Who are the top-ranked prospects expected to visit Penn State this upcoming weekend?
With over 100 prospects planning to attend Penn State’s game against West Virginia this weekend, James Franklin and his staff are expected to host no shortage of four-star talent. With the Nittany Lions ranked No. 7 overall in preseason polls, PSU is aiming to parlay a potential College Football Playoff birth into even better recruiting results.
This year’s home schedule provides them multiple opportunities to showcase what Happy Valley is all about. That’s especially true in September, as Iowa comes to town for the White Out game just three weeks from Saturday.
Below are a few of the top-ranked 2025 prospects who are expected to be in attendance Saturday.
No. 56) CB Trey McNutt
Cornerback Trey McNutt is an Ohio State legacy prospect, meaning he’ll probably be a tough one for Penn State to land. His father, Richard McNutt, is Tennessee State’s cornerbacks coach. He’s also the nephew of former Buckeyes safety Mike Doss.
With that said, it is a positive sign that the Shaker Heights prospect is returning to State College. His first visit was back in June to participate in Penn State’s 7-on-7 tournament with his teammates. That’s not what I would consider a true unofficial visit, but he did spend time with the staff and was able to check out some facilities. That’s what grabs my attention here. He got a taste of Penn State 10 weeks ago and is now coming back to learn more.
So far, only Notre Dame and Ohio State can say they’ve hosted McNutt more than once, so early signs suggest the Irish will be in the mix, too. If I had to forecast this one, I wouldn’t be surprised if Penn State is able to crack his top five or so, but the early lean has to be Ohio State.
No. 61) DL Trent Wilson
Defensive lineman Trent Wilson‘s decision to transfer to St. Frances back in January was a popular topic inside The Lions Den. Despite producing more Division I talent than any other school in the region these days, St. Frances has never had one of its players go on to sign with the Nittany Lions.
It’s hard to predict this early out that Wilson will be the one who changes that, but there are some positive signs here that the Lions have a real shot. The fact that he’ll be visiting Penn State for the fourth time since June 2022 is encouraging. That’s more than any other school so far.
I also expect the Buckeyes to be a serious player with Wilson. Larry Johnson Sr. still has a strong pull in DMV, and two visits in two months suggest he’s serious. Other notable visits so far include Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
Penn State should make his next cut of schools, but it’s hard to predict anything beyond that for now.
No. 107) Saf. Kainoa Winston
Up until July, Kainoa Winston had yet to take a single visit to any school. That all changed when he attended Penn State’s Lasch Bash. Now, just five weeks later, the Gonzaga prospect is expected back in Happy Valley to get his taste of what a big game in Beaver Stadium is all about.
When you add in Winston’s family ties – he’s the younger cousin of Kevin Winston Jr. – fans should feel good about the early returns on this one. However, with 20 offers total so far, including schools like Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Tennessee, he does need to take some other visits before we can predict much. Great start though.
No. 110) LB DJ McClary
As Sean and I have both discussed previously, there was talk early in the year that linebacker DJ McClary could be an early commitment for the Nittany Lions. Following a junior day visit in January and a spring practice trip in March, Sean actually logged a pick for McClary, as multiple sources indicated that he was seriously considering a move.
That early move never came to fruition, but with his fourth trip to State College now on deck, it still feels safe to assume that the Lions are the early favorite here.
No. 182) Ath. Jeff Exinor
Penn State took a year off from its run of McDongoh prospects, but that won’t be the case in 2025, as athlete Jeff Exinor remains an important target for the staff. Listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, where exactly he’ll play long-term is still a question mark. I’d lean towards tight end at this point, as Exinor seems to like the idea of playing offense more than defense.
But when you add in the fact that recruiting coordinator Kenny Sanders has a relationship with members of Exinor’s family, this is another recruitment that should be Penn State’s to lose. I get the impression that Tennessee could be the dark horse here, but for now, I like the staff’s chances.
Others to Know
Defensive backs Jahmir Joseph and JaDon Blair also rank in the top 200 of On3’s Industry Rankings. Joseph attended the Blue-White Game in April but that’s it so far. We’ll get a better feel for his interest in Penn State after this visit. Blair seems to be someone Anthony Poindexter is intrigued with at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds. While he may rank No. 190th overall in the Industry Ranking, On3 has Blair as high as No. 26 nationally.
Since he hasn’t 100 percent confirmed his plans yet, I didn’t include Imhotep defensive end Zahir Mathis above, but we are keeping an eye on him tomorrow. Mathis ranks right up there with Wilson at No. 62 nationally in the Industry Ranking. He’s easily one of Penn State most important recruits in the class.
The 2026 class will take a while to sort out, but I’ll note that Harrisburg natives Kevin Brown and Tyler Merrill are both expected to attend. They were each named to On3’s Top 100 watch list earlier this month. Ohio QB Nathan Bernhard and New Jersey DE Luke Wafle also rank among the Top 100 prospects at 247Sports currently. Again, it’s early, but I think a few of these 2026 guys will be key targets for the staff down the road.
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