Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545007
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 6 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State set out to land a pair of running backs in the class of 2027, and over the span of a few days, the Nittany Lions accomplished that goal. Running backs coach Savon Huggins landed four-star South Carolina prospect Aiden Gibson on May 12, and the following evening he locked down New Jersey running back Chukwuma Odoh. Odoh went public with his commitment on May 14. The three-star ball carrier chose PSU's offer over an assortment of others from Power Four schools like Auburn, Duke, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State, Wisconsin and others. Maryland and West Virginia were trying hard to get him on campus this summer, but Penn State and Kentucky held a size- able lead throughout the spring. Huggins was a key factor in Odoh's decision. The recently hired Nittany Lion assistant is a former New Jersey high school standout himself, having starred at St. Peter's Prep before going on to play for Rutgers. Huggins was on the coaching staff at Boston College when he began recruit- ing Odoh. That longstanding relation- ship helped Odoh feel comfortable giv- ing Penn State his pledge. "I feel like going there and being coached by Savon, he's the guy that can get me to where I want to be," Odoh said. "He's the guy that I think will de- velop me the best when it comes to the player I want to be." The 6-foot, 215-pound Odoh was last on campus in April for a Penn State practice. He sat down with head coach Matt Campbell and got an idea of how the Nittany Lions would develop him at the next level. "He has a very extensive résumé with what he's done in his past, and he has a lot of plans for the future of Penn State," Odoh said. "I also met with Coach Hug- gins where he told me what he likes in a running back, then he showed me how I fit that. He really showed me how much I'm wanted." Odoh started his high school career at St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison, N.J., be- fore transferring into Paramus Catholic for his junior season. He missed four games last year, but he still rushed for 930 yards on 121 carries, good for a 7.6- yard average. He also scored 14 touch- downs. Odoh participates in track, too, and clocked a 10.86-second 100-meter dash time in May to finish first at the Bergen County Championships. A three-star prospect according to Rivals' scouts, Odoh is ranked as the No. 55 running back nationally and the No. 26 prospect in New Jersey. He's eager to get to work with Hug- gins, and also with Campbell. The Nittany Lions' new head coach made a strong impression during Odoh's re- cruitment. "There are two things about Coach Campbell that I really like," Odoh said. "For one, there's what he did at Iowa State, with that school not being able to get the same type of recruits you can get at Penn State. For him to be as success- ful as he was is crazy to me. "But the other thing is that he doesn't really talk about any of that. Whenever I met with him, he never brought up his résumé at all. It was all about how they plan to help you grow as a person and as a man at Penn State. He cares about recruiting kids with high values more than his résumé and how it impacts the football aspect." ■ Connection To Assistant Coach Gives PSU The Edge S E A N F I T Z | S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M Despite missing four games with an injury, Odoh rushed for 930 yards and 14 touchdowns for Paramus (N.J.) Catholic last season. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS COMMITMENT PROFILE CHUKWUMA ODOH Chukwuma Odoh was listed by Rivals this spring at 6-foot, 215 pounds and is said to be closer to 220 these days. In other words, he already has the pres- ence of a Big Ten running back. Odoh possesses the size and physicality to run between the tackles at the highest level of college football. He has great forward lean and good pad level. What's more, he's a violent finisher on runs and will lower his pads at full speed into safeties to fall forward. We know less about his receiving and blocking abilities. The Paramus Catho- lic offense did not throw to its running backs very much last year, preferring to lean on a three-player rotation in the backfield. Of that group, Odoh was the hammer and "lead" back, even if he wasn't the full-time starter. He didn't see many targets in the passing game, which was oriented toward downfield shots to the receivers. Odoh recently posted a 10.86-second 100-meter time. He could be a run- away freight train-style runner at Penn State — a power back at heart, but one with enough shiftiness and vision to run around players and maximize the blocking. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N