8/19/2023 football Edit

Penn State makes early splash in 2026 cycle; lands RB Messiah Mickens

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

Penn State has picked up an early major commitment from an elite in-state prospect 2026 running back Messiah Mickens announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Saturday evening.

While currently unrated here at Rivals, like all 2026 prospects, the Trinity High School standout will likely be one of the top-ranked running backs in the country once the initial 2026 rankings are released.

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"It's like home down there," Mickens told Happy Valley Insider back in May after making an unofficial visit to Happy Valley. "They always treat me with care, making sure that my family is right, things like that," he added. When it came to what it would take for Penn State to land his commitment, Mickens said, "Just treat me like it's home down there."Just keep on recruiting me and things like that. Make sure my family feels welcome down there as well." It sounds like the Nittany Lions continued to do that over the last few months, landing his commitment on Saturday.

Notably, at the time of that previous interview, Mickens was expecting not to make a commitment till his junior year of high school. That process has certainly been sped up, as there are still 27 months until Mickens can officially sign with Penn State.

While Mickens is the first commitment of Penn State's 2026 recruiting class, he is not the only non-2024 prospect committed to the Nittany Lions. Penn State currently holds three 2025 commitments in OL Jaelyne Matthews, RB Kiandrea Barker, and DB Omari Gaines.

Mickens has a chance to be a special running back for the Nittany Lions, as he has a special mixture of power and speed. He's already well built at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds. He shows elite speed and elusiveness as well, making him nearly unstoppable.

Notably, Mickens's head coach at Trinity in Camp Hill is former Penn State defensive lineman Jordan Hill. Former Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti is also on Hill's coaching staff.