Penn State Football Lands Commitments From In-State Defensive End, Tennessee Offensive Tackle

Penn State football added two more pieces to its 2026 recruiting class as four-star defensive end Jackson Samuels Ford and three-star offensive tackle Jack Fuchs both announced their commitments to the Nittany Lions on Friday afternoon.

Ford, a product of Malvern Prep in Chester County, is rated as the nation’s No. 31 edge rusher and No. 8 overall prospect in Pennsylvania for the current recruiting cycle in the 247Sports Composite Ranking. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defender chose Penn State over Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Wisconsin and Stanford, among others.

He is the second edge rusher in the Nittany Lions’ 2026 class, joining four-star North Carolina recruit Elijah Littlejohn, who committed earlier this month.

Fuchs is a 6-foot-8, 290-pound prospect out of Beech High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, who is ranked as the No. 58 offensive tackle in the nation and No. 18 overall recruit in the Volunteer State for 2026 in the 247 composite. He is the son of Tennessee Titans assistant offensive line coach Scott Fuchs, who worked alongside Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki at Kansas from 2021 to 2023.

After picking Penn State over offers from Indiana, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Kentucky, Fuchs becomes the third offensive tackle commitment in the Nittany Lions’ 2026 class, joining four-star Harrisburg prospect Kevin Brown and three-star New Jersey recruit Roseby Lubintus.

The new commitments come a day after Penn State lost one player who had previously pledged to the Nittany Lions. Peyton Falzone, a four-star quarterback from Nazareth, switched his commitment to Auburn on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions still have a commitment from four-star California QB Troy Huhn for the 2026 signing class.

Penn State’s current recruiting class is now 22 players deep and ranked No. 8 in the nation by 247.