Penn State Receives Major Recruiting Update on RB for 2027 Class

Matt Campbell and the Penn State Nittany Lions are among the three finalists to land running back Jordan Hall for their 2027 class. The other two teams in the mix to add Hall are the Missouri Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He will announce his commitment on October 23rd.

Penn State will have to prove in the coming weeks that they can be a contender and would be a good fit for Hall. The Nittany Lions started out the season 3-0 before a stunning loss to the unranked Wisconsin Badgers. 

Penn State has now dropped from the 13th-ranked team in the country to outside the Top 25. They will have to be a consistent team for the remainder of the season if they want to make it back to the Top 25 and have a chance to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

If the Nittany Lions want to land a running back in Hall, they will also need to prove that they can establish the run game.

Penn State's run game has been one of their biggest weakness thus far in the 2026 season. They have a ton of options in the backfield, but there hasn't been a clear-cut star running back for the Nittany Lions.

James Peoples leads the team in yards with 199 yards on 37 carries, while Carson Hansen has 180 yards on 39 carries, Quinton Martin Jr. has 152 yards on 26 carries, and Cam Wallace has 125 yards on 22 carries.

Penn State doesn't need a star running back to lead the way, but if they're going with a committee approach and leaning on the hot hand, they will need more production from the room in general. The Nittany Lions will also need their offensive line to create more holes in the run game.

The offense struggled mightily in the loss to the Badgers. Quarterback Rocco Becht couldn't get into a rhythm, which was a major factor in the loss, but the run game wasn't great. They ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries (3.3 yards per carry).

This production on offense won't get it done, especially as Penn State takes on tougher opponents down the stretch.

Campbell and the Nittany Lions have plenty of work to do to become a ranked program once again, and they will need to show promise in the run game if they want to land Hall over Missouri and Ohio State.