Maryland Receiver Lifts Penn State's 2026 Recruiting Class to No. 1

Lavar Keys, a 3-star prospect from DeMatha Catholic, joins the Nittany Lions' top-ranked group.

Penn State football coach James Franklin celebrates with students following a Nittany Lions victory at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State on Friday boasted the nation's top-ranked recruiting class for the 2026 cycle after receiving a commitment from 3-star receiver Lavar Keys of Maryland. The Nittany Lions have six players committed to their 2026 recruiting class, which moved ahead of Auburn to No. 1 in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite. Enjoy it while it lasts, since team rankings can change hourly.

Keys plays at DeMatha Catholic, a school that Penn State has recruited successfully over the years. Current Nittany Lions Coziah Izzard and K.J. Winston played at DeMatha. In addition, Keys told 247Sports that he's named after Penn State linebacker legend LaVar Arrington, who's son LaVar Arrington II committed to the Nittany Lions' 2025 class in July.

Keys (5-11, 170 pounds) is a 3-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 9 player in Maryland for the 2026 recruiting cycle. He committed to Penn State on a whirlwind schedule, visiting for the program's Lasch Bash recruiting event in late July and announcing his decision less than a week later. Keys also had offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Memphis, among others.

Committed!!! Let’s goo #WEARE 🦁@coachjfranklin pic.twitter.com/FUDRhb6qFv

— Lavar Keys ✞ (@lavarkeys5) August 2, 2024

Keys is the sixth player in Penn State's 2026 recruiting class, which is off to a terrific start. The Nittany Lions have commitments from four players ranked in the ESPN300: offensive lineman Kevin Brown (No. 68), running back Messiah Mickens (No. 120), quarterback Troy Huhn (No. 169) and edge rusher/outside linebacker Daniel Jennings (No. 264).

Also Friday, Penn State received its first commitment of the 2027 recruiting class from western Pennsylvania running back Kemon Spell.

Penn State opens the 2024 football season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

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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.