Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
2 6 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 5 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / I t took Penn State more than a year to get defensive tackle Randy Adirika on campus for a visit, but when he did finally make it to Happy Valley in April 2024 for the Blue-White Game, the trip had a major impact on his recruitment. The Miami Central prospect returned for an official visit June 14-16. Coming into that weekend, Adirika was only a few days removed from an official visit to USC. He spoke highly of the Trojans, but national recruiting experts at mul- tiple sites were still expecting Adirika to end up at his hometown school, Miami. The Hurricanes were slated to welcome him for an official visit the weekend af- ter his trip to Penn State, leading many to believe that Mario Cristobal and his staff would be able to halt any momen- tum the Nittany Lions may have gained. Adirika wasn't expected to take very long to make his decision, but as the days turned to weeks, it became clear that Penn State had a real chance to pull off an upset. Sure enough, Adirika an- nounced on July 9 that he was headed north to play for the Nittany Lions. "The environment, their style of football, the way they develop players, and a winning culture are the main rea- sons I committed to Penn State," Adirika said following his decision. "I was only there [twice] so far, but the atmosphere is amazing, and the people are what stand out. "The decision was very hard, because I had two other schools recruiting me very well. The [Penn State] staff is amazing. Everyone is very down-to- earth and genuine. Coach Deion Barnes did a very good job recruiting me, and I trust and believe he can help me get to the next level." At Miami Central, Adirika was one of 10 players in his class alone who signed with FBS programs. When you add in the underclassmen who contributed, that number will likely double, at mini- mum, in the years to come. Adirika ended up as a three-star pros- pect according to On3's scouts and in the On3 Industry Ranking, which pools the grades from all four major recruiting websites. However, his production can't be questioned, with Adirika having to- taled 60 tackles for loss and 24 sacks in his high school career. That production, plus the fact that he played against some of the best high school teams in the country, makes the 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle a good pick to ultimately outperform his high school rating. "We love the fact that he was able to play a national schedule at Miami Cen- tral against top-level talent each week," said Kenny Sanders, Penn State's direc- tor of player personnel. "Just look at his athletic movements on the inside — his power, his strength, all those things. "All those raw tools that Randy has are just going to be magnified when he starts working under Deion Barnes. With his potential, playing on the inside in the style of defense that we use, I think he's going to have a tremendous career here." — Ryan Snyder Campus visits last spring and summer convinced Adirika to choose Penn State over Miami and USC. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER RANDY ADIRIKA Florida defensive lineman has all the tools to succeed at Penn State DT | 6-3 | 285 Miami Central Miami, Fla. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★ 630 63 82 On3 ★★★ — 42 57 247Sports ★★★ — 114 121 ESPN ★★★ — 77 125 Rivals ★★★★ — 19 48 Statistics • Totaled 30 tackles for loss and 9 sacks his senior season • Finished with 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks his junior season • Had 10 tackles for loss and 4 sacks as a sophomore Notable • Helped Miami Central go 14-0 and win the Florida High School Athletic Association 2M state championship in 2023 • Was named a team captain his senior season • Enrolled at Penn State in January Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on July 9, 2024 • Recruited by defensive line coach Deion Barnes • Picked Penn State over Miami and USC • Officially visited on June 14, 2024 2025 Projection Adirika enrolled at Penn State in January, but with eight scholarship defensive tackles returning, plus Michigan transfer Owen Wafle in the mix, a redshirt year looks like a near certainty. They Said It On3 scouting director Charles Power: "I really like Randy Adirika's film. He's a guy who is just super quick on the interior. He's played high-level football at Miami Central and just kind of lives in the backfield. They're not to- tally similar, but I could see him reminding Penn State fans a little bit of Zane Durant. He doesn't have the craziest measurables, but he's a really good player." T H E A D I R I K A F I L E