Penn State started Wednesday’s early national signing day with just four commitments in its 2026 class, a group that used to hold 25 dropping like flies. Many of them followed fired coach James Franklin to his new job at Virginia Tech.

One noteworthy four-star held the line. Edge rusher Jackson Ford, from Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania, held his longtime commitment and signed with Penn State. It appeared as though he’d be the only signing Penn State made this cycle.

But a big-time surprise addition came later in the afternoon.

Four-star Nazareth (Pa.) quarterback Peyton Falzone signed with Penn State after few rumblings about that being a possibility. He ranks as the No. 306 player nationally and the No. 20 quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Nazareth High QB Peyton Falzone, who signed with Penn State today, said he hopes Terry Smith gets the permanent job.

Smith and assistant QBs coach Trace McSorley were instrumental to his return to Penn State. pic.twitter.com/VxOOt8Qo6O

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) December 3, 2025

While Penn State has experienced a winding recruiting road thanks to an extended search for Franklin’s replacement, Falzone endured quite the ride of his own.

He committed to Virginia Tech and then-coach Brent Pry on June 29, 2024, in an attempt to get ahead of a wave of quarterback commitments across the country. He decommitted Nov. 27, 2024, and Penn State made a quick push.

The Nittany Lions initially offered him without a guaranteed position under Franklin, but the staff changed their minds in the spring and welcomed him as a quarterback. Falzone — a lifelong Penn State fan — committed April 12.

“I went to bed and woke up the next morning like, ‘Wow, now I’m a committed guy.’ My life changed again,” Falzone told PennLive in the spring. “And that’s what I found in this recruitment process. Your life changes a lot — if it’s different offers and interests, commits and decommits — and I’m just so grateful that they offered me as a quarterback, and they believe in me. I’m ready to maximize my potential and go there and compete.”

But his journey took another turn. He made an unexpected flip to Auburn on June 26 under coach Hugh Freeze. However, Freeze was fired during the regular season this year, and Falzone backed off his pledge Monday.

Now, he’s back in his home state and joining his hometown team as uncertainty swirls around the program.

Falzone stands 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds.

Playing for his father, Tom, at Nazareth, Falzone was a four-year letterman and captain as a senior. He was a first-team all-state honoree as a junior in 2024 before suffering an injury in 2025.

Penn State’s two-member signing class ranked 135th out of 136 FBS teams after Falzone’s signing.

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