Most programs across the CFB sphere are microwaving their way to success. The advent of the transfer portal helps facilitate instantaneous success. Coach Prime in Colorado is the epitome of this. This process can become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Before you realize it, you’ve actually been on a carousel. Moving in circles but staying in one spot as you add and subtract players. Within the midst of this modernization in the sport, one program is embracing tradition. Penn State and James Franklin aren’t seeking to procure talent. They’re seeking to develop it. Coach Franklin has identified 4-star ATH recruit Wydeek Collier as one such talent. However, so have 13 other programs. The latest of which is a B1G foe.

James Franklin is, very conspicuously, building his core roster through high school recruitment. He’s preaching continuity, and the fact he’s managed to keep together the 3-headed monster of RBs Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton, and QB1 Drew Allar for another season is a proponent of this continuity. This has made Penn State one of the favorites for the National title in 2025. But short-sightedness in regard to roster building is a sin in CFB. Hence, the Nittany Lions are eyeing the class of ‘26 to keep this momentum. Wydeek Collier, a Pennsylvania native, presents as a great opportunity from within the state. Primarily an EDGE, he’s 6’6, 200 lbs, and can move back to linebacker, too. Heck, he even plays wide receiver! This versatility and athletic build have made Collier a highly-touted prospect. Making Franklin’s path to him treacherous but still likely to succeed.

Industry leader On3’s RPM currently gives Penn State a 92.9% chance to land Wydeek Collier. This is interesting because the player thwarted their offer and committed to Rutgers instead in January. Despite this, James Franklin and a host of others haven’t been deterred in their approach. The very latest school to offer Collier is a fellow B1G rival, USC. One insider is positive about the offer and even likened the player to being a “twin” of another USC Trojan. Penn State isn’t the only one with a geographical advantage in this chase.

USC J, over his “LOST IN THA SAUCE” podcast, relayed the news of this offer. “[Wydeek Collier is] coming from the exact same high school as Eric Gentry. Exact same size, exact same high school and exact same position. You can’t make this up!” he said. Gentry also attended Neumann Goretti in Philly. “USC, they’re absolutely on the case. Coach [Shaun] Nua, in fact, is on the case in this one.” USC J proceeded. Super Bowl-winning defensive end Nua is sure to be an enticing recruiter in this process. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans are serious about this flip. Certainly a worry for coach Franklin, who is still perceived to be leading the race despite the Rutgers-shaped cloud looming over it.

Penn State was the 4th of the 14 schools to have offered to Collier way back in May last year. They even had him in State College visiting the campus in July. D-line coaches Deion Barnes and James Franklin showed him Happy Valley. Collier even visited them in June of 2023. In spite of the time and traction they had, Rutgers beat them to the punch. In fact, PSU even lost the race for fellow in-state recruit Elias Coke, a receiver, to Rutgers in the same week. This isn’t a trend, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Coach Franklin and the program will need to get things in order if they want to continue this MO of building the team from high school recruiting and not the portal. Getting the Pennsylvania area on lock is requisite. On3 still expects them to land their guy, so we’ll see how this transpires. Elsewhere in the ‘26 recruiting cycle, things aren’t looking too promising for Penn State either.

James Franklin and Penn State also losing ground in race for WR prospect

One position group was the Nittany Lions’ Achilles Heel last season. In fact it’s been for a while now. The wide receivers often leave a lot to be desired. The underlying issues last season transpired into a zero-catch game for their entire receiving corp. in the Orange Bowl. It’s what ultimately cost James Franklin a trip to the Natty. He’s trying to make amends to this frequent blindspot in his rosters going forward. But the issues persist.

Davion Brown is the 19th-best WR in the class of ‘26, according to 247Sports. The 6’3, 190 pass-catcher has announced his final shortlist of 5 schools in the reckoning. This includes Georgia, Syracuse, Duke, Michigan, and Penn State. James Franklin will be pleased to have made the club, albeit the competition is strong. Davion Brown has already been to Happy Valley. However, PSU insider Tyler Calvaruso thinks they’re losing ground. One major factor is Brown’s absence from Happy Valley on both Junior Days.

“When it comes to Brown, quite frankly, I think Penn State’s a little bit of work to do coming in to the official visit,” he said. “The goal is to get him back on campus during the spring as well. He didn’t visit for either of Penn State’s two Junior Days. He got an offer from Georgia that really caught his attention. I think that’s one to keep an eye on.” While Penn State has a storied history of running backs under James Franklin, receivers have often been deterred to come. TE Tyler Warren papered over lots of cracks in the passing game. They’ll hope this long-drawn issue of acquiring receivers doesn’t spill over on the other side of the football with Wydeek Collier. 2025 looks great on paper, but there’s still work to be done beyond that.