After a brutal 2025 college football season for the Penn State Nittany Lions, fans had to deal with a horrific early National Signing Day period for the upcoming recruiting class this week.

Luckily for athletic director Pat Kraft, 2026 four-star EDGE Jackson Ford gave the fanbase hope after he signed with the program, as he became the first signee for the Nittany Lions in the 2026 class.

When asked about why he stayed committed to Penn State, Ford to 247Sports on Wednesday that he “strongly believes” that the program will be able to get back on track following the departure of head coach James Franklin earlier this year.

“Penn State has obviously had a big coaching change even before [James] Franklin, and they managed to get out of that,” Ford claimed on 247Sports. “I strongly believe that they will do it again. The people in the building are great people; the program itself is built on greatness, it’s built on family...there’s just no doubt in my mind with everyone in that building and their abilities. I 100 percent believe that they are going to be able to build it back up, and that’s why I wanted to stay.”

During the 2013 recruiting cycle, Penn State’s class took a major hit with a coaching change, which quickly made a turn for the worse. However, the 2013 class managed to maintain 16 commits, with five-star quarterback Christian Hackenberg leading the charge.

Now, as of Dec. 4, the Nittany Lions' 2026 recruiting class is nowhere close to the 2013 bunch, with Ford and four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone being the lone signees for the struggling program.

Ford is the No. 9 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania, as well as the No. 25-ranked EDGE in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports’ Composite. As an in-state recruit, the highly-touted defensive player committed to Penn State back in June of this year.

While many of the Nittany Lions’ recruits decided to reconsider their college choice following the departure of Franklin, Ford stayed put and did not take an official visit to another college, unlike the rest of the class.

Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class is historically the lowest-rated group for the program, as the Nittany Lions rank No. 156 in 247Sports’ Composite.

In order to get the school back on track, it’s clear that the next head coach for the Nittany Lions must attack the transfer portal. Interim head coach Terry Smith reportedly played a key role in getting Falzone to sign, which is a positive sign if he is named the next head coach.