The Penn State Nittany Lions lost security from one of their recruits from the 2026 class after the program moved on from head coach James Franklin. That player turned out to be pass rusher Elijah Littlejohn.
Littlejohn announced that he has reopened the doors for teams to recruit him to their program via social media on Thursday. One team has already reached out to him, namely SEC program Vanderbilt.
“I would like to thank Coach Franklin and the entire Penn State coaching staff for the opportunity to be a part of the Penn State family. I am grateful for the relationships that were formed between my family and Penn State and for the time, energy, and love that were invested in me. At this time, I will remain committed to Penn State. However, due to recent changes and uncertainty, I have decided to re-open my recruitment,” Littlejohn said.
Littlejohn stands out as a four-star prospect with a 90 rating on 247Sports. He is the 14th-best player from the state of North Carolina, the 24th-best player at his position, and the 243rd-best in the 2026 class. His composite score of 0.8954 puts him at 17th, 35th, and 386th in those respective categories.
What lies ahead for Penn State after decommitment
The Penn State Nittany Lions might take a hit in the pass rushing department with Elijah Littlejohn hearing from other programs. They will hope for him to stick around, but with the recent changes after firing James Franklin, they will have to adjust if he chooses to decommit.
Penn State has a 3-3 overall record, but lost its first three conference matchups against Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. They are fourth-to-last in the league standings, only being above Rutgers, Purdue and Wisconsin.
They will be without their starting quarterback in Drew Allar. He broke his left ankle in the team's loss to Northwestern last Saturday, which will hamper the team's chances at national contention on offense.
The Nittany Lions will move forward into the new era as they continue preparation for their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. ET.
