College football players used to get ahead of their careers by enrolling early to be on campus for spring practice. The newest high-achievers are getting ahead of them, reclassifying their graduation dates to enroll a year earlier than planned. At Penn State, two defensive linemen have made that decision in the past two years.
Daniel Jennings, a 4-star prospect originally committed to Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class, will reclassify to the Nittany Lions’ 2025 class, meaning he’ll enroll at Penn State this summer. Jennings told On3’s Steve Wiltfong that he will graduate early from West Virginia’s Princeton High and join the Nittany Lions’ roster in time for trianing camp.
“I have enrolled in homeschool and will be graduating this year and signing with Penn State’s ’25 class in a few weeks,” Jennings told Wiltfong in an interview.
Jennings committed to Penn State in August 2024, just as the Nittany Lions were beginning training camp ahead of their record 13-win season that took them to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Jennings is the top-ranked player in West Virginia, according to the 247Sports Composite, and was a member of the ESPN300 for the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Jennings chose Penn State from an offer sheet that included Illinois and West Virginia. Jennings (listed at 6-2, 220 pounds) told Wiltfong in the interview that he gained 20 pounds during the offseason.
Jennings played at Graham High in Virginia before returning to West Virginia to play for Princeton High last season. According to West Virginia MetroNews, Jennings was named first-team Class 3A all-state after rushing for 1,373 yards and 23 touchdowns and making 10 sacks for Princeton.
Jennings would become the second player to graduate ahead of schedule and enroll early at Penn State in the past two years. Last season, defensive end Max Granville graduated early from Fort Bend Christian Academy in Texas to join the Nittany Lions during training camp.
Granville played seven games, including three postseason games, for Penn State and took over a key defensive role when Abdul Carter was injured against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Granville returns as a potential starter on the defensive line this season. Franklin discussed the process of getting Granville onto campus early last year.
“I think he was taking summer classes to be able to ensure the fact that he would be able to come at mid-semester,” Franklin said. “And once he got the classes done and realized he could qualify now and graduate now, that they brought the option up to us, I think that also triggered to us that they are very serious about Penn State because they are having these types of conversations with us.
“But it was pretty late in the process, so then it was a ton of work that had to happen for him in terms of the application process and all that; for us, in terms of getting all that documentation and then
also getting him here.”
With Jennings’ decision, Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class is at 16 commits and dropped slightly in the rankings, from No. 4 to No. 5, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Penn State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 vs. Nevada at Beaver Stadium.
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