"100% committed": Five-star kicker makes major career announcement in favor of James Franklin to the class of 2026

James Franklin's Penn State landed a commitment from Irish kicker Adam McCann-Gibbs on Saturday. Gibbs, who is part of the class of 2026, announced his commitment to Penn State via X.

"100% committed. I’m thrilled to announce that I have commited to @PennStateFball on a full scholarship. Huge thanks to @coachjfranklin, @CoachLustig @_Coach_Tuck @CoachLang22. This would not have been possible without @TadhgLeader, allowing me to make this dream come true. LeaderKicking changing lives. #WEARE," McCann-Gibbs tweeted.

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According to Kohl’s Professional Football Kicking Camps website, McCann-Gibbs is ranked as their No. 22 kicker and they rate him as a five-star kicker. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound talent attended a Spring Ranking Event with Kohl’s in March, where he made 11 of 15 field goals.

“McCann-Gibbs is a very talented 17-year-old player from Ireland,” said the evaluation on KohlsKicking.com. “He scored 106.3 points in punting, 114.15 points on kickoffs, and 11/15 points at a windy Spring Ranking Event in March of 2025.

"McCann-Gibbs demonstrates D1 talent and has a lot of upside as a kicker who can also punt. McCann-Gibbs is very mature for his age and should be heavily recruited in the coming months!”

McCann-Gibbs will be part of the IMG Academy for his senior year in the 2025 season. He is the first special-teams recruit for Penn State in the 2026 cycle.

James Franklin's Penn State lands three-star OL Jack Fuchs from the 2026 cycle

NCAA Football: Penn State HC James Franklin - Source: Imagn

On Friday, James Franklin's Penn State landed a commitment from three-star offensive tackle Jack Fuchs from the 2026 cycle. Fuchs will play his senior year at Beech High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, in the 2025 season. He is ranked as the No. 18 recruit in Tennessee, according to 247Sports.

Fuchs is the son of Tennessee Titans’ assistant offensive line coach Scott Fuchs. He chose Penn State over offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

Penn State finished with a 13-3 record last season. The Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, where they lost to Notre Dame.

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

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Edited by John Maxwell