Tag: Brady O’Hara

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is perfectly balanced, as all things should be

Penn State has signed its Class of 2025, and it’s a solid class.

Penn State may be preparing for the Big Ten championship game this week, but Wednesday was a cause to pause and celebrate the future of the program beyond this season. Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period in college football, and Penn State officially inked 26 members for its Class of 2026. With a recruiting class split evenly with 13 offensive players and 13 defensive players, James Franklin and his staff have managed to pull in a balanced class that will continue to sustain what the entire staff has been working to build for the next few seasons.

More than half of this recruiting class is scheduled to enroll early in January. Penn State announced 14 members of its Class of 2025 will be early enrollees, which will allow them to go through offseason workouts and conditioning and participate in spring football practices.

This recruiting class will be one of Franklin’s best overall classes at Penn State as well. A total of 23 of the 26 commits were ranked as a four-star or five-star player by On3, 247Sports, Rivals, or ESPN. The class also spread the Penn State footprint into 10 different states, including 19 from Pennsylvania or a neighboring state.

Among the top-rated recruits in the Class of 2025 are interior offensive lineman [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] from New Jersey, cornerback [autotag]Daryus Dixson[/autotag] from California, and linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (yes, THAT LaVar Arrington).

Here is a full list of Penn State’s Class of 2025 that has been signed during the early signing period:

  • DL [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] (Miami, Fla.)
  • OL [autotag]Owen Aliciene[/autotag] (Cheshire, Conn.)
  • LB [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (Annapolis, Md.)
  • DL [autotag]Dayshaun Burnett[/autotag] (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • DL [autotag]Chaz Coleman[/autotag] (Warren, Ohio)
  • RB [autotag]Jabree Coleman[/autotag] (Darby Township, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Jeff Exinor Jr.[/autotag] (Baltimore, Md.)
  • OL [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] (Bloomfield, N.J.)
  • DL [autotag]Cortez Harris[/autotag] (Largo, Md.)
  • RB [autotag]Tikey Hayes[/autotag] (Aliquippa, Pa.)
  • TE [autotag]Matt Henderson[/autotag] (Powhatan, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] (Pensacola, Fla.)
  • DB [autotag]Joshua Johnson[/autotag] (Ironton, Ohio)
  • DB [autotag]Jahmir Joseph[/autotag] (Nyack, N.Y.)
  • DL [autotag]Yvan Kemajou[/autotag] (Burtonsville, Md.)
  • TE [autotag]Brian Kortovich[/autotag] (Willoughby, Ohio)
  • QB [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] (Chandler, Ariz.)
  • OL [autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] (Mars, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Matt Outten[/autotag] (Portsmouth, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • LB [autotag]Cam Smith[/autotag] (Salem, N.J.)
  • LB [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] (Latrobe, Pa.)
  • DB [autotag]Braz Thomas[/autotag] (Glassboro, N.J.)
  • DB [autotag]Xxavier Thomas[/autotag] (Canonsburg, Pa.)
  • OL [autotag]Michael Troutman III[/autotag] (Trenton, N.J.)

The focus will now shift to the transfer portal as Penn State’s offseason roster changes could be continuing in the coming weeks amidst its Big Ten and College Football Playoff push.

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Penn State’s 2025 football commitment tracker

We have an updated football commitment tracker for Penn State following Monday’s latest commitment.

Penn State got off to a fast start with assembling its Class of 2025 on the recruiting trail. James Franklin and his staff quickly put together a class ranking in the top 10 of the national recruiting rankings even before the Class of 2024 was wrapping up for good. An early focus on defense was noticeable with Penn State’s recruiting plans for the Class of 2025 and some key players from neighboring states were among the early highlights of the recruiting class.

We will be keeping tabs on the Penn State Class of 2025 all the way through the recruiting cycle up until the commitments sign with Penn State. Should there be any players backing off their commitment, we will track their status as well as their recruiting process plays out.

This tracker will be updated as necessary, with the most recent update being made on February 20, 2024.

Penn State lands elite 2025 athlete Brady O’Hara

Penn State picks up another major commitment for the Class of 2025.

Penn State has been on a roll following their dominant victory over Iowa during their White Out Game.

It was a statement on the field and to all the recruits that were in attendance to experience the atmosphere.

They were able to get one of the top linebackers in the class of 2025, then followed it up with a commitment from an instate running back and now, they picked up another when an elite athlete in the 2025 class picked Penn State on Tuesday.

[autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] is a versatile player from North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA who plays tight end and defensive end for his team.

He’s being recruited to Penn State as a tight end, but there’s a chance that the 6’6″ 235 pound junior could eventually become an offensive lineman for the Nittany Lions when he arrives on campus.

O’Hara was a top priority of Penn State and had made several visits to campus prior to the White Out visit, which ultimately sold him on his commitment.

“It was an amazing experience. The energy hits you as soon as you walk in and it was so cool to walk out onto the field and feel the crowd,” he told Brian Dohn of 247Sports.

He’s ranked with the “Athlete” designation by 247Sports because he has potential to play tight end, defensive end or offensive line at the next level.

O’Hara is ranked as the 11th overall athlete in the 2025 class and the No. 6 player in the state of Pennsylvania by their ratings.

On3 has him rated as a tight end where he comes in as their 16th overall tight end of the class. On3’s Industry Rankings have him rated as a four-star prospect and the 305th best player in the class of 2025.

Ultimately, the relationships with the coaches and program overall is what got him to commit on Tuesday.

“I can tell everyone wants me. They tell me not what I want to hear, but what I need to hear. I am trusting them right now. That’s what I need to do,” O’Hara said.

Whether he does eventually switch to an offensive lineman or stays as a tight end is to be seen. But right now, Penn State has secured their fifth commitment of the 2025 class.

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Crystal Ball: Penn State lands 2025 4-star instate tight end

Recruiting analyst casts crystal ball pick favoring Penn State for in-state tight end.

“Dominate the State” has been [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s mantra since he took over as head coach of Penn State in 2014.

He has built the Pennsylvania recruiting pipeline to its peak under his watch, culminating in landing the top player in the state for three years in a row. As a prospect rich area full of talented players, keeping the best players to stay instate representing the Nittany Lions was important.

With their sights set on landing the number one rated player in Pennsylvania for the fourth year in a row, there’s another top player that 247Sports’ Crystal Ball is predicting will land with Penn State.

Brian Dohn, the National Recruiting Analyst for 247Sports, put in his Crystal Ball prediction that 2025 four-star tight end [autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] is headed to Happy Valley.

O’Hara is a 6’6″ 235 pound prospect from Pittsburgh who plays his high school football at North Catholic.

He is rated as the fifth best player in the state and the 204th overall prospect in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports.

Dohn’s prediction coincides with Director of Football Recruiting, Steve Wiltfong’s prediction on Apr. 17 of this year that O’Hara would wind up at Penn State.

These Crystal Ball Predictions carry weight because Wiltfong is 13 for 13 in the 2025 class, while Dohn is 1 for 1.

O’Hara has visited Penn State four times unofficially with the most recent one coming in late July for Lasch Bash. After that event, he’s planning on visiting the campus more times in the future to continue his recruitment process.

There is no official commitment date set for the junior, but 247Sports’ Crystal Ball thinks it will be Penn State that is his next school

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