Three Things: What Kevin Brown’s commitment means for Penn State

Penn State’s Class of 2026 is just getting started, but the Nittany Lions are off and running in a big way. On Saturday, Harrisburg (Pa.) offensive tackle Kevin Brown , the top prospect in Pennsylvania in the cycle, announced his commitment to James Franklin , Phil Trautwein and the in-state program.

While it’s still early in the Class of 2026, Brown is an absolutely massive pickup for the Nittany Lions. He’s a personal favorite and looks to be a low-maintenance addition for Penn State.

What does Kevin Brown’s commitment mean for Penn State?

1. This is a statement win for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions

Penn State has borderline gotten embarrassed in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2025. Of course, it’s a case-by-case basis as to why, but the results are the same. The Nittany Lions are 3-for-10 at the top of the list in the cycle, and while there’s still time to change that, the criticisms have been loud. With Brown’s commitment, Penn State now has two of the top three prospects in the state in the Class of 2026. These are early rankings, naturally, but it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown and Messiah Mickens will end up pretty close to the top.

The Nittany Lions had a similar cycle in 2021, signing just three of the top 20 in the state. To make that worse, No. 8 Lonnie White and No. 20 Nate Bruce combined to play in zero career games (and only a couple of practices). Looking back, a lot of the losses didn’t pan out (though No. 1 Nolan Rucci eventually came back around). But that’s not the point. Most were losses at the time and that’s the name of the game in recruiting.

We’ve drawn the parallel before. Pennsylvania’s Class of 2026 has some similarities to the group in 2022. Penn State ended up with Nick Singleton , Abdul Carter , Drew Shelton and others. There was concentrated talent in the midstate that cycle and Penn State leaned into it heavily. We’re seeing that in the 2026 cycle as well. Penn State won’t necessarily “Dominate the State,” (a phrase that hasn’t been used in a decade), but the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to turn the ship quicker than one would think.

Brown is a big step in that direction. He’s also not a legacy and was far from a layup despite being 90 minutes down the road.

2. More of this, please

Kevin Brown came onto our radar as a freshman at Harrisburg High. We waited for a transfer early in his career. But Brown, like his father before him, anchored with Cal Everett and the Cougars. That’s going to pay off. Brown is tough, he plays with an edge and isn’t afraid to scrap. Covering him off the field, you don’t pick up those vibes.

The word we got was that Brown was ready to be done with this. He visited several schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Georgia in the spring. He’s not big into social media, and he doesn’t do a ton of interviews — but he’s always been pleasant to deal with. It sounds like Brown found what he thought was his best option, didn’t overthink it, and jumped on board. that’s a pretty refreshing recruitment.

Brown’s build up from a 217-pound freshman tackle to what he is now has been fun to watch. He showed up in camp in 2022 and Penn State recognized there was talent there. A year later, he was 240 pounds. Now he’s nearly 270 pounds and he’s made the gains the right way. Some prospects panic and add too much weight, too soon. Brown’s family knows how this works and so far, so good.

3. So, about the football

That’s enough perspective for one day.

Brown’s commitment is huge for a big reason. He’s really, really good at football. He’s among the best offensive line prospects that I’ve scouted, if not at the top of the list. Recruiting the position is still a crapshoot, but Brown seems as safe as one could be. In the last few years, only Cooper Cousins is in that realm for me among guys Penn State has gotten on board. Brown is Michal Menet with tackle size.

He has unique skills and balance. It also doesn’t look like he’s been overtrained. He plays tough on both sides of the ball when needed and as mentioned before, he’s got an edge to him. Brown is terrific out in space, which helps for his tackle projection. We have him as an interior offensive lineman at On3, probably mostly due to his length. I have little doubt that he can play tackle in college, though. Maybe he’s a guard in the pros, but that’s a story for another year.

If you’ve followed along with the 2026 cycle at all, you know I’m a big fan of Brown and have been for a long time. This is a big statement and probably a dumb one considering where were at in the cycle. It’s going to be hard for Penn State to find someone who knocks Brown off the perch at the top of this class. He’s very good and part of an incredible foundation for the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2026.

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