STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Danny Hernandez likes to know what his quarterbacks are thinking after they make their campus visits. The quarterback trainer is no stranger to the complexities associated with the development and recruitment of the most important position on the roster.
When Troy Huhn, one of his pupils, called Hernandez earlier this month during his visit to Michigan, trainer and trainee were reminded of how quickly the dominoes were falling in the loaded 2026 quarterback class. A day before, Huhn’s outlook on potentially playing at Texas changed when Dia Bell, the Longhorns’ top priority at the position, committed to Steve Sarkisian. That spot was off the board. The next day while Huhn was at Michigan, another domino would fall.
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“He’s calling me during his Michigan visit like, ‘Coach, everything looks great over here. I feel pretty good. I’m clicking with everybody,’” Hernandez said. “Then, as he’s on that trip, boom. They pick up a 2026 quarterback commit on his visit. I’m like man, that’s rough.”
Four-star quarterback Brady Hart had committed to the Wolverines while Huhn was in the building. As the spots were filling up, the 16-year-old from San Marcos, Calif., thought about three other programs he liked and that also liked him: Penn State, Ohio State and Auburn. With Bell, who was atop Penn State’s list, now off the board, Huhn kept telling those around him how much he liked the Nittany Lions.
“He’s seen a lot of places. He’s been flying around the country, meeting wonderful people,” said Chris Hauser, the head coach at Mission Hills High School. “We know there’s only one Troy and not everybody can get him. Those guys get it and they know it’s a business, but at the same time coach (Danny) O’Brien and Troy really forged a pretty special relationship.”
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯#WeAre26
— Danny O'Brien (@DannyOBrienQB) June 25, 2024
Huhn, a four-star prospect who is ranked 108th nationally and the No. 10 quarterback in the cycle in the 247Sports Composite, announced his commitment to Penn State on Tuesday. It ends a year in which the 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect won the starting job at Mission Hills as a sophomore and then looked so comfortable in his role — throwing for 1,623 yards and 16 touchdowns in 10 games — that Power 4 programs were quick to take notice.
Yes, this also means Penn State was able to beat out Ohio State for a quarterback both schools wanted. It’s a detail that’s made a little more surprising when one considers the countless arrows that could’ve pointed to Huhn one day suiting up for Ryan Day.
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There’s the Buckeyes’ strong connection with California prep quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud (Rancho Cucamonga) and, more recently, Julian Sayin (Carlsbad). And Huhn’s mom, Donna, is the girl’s basketball coach at Carlsbad High School, where Sayin starred.
“(Ohio State offensive coordinator) Chip (Kelly) had talked about hey, ‘We have Julian in ’24, let’s get Troy in ’26 and Brady Edmunds in ’27,’” Hernandez said.
Edmunds, who plays at Huntington Beach High School, picked up offers from Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan, among others, this month.
“He was like, ‘Let’s keep this pipeline going.’”
Long before Huhn was enrolled in high school, coaches once gathered at Mission Hills to see an intriguing wide receiver who would later star at Ohio State. That prospect was Chris Olave. Huhn’s high school coach has met Day several times because of that connection.
Penn State hasn’t signed any high schooler — not just a quarterback — from the state of California since 2014, a drought that could end in December when Mater Dei cornerback Daryus Dixson is expected to sign with Penn State.
Kelly first recruited Huhn when he was the head coach at UCLA and continued to pursue him after moving on to Ohio State. Billy Fessler, a former Penn State quarterback who was recently named an analyst at Ohio State, also built a relationship with Huhn.
Ohio State’s NIL war chest didn’t matter in this one because Huhn wasn’t focused on it, Hernandez said. Penn State’s ability to be on the ground early and build a relationship ultimately made the difference.
“Penn State made him a priority the entire time and he just really sees himself fitting there,” Hernandez said. “As Troy picked up offers, Penn State just seemed to be the most consistent, and a big part of that is Danny. Danny was really, really good.”
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Penn State started that relationship in the winter when O’Brien made the trip West. The Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach, who doubles as a graduate assistant, was able to fill in on the road as the temporary 10th assistant coach while James Franklin reshuffled his staff.
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki visited the school in the spring and continued to build on what O’Brien started as the first point of contact.
“He’s a very confident football coach and human being,” Hauser said of Kotelnicki. “He was very honest with us about, ‘I have a big responsibility to be the new offensive coordinator at Penn State with a team that is setting sights on being one of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff.’ That’s a big deal. I think Danny O’Brien creates a balance in a sense as the younger, ‘I was in your shoes, I get it.’ He just has a genuine, first-class personality.”
Huhn has made the cross-country trek to State College two times and left after this last trip in June with a desire to talk through the decision with his family. At that point, his mom and dad had been to campus with him.
By Monday night, he was firm on his commitment to the Nittany Lions.
“He felt very comfortable talking through everything,” Hernandez said. “Chip’s probably going to be upset. … I think he didn’t know yet, but he probably knew things were getting close.”
(Photo of James Franklin: Dan Rainville / USA Today)
