<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2PeIxq_0wMmZ9YU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2PeIxq_0wMmZ9YU00" width="1182" height="619" >Penn State is gearing up for an important primetime matchup against Wisconsin on Saturday night, but that did not mean Nittany Lions head coach <a href="https://247sports.com/coach/James-Franklin-56">James Franklin</a> was not out and about on the recruiting trail on Friday night. With less than 24 hours to go until kickoff, Franklin was on the road to check in on the top-ranked member of Penn State's 2025 class.Franklin traveled to Kansas to watch Shawnee (Kan.) Mill Valley edge rusher <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Jayden-Woods-46136572">Jayden Woods</a> in action. Woods has been committed to Penn State since the summer and just recently climbed into the top 100 portion of the Top247 rankings on 247Sports to become the top dog in a Penn State class that currently consists of 25 commits and ranks 15th nationally, according to the 247Sports Team Composite.Woods, who has been committed to Penn State since the summer, is the No. 76 prospect in the nation following the latest rankings update. He is also the No. 7 edge rusher in his class and the No. 3 recruit in Kansas behind a pair of five-star recruits in Michigan offensive tackle commit <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Andrew-Babalola-46139854">Andrew Babalola</a> and Kansas State tight end commit <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Linkon-Cure-46142479">Linkon Cure</a>, who was once a top target for the Nittany Lions.Woods, who is a member of the 2025 Freaks List on 247Sports, made the jump in the rankings, shortly after an in-person evaluation from 247Sports national analyst Gabe Brooks."After playing virtually the entire game in a middle linebacker spot, Woods moved to a wide edge alignment in the final moments of Mill Valley (Kan.) High's 41-35 win at Gardner-Edgerton (Kan.) on Friday night," Brooks wrote earlier in October. The result: two of the game's biggest plays. Woods disrupted two different late passing plays that helped secure Mill Valley's thrilling victory -- one wound up being a strip sack as he got loose from the right edge and flashed across the face of the opposing QB."Shortly after, Woods provided a game-ending backside chase-down that resulted in an ill-fated incompletion with no time remaining as he and a teammate arrived at the QB to make the play. Woods' impact from the edge was much greater than his MLB reps, which is not surprising to us given our belief in the edge projection. Cut him loose in 1-on-1 situations on the outside and watch him go to work." Woods picked Penn State in late June over Purdue and Tennessee. The Nittany Lions hosted the elite edge rusher prospect for an official visit earlier in the month and that proved to be an impactful visit, as Woods continued to build his bond with defensive line coach <a href="https://247sports.com/coach/Deion-Barnes-5039">Deion Barnes</a> and defensive coordinator <a href="https://247sports.com/coach/Tom-Allen-1497">Tom Allen</a>.Franklin also played a pivotal part in Penn State landing Woods. Franklin recruited Woods' father to play under him at Kansas State when he was an assistant coach with the Wildcats. That provided the Nittany Lions with a built-in level of trust and leg up on Woods, who is in the midst of a dominant senior season."I'll frame it this way," Joseph Potts of Top Speed LLC, where Woods trains, told 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu upon Woods' commitment to the Nittany Lions. "Having had guys like Tyreek Hill, Isaiah Simmons and Lucas Krull come through the program, guys who warrant the 'athletic freak' label, I'm not easily impressed. But the metrics <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Jayden-Woods-46136572">Jayden Woods</a> is putting up are jaw-dropping. A kid with that type of frame jumping 41+ inches is unheard of and I know he was clocked in the 4.5s with a 10+ broad jump at Mill Valley's spring combine. The term gets overused but he's a true athletic freak."</div></body>

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James Franklin pays a visit to Penn State's top-ranked 2025 commit

Penn State is gearing up for an important primetime matchup against Wisconsin on Saturday night, but that did not mean Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin was not out and about on the recruiting trail on Friday night. With less than 24 hours to go until kickoff, Franklin was on the road to check in on the top-ranked member of Penn State's 2025 class.

James Franklin pays a visit to Penn State's top-ranked 2025 commit

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