James Franklin and Penn State suffer hard blow as 6’4" 2026 class recruit ditches Nittany Lions to pick SMU Mustangs

Penn State Nittany Lions coach James Franklin has lost Drew Evers' commitment for the 2026 season. On Thursday, On3's Hayes Fawcett reported that the offensive lineman has agreed to play for the SMU Mustangs via X.

The 6-foot-4 recruit discussed his decision to play for the Mustangs next year.

"214. ... I'm staying home. Let's work #PonyUp," Evers told Fawcett.

247Sports reports that SMU made an offer to Evers on April 10, 2023. The offensive lineman received offers from other teams for two years, including Penn State on June 26, the same year. Evers visited SMU on May 2 to cement his decision to play for them.

Evers is set to play his senior year for the Flower Mound High School Jaguars (Flower Mound, Texas). Last season, the team finished with a 5-5 record, and Evers will try to help his team to a better campaign before his freshman year at SMU.

So far, the Mustangs have 19 prospects committed for the 2026 season. Evers is the second offensive lineman that they recruited to improve the team after Pupungatoa Katoa committed on May 11. 247Sports ranks Katoa as a three-star prospect, and he will play his senior year for the Trinity High School Trojans (Euless, Texas).

Another notable prospect SMU recruited on May 4 is wide receiver Aljour Miles. According to MaxPreps, Miles achieved 60 catches for 1,114 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Kaufman High School Lions (Kaufman, Texas) last season.

Penn State Nittany Lions' recruitment for the 2026 class

247Sports reports that the Penn State Nittany Lions have 21 players committed to join the 2026 freshman class. The most recent prospects recruited are quarterback Troy Huhn and tight end Pierce Petersohn. Both high school stars committed to play for coach James Franklin on Wednesday.

Another key prospect Franklin has secured is Davion Brown. The wide receiver agreed to play for the Nittany Lions on May 12 and will finish his senior year with the Trinity Episcopal High School Titans (Richmond, Virginia). He caught 42 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns in his junior year.

Penn State also recruited running back Messiah Mickens. He committed to the team on Aug. 19, 2023, and currently plays for the Harrisburg High School Cougars (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). Last season, he had 155 carries for 1,214 yards and 21 touchdowns.