Tag: Randy Adirika

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 lands first 2025 defensive tackle in Randy Adirika

Penn State added a defensive tackle to its loaded Class of 2025 lineup.

While the majority of players in the class of 2025 have announced where they will be playing their college football, Penn State is still working on those top prospects on their board who remain undecided.

There are still plenty of positions [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff are hoping to fill within this group. Defensive tackle seemed to be the most prevalent since they had yet to earn a commitment from a player at that position.

[autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] has done a great job landing edge rushers in this cycle, winning some massive recruitment processes, so with that all but shored up, he can turn his attention over to the interior.

Some rumblings started to occur that the Nittany Lions were getting close to landing another Florida prospect in [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] ahead of his commitment date, and the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder made it official late on July 9.

“The environment, their style of football, the way they develop and winning culture are the main reasons I committed to Penn State. I was there only [twice] so far, but the atmosphere is amazing and the people are what stands out,” he told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated.

Penn State beat out in-state program Miami and USC to land the talented three-star defensive tackle who is listed as the 44th overall player at his position by On3’s Industry Ranking.

“The decision was very hard because I had two other schools recruiting me very well. The staff is amazing. Everyone is very down to earth and genuine people. Coach Deion Barnes did a very good job recruiting me and I trust and believe he can help me get to the next level,” he added.

Something that might have helped the Nittany Lions get this recruitment home is that Penn State quarterback commit [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] is his high school teammate at Miami Central.

The three-star signal caller has vocal about how he wants to help the Nittany Lions build a strong recruiting class in 2025, and it seems like he was able to help them land a talented prospect down in Florida.

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