Penn State Football Recruiting: Full 2026 Defensive Breakdown After Spring Practice
Spring ball is over for Penn State Football.
The Nittany Lions rounded out their 15 spring practices with the annual Blue-White game.
Not only did the spring football season allow the current Nittany Lions to improve their game, it also meant more exposure for recruits.
During spring practices, recruits are permitted to come to campus, watch practice, meet with coaches and a variety of other things. These unofficial visits are very valuable. In fact, Penn State was able to reel in commitments from three defenders during this spring season.
Last week we released a full offensive recruiting breakdown, here is the outlook at every defensive position in the class of 2026.
2026 Safety
The Commit(s): Matt Sieg, Darrell Carey, David Davis
The Prospect(s): Joey O’Brien, Jordan Deck,
The Safety board is one of, if not the most intriguing boards for the class of 2026. Penn State has secured Matt Sieg, who looks to be a star of the class. They also have a very underrated Safety in Darrell Carey on board. And thirdly, Penn State has David Davis locked in. I hesitate to even label Davis as a Safety. He will have a lot of position flexibility. He is likely a Cornerback or Safety, depending on how things go.
At Safety, there is no question who the top target is. In fact, Joey O’Brien is the top target overall for Penn State Football in the class of 2026.
The in-state, LaSalle product, will take a plethora of official visits, including Penn State. For a second, Oregon appeared to be a possible emerging team for O’Brien, but they have since cooled off.
I believe that O’Brien’s recruitment will come down to Penn State and Notre Dame. Those two teams seem to have the best position currently. I think O’Brien’s recruitment is one that the Nittany Lions can and need to win.
The second Safety prospect is Texas native, Jordan Deck. Deck has told me that he is coming to Happy Valley both of the last two weekends, but he hasn’t shown. That doesn’t bode well for Penn State.
However, Deck is still slated for an official visit later this summer. Truthfully, if Penn State lands O’Brien, the writing is probably on the wall for Jordan Deck.
2026 Cornerback
The Commit(s): Julian Peterson
The Prospect(s): Brandon Arrington, C.J. Bronaugh, Khary Adams, Dorian Barney, Danny Odem, Amauri Polydor, Jaziel Hart, Chase Geter, Peyton Dyer
Julian Peterson has been committed to Penn State since the early part of 2025. He is a New Jersey kid and fits in well to the Penn State Football Class of 2026. However, I would envision Penn State adding 2-3 more Cornerbacks depending on how things play out.
The first category among the Cornerbacks are guys that Penn State will take no matter what.
Those prospects are C.J. Bronaugh, Brandon Arrington, and Khary Adams. C.J. Bronaugh is a Florida native, currently committed to Nebraska. However, Bronaugh has an official visit lined up for late June and the Nittany Lions are very serious contenders for him. Brandon Arrington is a California product, and he is actually set to officially visit Penn State this weekend. He will be a tough one to land, but never count Terry Smith out. The final target in that the top priority group is Khary Adams. Adams is the only one from within the recruiting footprint for Penn State. Penn State has a good shot at landing Adams. Oregon and Michigan seem to be the competitors for the DMV product, but I think Penn State sits pretty good with Adams.
The other catergory is a broad one. Coach Terry Smith likes to cast a wide net in recruiting. Ideally, if Penn State can pull off Arrington, Bronaugh, and Adams, none of these other prospects are really in the mix. However, that is not very likely. So, it would make sense that at least one of these prospects could be a Nittany Lion.
Amauri Polydor is a very intriguing prospect from the DMV. He has visited Penn State and has an official set as well. Right now, Penn State leads in this one. I think they would take him as well, but Polydor wants to explore his options. Jaziel Hart is another guy who made it to campus this spring and it looks like he will choose between Penn State and Michigan. Dorian Barney, Chase Geter, Peyton Dyer, and Danny Odem all have official visits scheduled with the Nittany Lions. There are some very good players on that list. But these four seem to be the least known. There seem to be more question marks than some of the other prospects. Not saying these guys aren’t takes for Penn State, but I think right now, we are in a “wait and see” mode.
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2026 Linebacker
The Commit(s): Terry Wiggins
The Prospect(s): Mathieu Lamah, Rodney Colton, Kosi Okpala, Izayia Williams, Ellis Alloway
Just last week, Penn State Football landed Terry Wiggins’ commitment. The four-star chose to pledge himself to the Nittany Lions and thus, is Penn State’s first Linebacker in the class of 2026.
Mathieu Lamah is the first Linebacker to discuss. After talking to Lamah, he seems pretty fond of Penn State. I get the sense that Penn State definitely leads for Lamah and could see Penn State benefitting from that in the future.
Beyond Lamah, there are still many talented Linebacker prospects. Izayia Williams and Rodney Colton are both guys who have very interesting recruitments. Williams is a Ole Miss commit, but he probably won’t sign there. Williams has flipped around his commitment several times. However, Penn State appears to have some level of interest in the blue-chipper. Rodney Colton is from Georgia, and it’s tough to get a feel for where he is at. I’ve heard his recruitment is a Penn State, Ole Miss battle. But, last week Colton released a top 10 that left Penn State out. He later deleted that and added Penn State in to his top 11. So, Colton to me is a bit of a mystery at the moment.
Kosi Okpala and Ellis Alloway are two southerners that admittedly, I don’t know a ton about. I haven’t heard too much chatter about them, but they both have official visits planned. So, there is an interest there from Penn State, I am just trying to gather more information. Though, I can say right now, that Okpala and Alloway don’t seem to be at the top of the Linebacker board.
2026 Defensive End
The Commit(s): Daniel Jennings
The Prospect(s): Luke Wafle, Carter Meadows, Jackson Ford, Carter Gooden, Ashton Blatt,
The Nittany Lions already have one Edge Rusher on board for 2026. Daniel Jennings has been committed since last July and the blue chip Defensive End seems to be locked in. The other prospects for Penn State are the cream of the crop. Deion Barnes has plenty of elite options this cycle.
Luke Wafle, Carter Meadows, and Jackson Ford are probably the top three Defensive End targets for Penn State. Wafle obviously has the family connection to Penn State, which could prove big for the Nittany Lions. As of right now, it feels like Wafle will be a Nittany Lion, but you never know. Carter Meadows is another elite pass rusher from the DMV that Penn State really wants. Meadows made it over to State College for a practice and has an official visit lined up. It seems like Meadows’ recruitment will come down to Penn State and Michigan. The final, top target is in-state pass rusher, Jackson Ford. I think Penn State is in a good spot for Ford, but he does have a couple other players, like Kentucky and Rutgers. I think Deion Barnes is in a good spot to land both Ford and Wafle, while also still in the thick of it for Meadows.
The other two prospects are Carter Gooden and Ashton Blatt. Similar to things with the Linebacker room, I haven’t heard much on Gooden or Blatt. Granted, both Gooden and Blatt are tabbed to make an official visit, they are not in the same category as Meadows, Wafle, and Ford.
2026 Defensive Tackle
(Photo courtesy of Garrett Witherington)
The Commit(s): Isaac Chukwurah
The Prospect(s): Alex Haskell, Andrew Harris, Aiden Harris, Garrett Witherington, Keshawn Stancil, Edward Baker, Marcus Almada, Brian Harris
A week before spring ball ended, Penn State landed Defensive Lineman, Isaac Chukwurah. Chukwurah is a rising star from Delaware and Penn State’s lone Defensive Tackle commit. Similar to many other positions on the Defense, there is plenty of talented players on Penn State’s radar this cycle.
Alex Haskell, Brian Harris, Keshawn Stancil, and the Harris twins, Aiden and Andrew, make up the first grouping of interior defenders. Alex Haskell just set his commitment date for May 9th. I haven’t been able to get in touch with him too much, but it does feel like Penn State might be in line to secure his commitment on May 9th.
Brian Harris is a Florida player who was just up on campus last weekend. He likes the Nittany Lions. Harris is still going to take his time, but I think Penn State fans can feel good about Brian Harris. Keshawn Stancil is an elite prospect at Defensive Tackle. He has kept things close to the vest, but Penn State will get an official visit from him. If Stancil wants to be a Nittany Lion, there will be nothing preventing that.
The last two top targets are a combo. Twins, Aiden and Andrew Harris. They tell me, they are coming to State College in May for an official visit. I think Penn State is a long shot, but you never know.
Some other solid targets are Edward Baker, Marcus Almada, and Garrett Witherington. All three have raved about Penn State when I have chatted with them. However, I don’t necessarily think they are at the top of Penn State’s board. Understand, that does not mean they are not takes, or won’t be Nittany Lions. It just means the guys listed above them are likely more of a priority. All three have official visits on the calendar and Penn State will continue to recruit them.
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.