Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 10 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A fter a spring surge, it's been an up- and-down summer for Penn State, which is working to assemble the first full recruiting class of Matt Camp- bell's tenure. From May 22 to June 24, the Nit- tany Lions earned commitments from seven prospects — five defensive play- ers, a tight end and a specialist. The most highly regarded of those players is four-star linebacker Case Alexander of Washington, Okla. But it wasn't all good news for the Nittany Lions. They also lost three play- ers — receiver Jamir Dean and corner- backs Zachary Gleason and Semajay Robinson. Dean's flip to Georgia, while not entirely surprising, was a damag- ing blow. Penn State had put in a lot of legwork, discovering the Alcoa, Tenn., prospect well before he was upgraded to four-star status. But when the Bulldogs swooped in, PSU wasn't able to hold them off. As of June 28, Penn State's 22-mem- ber class was listed 20th in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings. Here's a look at the seven players PSU has landed since late May. Case Alexander LB | 6-3 | 215 | Washington, Okla. Alexander is a Rivals four-star pros- pect who announced his decision on June 21 after back-to-back official visits to finalists Penn State and Oklahoma. He's the younger brother of PSU red- shirt sophomore tight end Cooper Al- exander and the son of former Pro Bowl tight end Stephen Alexander, who at- tended Oklahoma and played nine sea- sons in the NFL. The Alexander family's ties to the Sooners led many to believe Oklahoma would be the team to beat, but the chance to play for Campbell at Penn State proved appealing. Alexander and his family were able to visit PSU in late January, and they re- turned to campus in April. That's when it became clear the Nittany Lions had emerged as the team to beat. An official visit in early June sealed the deal. During his junior season at Washing- ton High, Alexander totaled 88 tack- les, including 10 for loss and 5 sacks. In three seasons, he's posted 276 tack- les, including 28 for loss and 8 sacks, 6 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. "Case Alexander is a very good two- way player out of Oklahoma," Rivals scouting director Charles Power said. "I think he has Power Four potential as either a linebacker or a tight end. We project him as a linebacker, but we always love seeing two-way players at these positions. I think he's one of the more instinctive and refined linebackers that we watched in this cycle, and it's a really good linebacker year." Alexander is ranked by Rivals as the No. 123 overall player and No. 11 line- backer in the 2027 class, as well as the No. 5 prospect in Oklahoma. Caleb Cooper S | 6-0 | 205 | Charlotte, N.C. Cooper committed to the Nittany Lions on June 8 after a two-day visit Summer Months Bring Successes, Setbacks On Recruiting Trail RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Four-star linebacker Case Alexander chose the Nittany Lions over Oklahoma in June. As a junior at Washington (Okla.) High, he totaled 88 tackles, including 10 for loss and 5 sacks. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS