Penn State Headlines: The Frenzied World of Recruiting

The Penn State football coaching staff begins vacation soon, and they’re going to need it. June might be one of the more grueling happy-face months of the calendar. Time for a beach and a spritz and a break.

In this week’s Penn State headlines, we’ll cover a month of recruiting, an interesting update regarding Beaver Stadium and another Olympic bid for Penn State’s most famous shot-putter. Miss anything in Penn State sports? We’ve got you linked with the top Penn State headlines.

Penn State recruiting update: Over the past week, Penn State received commitments from five players and had two others decommit. Three players committed this past weekend alone, and one decommitted for Rutgers, elevating this new recruiting rivalry between the two schools.

DJ McClary, a 4-star linebacker who committed to Penn State after the 2023 White Out, announced his flip to Rutgers on Sunday. McClary became the 28th commit in Rutgers’ outsized recruiting class. Two had been Penn State commits. Earlier this month, offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews, who was Penn State’s first commit of 2025, flipped to Rutgers as well.

The Nittany Lions also lost a running back to Auburn but quickly filled that spot a day later with Imhotep Charter back Jabree Wallace-Coleman.

Expect more Beaver Stadium news soon: The $700 million Beaver Stadium renovation is getting granular, as it enters the public-approval project phase. Last week the College Township Planning Commission heard a brief presentation regarding the renovation, from which one new detail emerged. The renovation will include perimeter fencing around Beaver Stadium to “create a secure perimeter” farther from the entrance gates. Penn State expects to file a land development plan for the project in July.

Joe Kovacs returns to the Olympics: If not for Ryan Crouser, Penn State graduate Joe Kovacs might be the best shot-putter in history. Kovacs became a three-time Olympian by placing second to (who else?) Crouser at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Kovacs and Crouser have one of track & field’s great rivalries. Crouser has topped Kovacs at the past two Olympics, while Kovacs has edged Crouser for two world titles. Crouser is the world-record holder, while Kovacs has the longest throw this season. The two will take that rivalry to Paris for another electrifying tour.

On the road again: Former Penn State quarterback Micah Bowens II, who spent one season with the Nittany Lions in 2020, has transferred to his fourth school. After Penn State, Oklahoma and Charlotte, Bowens will play this season for Bethune-Cookman.

Behind the scenes with Chuck Losey: Few members of Penn State’s football staff spend more time with the players than strength coach Chuck Losey. So his insights are worth hearing (and reading). Losey offered his views of the program in this Q&A.

Penn State and revenue sharing: Ryan Snyder of Blue-White Illustrated published an informative piece on how the Nittany Lions will approach revenue sharing. Snyder spoke with Andy Frank, the program’s general manager of personnel and recruitment, about the wiring involved. One point: Frank said collectives won’t disband once athletic departments begin sharing revenue.

What’s this Playfly deal about? Penn State has decommitted too. The athletic department broke up with Learfield, its long-time multimedia partner, in favor of a new deal with Playfly. What does that mean? A good breakdown here.

Speaking of Learfield…: According to Sportico, Penn State and Learfield settled their multimedia rights disagreement. Penn State sued Learfield last year as it sought the new deal with Playfly.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.