Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
M A Y 2 0 2 6 6 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Z achary Gleason had been con- sidered a Penn State lean even before the 2025 season began. A three-star cornerback from Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Glea- son had made 10 trips to State Col- lege since his freshman season. He also took the opportunity to camp with cornerbacks coach Terry Smith the past two summers. Those visits, along with his growth on the field last season, made him a priority for Smith and then-head coach James Franklin. Franklin exited in October, and Matt Campbell was hired two months later to succeed him. Amid the coaching change, Penn State's interest in Gleason remained strong. That interest was mutual. Glea- son's excitement about the pro- gram's future was undiminished by the change in leadership, and on March 31 he became the second player to announce for PSU in the 2027 cycle, committing to the Li- ons three days after Florida cornerback Semajay Robinson revealed his decision. "Coach Campbell is building some- thing special," Gleason told Rivals ana- lyst Chad Simmons. "You can feel the energy and the expectations. He wants guys who are going to lead and do things the right way." Gleason said Penn State's football culture "stood out right away." "They expect a lot, but they also take care of their players," he said. "It's a place where you're going to grow on and off the field." Listed at 6-foot, 170 pounds, Gleason ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at Penn State prior to his junior season. He also had a 9-foot, 9-inch broad jump. Both are respectable numbers that are ex- pected to only improve. He finished his junior season with 45 tackles, including 5 for loss, 10 pass deflections, 3 inter- ceptions and a forced fumble, helping the Vikings reach the PIAA Class 6A state championship game. "The growth that he's shown since he joined us in 10th grade has been fun to watch," Central Catholic coach Ryan Lehmeier said. "He's going to have a teammate up there at Penn State in [redshirt freshman corner] Xxavier Thomas who was with us be- fore. When Zach got here, he re- ally took advantage of working with Xxavier and learning from him. Whenever Xxavier was on offense, Zach made sure he was covering him every day to work and get better. That showed us early on his drive and work ethic. "But he's also unbelievably smart and intuitive. He under- stands different schemes really well on a week-to-week basis. When we're game-planning and changing things up for differ- ent opponents, we center a lot of that around Zach because of what he's capable of doing ath- letically, but also what he brings mentally. I think that's been one of his biggest strengths and will continue to be when he gets to Penn State." Gleason is listed by Rivals as the No. 103 cornerback na- tionally and No. 25 prospect in Pennsylvania. Over the course of his recruitment, he earned more than two dozen scholarship offers. Following visits to Pitt and West Virginia in early March, he returned to Penn State to watch a spring practice session. That's when the wheels were put into motion for his public commitment. ■ Coaching Change Didn't Faze Pittsburgh Defensive Back RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Gleason had 45 tackles, 10 pass deflections and 3 interceptions during his junior season at Pittsburgh Central Catholic. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS COMMITMENT PROFILE ZACHARY GLEASON Zachary Gleason has displayed a lot of versatility within Pittsburgh Central Catholic's defensive system. He's been asked to play a good mix of man and zone coverage as a boundary cornerback, typically taking the short side of the field and battling with the opponent's X receiver in most matchups. He's been exposed to situational man coverage and zone principles, which should help accelerate his mental transition to the college game. Gleason makes plenty of plays on the ball in both man and zone situations, but he spe- cializes in reading routes and attacking concepts underneath his coverage umbrella. Having a cornerback who can limit the allowed throws in zone coverage is a valuable asset. Over- all, he's a player who demonstrates an understanding of defensive concepts and makes plays. He'll need to improve his tackling form, and it's fair to question his top-end speed, but he has the tools to fit in at Penn State as either a field cornerback or nickel defender. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N