Tag: Samari Matthews

Penn State makes top schools list of elite 2026 cornerback

Penn State is among the early top schools for this four-star Class of 2026 cornerback from North Carolina.

Penn State has gotten off to a hot start in the 2026 cycle as they look to continue bringing in top classes to Happy Valley so they can better compete for Big Ten titles and national championships.

Already sitting with seven commits so far, that puts them fifth in the national rankings that has them on pace for one of their best-ever finishes under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] if they can keep it up.

One way they can do that is by going after some of the best prospects in the country, and with their sights set on elite four-star cornerback [autotag]Samari Matthews[/autotag], it seems like the interest is reciprocated.

The North Carolina native recently trimmed his list of schools down to eight, and the Nittany Lions made the cut alongside Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Clemson, Florida State, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Ranked No. 51 in the 2026 class and the fourth-best player at his position by On3’s Industry Rankings, Matthews would be a huge get for Penn State.

He told Chad Simmons of On3 that all eight programs on his list have been in constant communication with him, and when he visited each of their campuses, he has enjoyed the atmospheres and “home feeling.” The next steps for him are to continue taking visits to those schools before going on official trips and then announcing his commitment in the upcoming summer (subscription required).

Penn State could be a longshot in this race.

Out of the eight schools on his list, they have been given the seventh-worst odds to land him per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine at 4.4%. South Carolina is the favorite at 26.2%.

Still, there is plenty of time left for them to build relationships and get him onto campus based on that timeline.

He was not able to see a game at Beaver Stadium this season, so it will be up to Franklin and the coaching staff to get him back on campus and make him feel at home.

Penn State off to strong start with two Class of 2026 defensive backs

Penn State is establishing some early connections with some potential defensive back recruiting targets in 2026.

All eyes are on what [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and Penn State will be able to do in the 2025 recruiting class coming into the official visit portion of the recruiting calendar as they look to shore up this group.

There is plenty of work to be done for the staff as many of their top targets remain uncommitted before coming to Happy Valley.

But while the immediate class will dominate headlines and the majority of attention, it’s also important to keep an eye on what is happening in the cycles following 2025 as this is an important time to start building relationships.

That’s what they’re doing right now with two four-star secondary players in the class of 2026.

The first is instate target [autotag]Joey O’Brien[/autotag] who is from Glenside, Pennsylvania.

Rated as the 21st-best safety in the class by On3’s Industry Rankings, he could become a priority for Penn State as 247Sports is much higher on his upside, sitting at No. 65 overall by their ratings.

O’Brien spoke with Chad Simmons of On3 about how his recruitment process has been going so far, sharing what he’s looking for in a program. He said he wants the staff to build a relationship with him and his family since he’s going to be there for multiple years. Schools already standing out to him are the Nittany Lions, Florida State, and Notre Dame (subscription required).

Penn State is also starting to go after one of the best cornerbacks in the state of North Carolina, offering a scholarship to consensus four-star [autotag]Samari Matthews[/autotag].

The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder has been ranked as the No. 55 overall player in the class of 2026 and fifth-best player at his position.

He also spoke with Simmons about how his recruitment has started to progress, telling him that he’s looking for a family connection and if the scheme fits his strengths. Matthews visited the Nittany Lions this spring and said that they “grabbed” his attention (subscription required).

There’s still a lot of time in both of these processes, but it’s a great sign that Penn State is getting on the radar of some top targets early to start building the groundwork.

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Ohio State football offers 2026 North Carolina cornerback

The Bucks have entered the picture for the elite corner. #GoBucks

Ohio State football’s secondary has earned the right to its moniker, BIA — or “Best in America.”

The Buckeyes are looking to once again back that up in the 2026 class after having offered one of the nations best, in North Carolina’s [autotag]Samari Matthews[/autotag]. At 6-foot and 180-pounds, he fits the mold of an elite corner and his recruiting ranking backs that up.

Matthews is the nations No. 83 overall prospect and 6th ranked cornerback in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. It has been quite the week for him, as not only did the Buckeyes offer but so did Georgia and Duke.

Currently, Ohio State does not have a commitment at the position in the 2026 class, but it does have two elite verbals in the 2025 cycle with Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord.

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Penn State has great first visit with elite 2026 cornerback

Penn State put in some early recruiting work on a Class of 2026 cornerback from North Carolina.

It’s never too early for programs across the country to start going after younger classes on the recruiting trail, and Penn State was able to host some targets during this past weekend.

The class of 2025 is going to get all the attention for the time being, especially since so many important recruits were on campus, but starting to develop relationships with 2026 players and beyond is a great starting point.

That’s what the Nittany Lions were able to do with one of the top cornerbacks in the class of 2026.

[autotag]Samari Matthews[/autotag] is a 6’0″, 180-pounder from North Carolina. 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him ranked as the 34th overall player in his class and the No. 3 corner.

He took his first trip to Happy Valley over the weekend and told Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports that he and his family enjoyed the experience on campus, with the program, and watching practice (subscription required).

Matthews was able to speak with all the coaching staff in person, but really was able to connect with [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and cornerbacks coach [autotag]Terry Smith[/autotag] who have been recruiting him since January 2023.

With him being able to watch practice to see how everything operates, he came away with a better understanding of the relationships that the coaching staff has with the players.

The recruitment process for the talented cornerback is extremely early, but it sounds like the Nittany Lions got off to a great start with Matthews.

He’s picked up offers from multiple teams across the Power Four conferences and is already planning on visiting more campuses and programs for the remainder of spring and summer.

Matthews is definitely someone to monitor as it looks like he’s one of the high-priority players in the class of 2026.

2026 North Carolina cornerback schedules Tennessee visit

2026 North Carolina cornerback schedules Tennessee visit.

2026 North Carolina cornerback prospect Samari Matthews will visit Tennessee.

Matthews will visit the Vols on April 1.

He will also visit Clemson on Saturday, North Carolina State on March 28, Penn State on March 29, West Virginia on April 3 and Miami on April 6.

Matthews also attended Tennessee’s school camp on June 14, 2023.

The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback prospect is from William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina.

Tennessee is one of eight Southeastern Conference schools to offer Matthews. The Vols offered Matthews a scholarship on Sept. 25, 2022.

East Carolina was the first school to offer Matthews a scholarship on Aug. 1, 2022.

Tennessee does not have a commitment in its 2026 recruiting class.