Penn State is down a commitment in the Class of 2025. Elba, Ala., Elba High running back Alvin Henderson has backed out of his pledge to the Nittany Lions by flipping to Auburn.
“Auburn is home,” Henderson told Auburn Live. “I really appreciate Penn State and I love it up there and their coaches, but Auburn is home. It always has been.”
The news comes just days after he told Blue-White Illustrated following an official visit to campus that the coaching staff knew he was “locked in” with his decision to join the program in December. He originally picked the Lions on April 11.
“Coach [James] Franklin and Seider know that I am locked in and I dont really feel like they are even worried about anything,” Henderson said. “It was a great visit from the time I got there up until I left. I really loved everything about the visit and was mainly just happy that I could get around my brothers and everyone else that’s committed, as well as a few dudes who could potentially come and play at Penn State. Me and a few others tried to do some convincing with a few other recruits.”
Something clearly changed once Henderson returned home, however. On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons and On3 Vice President, National College Football Recruiting and Transfer Portal Steve Wiltfong both logged On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine picks for the Tigers to flip Henderson on Thursday afternoon. He announced the news Friday.
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior-to-be is the nation’s No. 147 player overall. He is also the No. 8 running back and No. 13 player in Alabama.
What does Henderson’s commitment mean for the Penn State Class of 2025?
Henderson’s decision ends a good multi-day run for the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail. Penn State picked up New Jersey four-star cornerback Jahmir Joseph on Monday. Then, on Wednesday, four-star Florida safety Antonio Branch picked the program. Henderson’s decision to leave the class leaves head coach James Franklin’s team with 15 verbal commitments. Two of them are running backs. Aliquippa three-star Tiqwai Hayes has been committed to Penn State since Sept. 2023. And, Arkansas three-star Kiandrea Barker has been a commit since April 16. He recently shared on social media that he is 100 percent locked into his commitment to Penn State despite interest from Arkansas, among other schools.
“I want to thank all the coaches who have recruited me along this process,” he wrote on a social media post. “And all the Penn State coaches [and] staff that’s been showing love since day [one]. With that being said, I want to officially announce that all recruitment is shut down for me and I’m all-in, 110%.”
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The post Penn State running back commit Alvin Henderson flips to SEC foe appeared first on On3.