The Class of 2026 has grown.
We’re a few weeks into the Matt Campbell era in Happy Valley, and the new head coach is starting to make some major personnel moves.
While the transfer portal chaos is yet to begin, Campbell has already worked to flip some high school recruits over to the Nittany Lions’ 2026 recruiting class. Four-star edge rusher Jackson Ford and three-star quarterback Payton Falzone were the only two recruits from the James Franklin era to sign on National Signing Day, leaving the new regime with plenty of work left to do.
So far, Campbell has added three-star Nebraska safeties Tyrell Chatman and Bryson Williams, three-star Texas quarterback Kase Evans, and three-star Illinois punter Lucas Tenbrock to the Class of 2026. While the high school football season has come and gone, we can still give you a profile on Penn State’s newest commits.
Chatman comes over from Iowa State’s recruiting class but was previously committed to NIU before agreeing to join Campbell in Ames. He played all over the secondary and at quarterback at North Star in Lincoln, Nebraska, but will likely play at corner for Penn State thanks to his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. He also competed in multiple track events in high school.
His speed and elusiveness are what jump out most with his tape, especially when he has the ball in his hands on offense. But his defensive tape still shows great awareness, standout ball skills, and sound tackling. There were a few clips where I was wondering if he could play wide receiver.
Williams was the first player to flip to Penn State from Campbell’s Iowa State class and is also from Nebraska. Unlike Chatman, Williams is a natural fit at safety and clocks in at 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds. He’ll need to hit the weight room, but his track numbers are very impressive for someone his height. He clocked a 10.88-second 100-meter dash as a junior at Omaha Westside.
He played a good chunk at wideout in high school, and he certainly has burner speed. He’s a hawk for the football on both sides and had good enough vision to earn punt return duties.
Evans joined Falzone as the second quarterback in the 2026 class (yes, that means 1/3 of the class is quarterbacks at the moment) and hails from Lexington, Texas. He was committed to Oklahoma State and then Iowa State before finally finding a home in Happy Valley. Although Evans did not play in an elite Texas high school league, Penn State isn’t quite used to landing quarterbacks from the Longhorn State.
Perhaps the “meh” competition Evans played against at Lexington is what earned him just a three-star rating, but he has plenty of tools to be excited about. He’s a bruiser while running the football and can seemingly make all the throws from all the distances.
Tenbrock was also previously committed to Iowa State and only holds offers from the Cyclones and the Nittany Lions. He’s rated as the No. 5 overall punter in the Class of 2026 and attended high school in St. Charles, Illinois. Oh, and he’s 6-foot-6!
He has a slew of highlights up on his Hudl page.
Category: General Sports
