Harrisburg WR Elias Coke recaps Penn State visit, discusses family ties to school
By Ryan Snyder
Penn State hosted Harrisburg wide receiver Elias Coke for its game against UMass back on October 14. A Class of 2026 prospect, Coke earned an offer from the Nittany Lions this past summer following an impressive showing at the staff’s annual 7-on-7 tournament in June.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Coke has also been steadily visiting Penn State since the spring, totaling four trips. Since he and his teammates played at State College last Friday, Oct. 13, Coke and his family decided to stay overnight so they could learn more about the university ahead of the game. A heavy rain that morning limited what all they could see that morning, but Coke said they did have productive conversations with the coaching staff before the game.
“We didn’t do a whole lot before the game because it was raining all day, but we did go to the recruiting lounge early to talk to Coach [Marques] Hagans and Coach [Ty] Howle,” Coke said. “They were just happy I was down there. We were talking about my season and how that’s been going.
“I then went with Coach Hagans and had a meeting with him and Coach [James] Franklin. It was a great experience getting to talk to him. He was explaining how hard they plan to recruit me moving forward and why I’m an important player for them. He said they plan to really recruit me hard.”
While the Central Pennsylvania native didn’t grow up following the Nittany Lions, he said he did start following the program more around 2015 and 2016 when his cousin, former Penn State kicker Joey Julius, joined the team.
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“Joey is my older cousin. He’s my mom’s sister’s son,” Coke said. “When Joey was up there I went to one of their games when I was younger and that gave me a little bit of feel for Penn State.
“So, I watched them mainly because of Joey growing up, but also when they got Saquon Barkley there, that team was a lot of fun to watch. I’d say that’s when I started following them more.”
Coke also has a close friend already committed to the Nittany Lions in Trinity running back Messiah Mickens. Both Coke and Mickens grew up in Susquehanna Twp. and played youth football together.
“We’ve been playing since we were young bucks. That goes all the way back to smurfs,” Coke said. “But our relationship is very close. We check up on each other every now and then. We both have the same goals, the same focus. He’s a great player and a friend.”
Coke has earned just under 20 scholarship offers so far. His list includes Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, UCF, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
In addition to Penn State, he’s visited six other schools so far and would like to return to three schools he visited earlier this year when he gets the opportunity.
“I’m trying to get down to Florida State and UCF, but I have to figure out my [playoff] game schedule before I can set that up,” Coke said. “I’d say Rutgers is definitely in the mix for a visit, too. I’ve enjoyed getting to know their coaches. I like their head coach and their wide receivers coach. When I went down there before, the vibe was very good. It felt like family there.”
Through eight games, Coke has totaled 636 yards receiving on 26 receptions. He has nine touchdowns. Last season, Harrisburg made it to the PIAA 6A state championship before losing to powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep. The Cougars, who also have 2026 offensive lineman Kevin Brown on their team, are currently 8-1.
Coke holds an early 90 rating from On3, making him a four-star prospect. He’s one of four Central Pennsylvania prospects in the Class of 2026 who hold early four-star ratings, joining Mickens, Brown and Cumberland Valley offensive lineman Tyler Merrill.
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