West Virginia
Penn State Adds 4-Star Defensive Player to Highly Ranked 2026 Recruiting Class
Despite opening training camp Wednesday, Penn State football made some time for recruiting. The Nittany Lions received commitments from two players, including an edge rusher in its highly ranked 2026 recruiting class.
Daniel Jennings, a 4-star prospect from West Virginia, became the fifth player to commit to Penn State for the 2026 recruiting cycle. Jennings is the state’s top-ranked player, according to the 247Sports Composite, and a member of the ESPN300. Jennings chose Penn State over the home-state Mountaineers and from an offer sheet that includes Illinois and UNLV. He has been busy on the camp circuit, making trips to Penn State, Notre Dame and UNLV before committing to the Nittany Lions.
Jennings (6-2, 220 pounds) will play for Princeton High in West Virginia this season after competing for Graham High in Virginia in 2023. Jennings was a second-team all-state defensive lineman in the VHSL Class 2A last season.
Jennings’ commitment continued a superb start for Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class. The Nittany Lions have five players committed, four of whom are early 4-star prospects according to the 247Sports Composite. In addition, all four listed in the ESPN300: offensive lineman Kevin Brown (No. 68), running back Messiah Mickens (No. 120), quarterback Troy Huhn (No. 169) and Jennings (No. 264).
And though it’s early, Penn State’s 2026 class ranks second nationally to Auburn, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Earlier Wednesday, Penn State received a commitment from 3-star Maryland player Yvan Kemajou. The two-way lineman, who likely will begin his Penn State career at defensive end, chose Penn State over Virginia Tech and Duke, among others.
Penn State begins the 2024 season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.
More Penn State Football
Nittany Lions land two commitments for the 2026 recruiting class
Defensive end Max Granville, a 2025 commit, reclassifies to join Penn State for the 2024 season
Penn State to face “Stripe the Stadium,” and ” hornet’s nest” in first visit to West Virginia since 1992
Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.
A 6-year-old boy died in a motocross crash in West Virginia over the weekend, officials say.
The boy died during practice runs at Mason Motocross in Mason County on Sunday morning, CBS affiliate WOWK reported. The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. at the track in Point Pleasant.
Officials reportedly said a medical helicopter was called to the scene of the crash, but the child was not stable enough to be flown to the hospital, so instead he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The boy later died from his injuries at the hospital. He has not been identified as of Monday night.
The Mason Motocross races on Sunday were canceled after the crash, WOWK reported. They were scheduled to start at noon. According to a Facebook post from Mason Motocross, practice runs began around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
In a separate Facebook post on Monday, Mason Motocross asked for prayers for the boy’s family.
“Let’s lift them up in prayer during this unimaginable time,” the social media post said. “Our community. Our support. Our prayers.”
No other information about the crash was released on Monday.
West Virginia
Over 26,000 West Virginia students have applied for full Hope Scholarship funding – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than 26,000 West Virginia students submitted applications for full Hope Scholarship funding for the next school year.
State Treasurer Larry Pack and his office announced the latest application numbers in a release Monday. Pack’s office said 26,617 students applied during the first application period from March 2 to June 15. The estimated cost for Hope Scholarship funding, as it currently stands, is $155 million.
The first window for students to apply for 100-percent funding closed last Monday. The state treasurer’s office said the cost for this year will rise as students submit applications. Students can apply for 75 percent of the full funding amount until September 15.
The release said around $277 million was allocated by the West Virginia Legislature and Gov. Patrick Morrisey for Hope Scholarship funding during the 2026 Legislative Session.
“We are so excited to welcome thousands of new families into the Hope Scholarship Program. Seeing the Education Savings Account nearly double in participation is a true indicator of the impact and popularity of the program,” Pack said. “Now our team turns their attention to helping these students get the resources they need to tailor their education towards their unique needs. Our goal is for West Virginia will continue to lead the nation in education innovation as we continue to build the program.”
The state treasurer’s office said the 2026-27 full scholarship amount is $5,435.62 per student, with those funds distributed quarterly.
More students are eligible for Hope Scholarship funding this year with more flexibility offered for school choice. The state treasurer’s office said that private school and traditional homeschool students can apply to the Education Savings Account program for 2026-27 academic funding.
The state treasurer’s office broke down each applicant’s eligibility for funding based on when applications are submitted.
June 16 — September 15, 2026: 75% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
September 16 — November 30, 2026: 50% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
December 1, 2026 — February 28, 2027: 25% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
Students can apply online here.
WV Sports Football Recruiting
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Cape Coral (Fla.) 2030 athlete Noel Devine Jr. already held an offer from West Virginia but participated in the final one-day camp of the summer.
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