Now the Nittany Lion staff will need to go back to the drawing board and find an impact talent at the running back position.
Penn State held an early commitment from five-star running back Kemon Spell, but the firing of head coach James Franklin during the season led to him opening up his options and eventually landing with the Georgia Bulldogs. Campbell and his staff have gotten some positive feedback on the recruiting trail since taking over, although they have landed just one 2027 recruit so far. They feel like a program that is going to be just fine with more time, but this is an early miss.
Isaiah Rogers’ recruiting background
Rogers is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, he currently ranks as the No. 237 overall player, the No. 15 running back, and the No. 2 player from the state of Massachusetts for the 2027 recruiting class. He has continued to rise up the recruiting rankings over the course of the offseason, and there’s no reason to believe that rise can’t continue. ESPN is the highest on Rogers, sitting as the No. 146 overall player in the country.
Like Rogers’ recruiting rankings, he has continued to see his offer list grow in recent months. Some of the top programs that have offered Rogers include the Nittany Lions, Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, Florida State, Indiana, Boston College, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Mississippi State, Syracuse, and Rutgers, among others. Even more high-level programs have done their homework on Rogers this offseason.
As a junior in 2025, Rogers put together a tremendous season for Springfield Central. In 10 games, Rogers managed to rush for 1,172 yards and 18 touchdowns, including an impressive average of 8.1 yards per carry. The 5-11, 205-pound playmaker also hauled in 32 receptions for 373 yards and three more scores. Rogers’ combination of explosiveness, size, and versatility is a tremendous addition to the Notre Dame program.
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