Official visit season is heating up in Happy Valley, as this past weekend Penn State hosted its second batch of visitors.

The group was headlined by commits in the 2026 recruiting class, but there were a few uncommitted visitors that made the trip to check out what James Franklin’s program has to offer. In addition to the official visitors, a handful of recruits announced their final schools, including Penn State amongst the finalists.

Here’s everything that happened on the recruiting front this week.

Official visitors

Penn State usually coordinates its commits to schedule their official visits for the same weekend, and this time around it fell on the second weekend of the summer.

The Nittany Lions boast the No. 4-ranked class with 17 commits, featuring nine 4-star prospects and eight 3-star players via the 247Sports composite rankings. Of the 17 high school players, only 4-star linebacker Terry Wiggins was not in attendance.

The offensive commits who made the trip to Happy Valley were a trio of wide receivers in 4-star Davion Brown, 4-star Jahsiear Rogers and 3-star Lavar Keys, 4-star quarterbacks Troy Huhn and Peyton Falzone, two offensive linemen in 4-star Kevin Brown and 3-star Roseby Lubintus and 4-star running back Messiah Mickens.

On the other side of the ball it was a safety tandem in 4-star Matt Sieg and 3-star Darrell Carey, two 3-star defensive linemen in Alexander Haskell and Isaac Chukwurah, a pair of cornerbacks in 4-star Jaziel Hart and 3-star Julian Peterson and 4-star linebacker Mathieu Lamah.

Three-star athlete David Davis also made the trip, who projects to play in the secondary at either cornerback and safety, but not running back like he does for Imani Christian Academy.

Four-star defensive end signee Daniel Jennings was also in attendance, who was originally part of the 2026 class before announcing he would be reclassifying in the middle of May. He is set to enroll later this summer.

Uncommitted four-star linebackers in Rodney Colton Jr. and Kosi Okpala as well as 3-star offensive tackle Marlen Bright were also part of the weekend festivities.

Colton is the No. 303 player nationally and No. 35 in Georgia. Okpala is the No. 281 player in the country and No. 35 in Texas. Prior to the official visit, Colton had been to campus one time for an unofficial visit in March while it was Okpala’s first time in Happy Valley.

Bright on the other hand has been to campus a ton, having been to State College 10 times. He’s the No. 559 player nationally, No. 45 offensive tackle and No. 9 overall in New Jersey.

His commitment date is scheduled for July 5, but as the Nittany Lions seem to be the leader in his recruitment, there’s a chance he doesn’t make it to that date.

On the short list

A handful of uncommitted prospects announced that Penn State has made the final cut of programs they’re interested in.

Four-star offensive tackle Grayson McKeough has Penn State in his top-three schools alongside Notre Dame and Texas. He’s the No. 261 player nationally, No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 7 player in Pennsylvania out of La Salle College High School, the high school of former Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter and 4-star 2026 target Joey O’Brien. It originally was a battle between the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Irish, but the Longhorns seemed to have grabbed McKeough’s attention after offering on May 19.

Penn State has continued to make strides in West Coast recruiting, as 3-star California native Luke Sorenson has the Nittany Lions in his finalists. Penn State will be battling it out against Ole Miss and Nebraska for the tight end ranked No. 662 nationally and No. 56 in the Golden State.

Despite residing in Georgia, 4-star cornerback Dorian Barney is an Erie, Pennsylvania, native. Penn State’s in his final-four alongside Michigan, Texas A&M and Georgia Tech. Barney’s ranked as the No. 150 player nationally, No. 20 player in Georgia and No. 14 overall cornerback. He has already taken his official visit and was previously committed to Alabama.

Four-star defensive end Titan Davis has Penn State in his final-four programs. The top-100 prospect has the Nittany Lions competing with Alabama, Michigan and USC. He’s ranked as the No. 98 player nationally, No. 13 defensive lineman and No. 2 player in Missouri.

Penn State has found success out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., with former offensive tackle Olu Fashanu. It’s in pursuit of another with 4-star defensive end Tyson Harley. Harley has the Nittany Lions on the short list with Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Maryland and Rutgers, and is rated as the No. 31 EDGE nationally and No. 2 overall in Washington D.C. He’s teammates with another Penn State defensive end target in 4-star Carter Meadows.

Offensive line target Drew Evers from Flower Mound, Texas, has Penn State in his seven-remaining programs. The No. 209 player nationally, No. 27 player and No. 13 overall interior offensive lineman’s list is down to Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and SMU in addition to the Nittany Lions.

Another 4-star offensive lineman has Penn State on the short list in Johnnie Jones, who has the Nittany Lions in his final-six programs. He’s the No. 142-ranked player nationally, No. 17 in Florida and No. 11 offensive tackle. Jones has also taken a liking to Ole Miss, Florida State, UCLA, Colorado and Vanderbilt.

Messiah Hampton, a 4-star wideout has Penn State in his top-seven schools. It’s a heated field of Oregon, Syracuse, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia and Miami for the top player in New York.

The race started between the Nittany Lions and Syracuse, but Oregon has emerged and seems to be the favorite to land Hampton. He has already taken an official visit this summer.

MORE FOOTBALL COVERAGE

Richard Park, a pro scout for the Wild, said, “I’m very proud of Aidan, what he’s accomplished and who he’s become, regardless of what happens from this point on.”

Aidan Park said he’s proud of his uncle for what he’s accomplished as a player, scout and a coach. He was an assistant coach for South Korea’s men’s team at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics under retired defenseman Jim Paek, who became the first South Korea-born player in the NHL when he debuted with the Penguins against the New York Islanders on Oct. 13, 1990.

“It’s pretty cool that someone in my own family was the second Korean-born player in the NHL,” Aidan Park said. “I’m definitely very proud of my heritage and the chance to represent it and, hopefully, be an inspiration.”

Though Richard Park inspired Aidan to play hockey, he wasn’t his nephew’s favorite player growing up. That was Sidney Crosby, so much so that Aidan Park begged his parents to send him to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, where the future Penguins captain had 162 points (72 goals, 90 assists) in 57 games for the school’s Under-18 team in 2002-03. Park had 175 points (68 goals, 107 assists) in 109 games for the school’s Under-18 club from 2022-24.

“I told my mom when I was, like, 10 years old, ‘I’m going to Shattuck because Crosby went to Shattuck,’ and she, like, laughed at me,” Park said. “And then four years later, I was actually going to Shattuck.

“It’s a long way from Playa Vista, I was an only child, and they let me go at 14 years old, so it was definitely tough for them. I’m really grateful that they were super supportive, and they let me go there and chase my dream.”

In addition to his heritage, Aidan Park said he’s proud to be among the growing number of players born in California who are on track toward playing in the NHL or have already made it, including center Auston Matthews (No. 1, Toronto Maple Leafs, 2016), forward Jason Robertson (second round, No. 39, Dallas Stars, 2017) and goalie Dustin Wolf (seventh round, No. 214, Calgary Flames, 2019), who is a finalist for the Calder Trophy, voted as the League’s top rookie in 2024-25.

According to NHL Stats, Ninety-five California natives have been selected in the NHL Draft since 1972, including four last year: Wild defenseman Zeev Buium (No. 12), forward Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights, No. 19), defenseman Will Skahan (Utah Hockey Club, second round, No. 65) and defenseman Tanner Henricks (Columbus Blue Jackets, fourth round, No. 101).

“Just seeing them make it is, like, gives you hope and kind of inspires you a little,” said Park, who played Under-13 and Under-14 AAA hockey for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in 2019-20. “Hopefully me being born and raised here, I could be an inspiration to someone someday.”

All Cooper Flagg needed was one year of playing college basketball with the Duke Blue Devils to show he’s worthy of becoming the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Now, Flagg is in line to join the Dallas Mavericks after they lucked into winning the NBA Draft Lottery.

Last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, signed a preset contract for four years and $57 million. He earned $12.5 million in his first season. Flagg will eventually sign a similar contract (estimated at $62.7 million) with the Mavericks, yet he won’t make anything close to the same amount of money as he earned in NIL money while at Duke.

According to ESPN’s Howard Bryant, Flagg raked in roughly $28 million in NIL earnings. The money came from a $13 million contract with shoe company New Balance and another $15 million thanks to a contract with Fanatics.

There’s nothing preventing Flagg from signing similar contracts and earning even more money once he officially arrives in the NBA. At least at that point he’ll be doubling down, thanks to having a salary with the Mavericks too. Plus, he’s still under contract with New Balance and Fanatics, giving him even more earning potential.

In other words, Flagg was never hurting for money in college and that’s surely going to continue once his NBA career tips off too.

Related: Chicago Bulls were ready to offer ‘everyone’ for this player

By: Justin Lafleur

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Dartmouth women’s rowing team wrapped up a strong weekend, and season, by finishing in 16th place at the NCAA Championship on Sunday at Mercer Lake. The Big Green varsity eight and second varsity eight each finished fourth in their C finals on Sunday, good for 16th nationally, with the varsity four winning its D final to come in 19th in the country.
 
“It was everybody’s first NCAAs, including mine,” said John Graves, The Elizabeth C. McNabb Head Coach of Women’s Rowing. “After a really big emotional high at Ivies, it’s definitely a challenge to come and reset and get back to work, but we did a good job doing that.”
 
As a team, the Big Green accumulated 39 points, which tied Penn, but Dartmouth owned the tiebreaker to capture 16th.
 
On Sunday, the varsity four began by winning its D final, posting a time of 7:22.173, which was better than Northeastern (7:27.367), Rhode Island (7:54.079) and Fairfield (7:57.115).
 
The second varsity eight followed by placing fourth in its C final with a time of 6:38.672, only trailing Rutgers (6:34.238), UCF (6:36.666) and Penn (6:37.494) while ahead of Northeastern (6:39.158) and Indiana (6:40.556).
 
The varsity eight had the same finish, coming in fourth in its third-level final. A tight final saw all six crews finish within seven seconds of each other. Dartmouth’s time was 6:24.173, with Syracuse coming in first (6:20.367). The Big Green were ahead of Oregon State (6:26.071) and Penn (6:27.151).
 
“This weekend was an incredible end to my Dartmouth career,” said Jenna Martin. “I could not be more proud of the team of how we carried ourselves throughout this whole season. To end at the NCAA regatta is such a privilege and an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.”
 
The Big Green will head into the offseason looking to build on their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2011 and carry that momentum into next season.
 
“The seed of belief in the team, and the confidence that they’ve built this year, is going to bear fruit in the future,” said Graves. “We’re still in the early stages of building the culture of the team, building the speed here and I think this experience is going to inform what we do next.
 
“Nobody at the beginning of the year expected us to be here,” Graves continued. “And I’m proud of [the student-athletes’] trust in the process and trust in how we’re doing things. My hope for them is they’re using this as a fact-finding mission, filing things away, having a really clear image of where we want to go next year. I think they see the level that’s needed to come back next year and compete for top 12 and push the team forward.”
 
Complete Results
 
Varsity Four
D Final
1. Dartmouth – 7:22.173
2. Northeastern – 7:27.367
3. Rhode Island – 7:54.079
4. Fairfield – 7:57.115
 
Second Varsity Eight
C Final
1. Rutgers – 6:34.238
2. UCF – 6:36.666
3. Penn – 6:37.494
4. Dartmouth – 6:38.672
5. Northeastern – 6:39.158
6. Indiana – 6:40.556
 
Varsity Eight
C Final
1. Syracuse – 6:20.367
2. Harvard – 6:22.937
3. UCF – 6:23.115
4. Dartmouth – 6:24.173
5. Oregon State – 6:26.071
6. Penn – 6:27.151