With the 2025 college football regular season coming to a close last weekend, the Penn State Nittany Lions will have to balance their efforts to rebuild the program with an upcoming bowl game.

The first important event for the struggling school is just around the corner, as the early National Signing Day period kicks off on Wednesday of this week. However, Penn State fans are dreading the big day.

As of Dec 2, just one day away from the 2025 early National Signing Day period, the Nittany Lions currently possess the No. 130-ranked class in the 2026 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports’ Composite. If this holds true, the class will be the worst-rated group in program history.

Since the firing of former head coach James Franklin, Penn State has had 20 decommits in the 2026 recruiting cycle, including four-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown and four-star wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford.

In addition to the mass exodus of recruits, Franklin also managed to pouch a total of six former Nittany Lion commits, with four-stars Messiah Mickens and Davion Brown leading the charge.

Now, Penn State’s recruiting class is down to five players before the early signing day period. The group includes multiple four-star defenders in safety Matt Sieg, along with linebackers Terry Wiggins and Tyson Harley.

Four-star EDGE Jackson Ford and three-star cornerback Amauri Polydor round out the bunch that remains committed to the program. Unfortunately for the program, Sieg has taken official visits to Pitt, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech this season, and is set to make his final decision on Wednesday.

Wiggins, on the other hand, has also been looking elsewhere following the departure of Franklin. The highly-touted linebacker has taken official visits to North Carolina and Colorado, making him a name to watch for on National Signing Day.

With most of the Power Four programs that needed a head coach this offseason filling the role, athletic director Pat Kraft and the Nittany Lions are well behind schedule.

Rumors continue to swirl about BYU’s Kalani Sitake becoming the next head coach, but fans will have to wait another week for his decision, with the Coguars set to play in the Big 12 Conference Championship on Saturday.

Until Kraft names the Nittany Lions’ next head coach, the 2026 recruiting cycle will remain a disaster for the program. The next head coach must attack the transfer portal this offseason in order to rebuild the Penn State football program.