Nittany Lions Land Key Recruit Despite Very Tough Season

It was a much-needed bye week in Happy Valley this week, and there was no football game to ruin the weekend. One thing that was a major positive for the Penn State program from Saturday came from the recruiting trail.

Three-star running back Jordan Hall committed to the Nittany Lions from Cincinnati, Ohio. Hall has been the star running back at one of the great Ohio high schools, the Princeton Vikings. 

Hall had been committed to Miami (OH), but once this year began, his name and stock continued to grow. With the growth in his stock, the bigger offers came rolling in. 

He received interest from the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Missouri Tigers. Both of those schools ended up offering Hall, but Hall decided to commit to the Nittany Lions.

It is hard enough in today's day and age to recruit throughout the country at a high level. Add a really tough and disappointing season to the mix, and it makes it all the more challenging. Regardless, Matt Campbell and his staff got a big one at a major position of need.

Penn State's rushing attack this year has been dreadful, simply put. They are averaging less than 4 yards per carry this year, and they are averaging 130 yards per game for the length of the entire season. The latter stat is ranked 109th in the country, which is awful.

Winning football games without having a balanced attack is pretty much impossible against solid competition. The need to have an attack that you can rely on- a quality run game just opens things all the way up in the pass game. 

Beyond that, with the way that quarterback Rocco Becht is playing and what his ceiling is, he can't function without a run game. We are seeing that live and in action each and every week.

They are in a situation where they just need to bring in as many players as they possibly can to find a solution. The 2026 season is a lost cause, but the urgency for the future needs to be at an all-time high.

I do not believe that Campbell is going to be on the hot seat this season. However, the leash next year will be very short if he even gets one at all. 

To find some success, the Nittany Lions need to find a run game. To find a run game, they need to add as many players as they possible can. Hall is the first one.