Former Penn State Class of 2026 commit is heading to ACC program

Another Nittany Lion is taking his talents elsewhere.

Class of 2026 cornerback Julian Peterson announced his commitment to North Carolina after decommitting from Penn State just a month earlier. Peterson had been committed to Penn State on Jan. 25, 2025.

Peterson is rated as a three-star recruit and is rated as the No. 600 player in the country and No. 46 cornerback in the country according to the updated recruit rankings from 247Sports. The recruiting service also ranks Peterson as the No. 9 player in New Jersey.

Peterson backed off his Penn State commitment shortly after the school had parted ways with James Franklin as head coach. North Carolina was among the schools ready to pounce on the opportunity to pull off a successful flip on the recruiting trail. After decommitting on Oct. 22, Peterson took three visits to three places where he received offers immediately.

Peterson received offers from Wisconsin, Clemson, and North Carolina before visiting each of those three schools.

Peterson is one of just a few former Penn State commits to announce his commitment elsewhere. Earlier this week, running back Messiah Mickens followed Franklin to Virginia Tech with his updated commitment. Penn State's Class of 2026 currently ranks 83rd in the nation according to the 247Sports composite ranking. Penn State had been as high as No. 6 in this current recruiting cycle.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Former Penn State commit Julian Peterson commits to North Carolina