Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
5 4 M A Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen Penn State hired Matt Camp- bell in December, one of the first decisions he made was to bring safeties coach Deon Broomfield with him from Iowa State. It's since become clear that Broomfield is one of the best recruiters on the staff, and his diligence paid off on April 18 when the Nittany Lions landed a commitment from three-star safety Jon- athan Galette of St. Joseph Regional High in Montvale, N.J. Galette said Broomfield played a key role in his decision. "He offered me right when he got to Penn State, and then he came out and vis- ited me right away. That definitely stood out to me," Galette said. "He was the first coach to come see me, and so that meant a lot. He made it clear from Day 1 that I would be a top priority and a top guy for him. They definitely made me feel spe- cial." Listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Galette has been no stranger to State College over the years, visiting three times under the previous staff. His interest didn't waver after the coaching change, and Broom- field made it clear he was still a priority recruit. When the Nittany Lions began amassing 2027 commitments in April, Galette decided he didn't want to wait any longer. "Why not Penn State? It's an amaz- ing program," he said. "How could you say no to it? Between the White Out and their fans, everything the place has to of- fer [was enticing]. It's an amazing school." Galette totaled two dozen scholarship offers over the course of his recruitment. Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee all hosted Galette in 2025, but it became clear earlier this year that Wisconsin would be Penn State's top competitor. Galette traveled to State College and Madison, checking out Penn State on April 7 and Wisconsin the following week- end. "Both visits were amazing," he said "I had a great time on both of them, but Penn State just felt different. The cul- ture there is great. I don't feel like I'm committing there for four years; I feel like I'm committing there for the rest of my life. Penn State is the kind of place that sets you up for life after foot- ball. "I also have an amazing relationship with their coaches, so between those two things, I think that's what really went into it in the end." In 10 games as a junior at St. Joseph Re- gional, Galette was credited with 46 tack- les, including 6.5 for loss. Rivals lists him as the No. 78 safety nationally and No. 20 prospect in New Jersey. In the Industry Ranking, which includes grades from the other two major recruiting websites, he's listed No. 565 overall, No. 56 among safe- ties and No. 14 in New Jersey. Now that he's officially a member of the 2027 class, Galette is eager to get to work with Broomfield and Campbell. The Nittany Lions' new head coach "called me a lot during the recruiting pro- cess to talk to me," Galette said. "Out of all the head coaches I got to know through- out the process, I probably have the best relationship with him now. He's just a great guy. Coach is so genuine and down to earth. He really cares about his players outside of football." ■ New Jersey Safety Clicks With Lions' New Staff RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Galette quickly built a strong connection with Penn State's new safeties coach, Deon Broomfield, leading up to his commitment in April. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS COMMITMENT PROFILE JONATHAN GALETTE To look at Jonathan Galette, you wouldn't peg him as a box safety. At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, he's undersized compared to the safeties Penn State has recruited the past few years, and he's certainly smaller than the 6-2 to 6-4 body types that the new coaches brought with them from Iowa State. Yet Galette is a true run game en- forcer. He holds the point of attack well, fits his gaps and makes plays on the ball. He tackles incredibly well for a high school defensive back and is deployed by his current coaches in ways that en- sure he'll frequently be close to the ball. The downside of Galette's usage pat- tern is that we have much less film of him in coverage than a more conven- tional safety prospect would have. He does play in deep coverage occasionally, but it's a rare occurrence. Galette projects as a boundary safety at Penn State. There's little question he can handle the job of playing in and around the line of scrimmage, provided he gains 20 or more pounds. His run game instincts, tackling ability and ag- gressive demeanor bode well for the future. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N