Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
5 6 S E P T E M B E R 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 Penn State has been venturing well outside its usual recruiting territory ever since Matt Campbell arrived from Iowa State last December, and it went farther than ever in July with the ad- dition of international prospect Oscar Webersink. An offensive tackle from Stockholm, Sweden, Webersink came onto the scene when he picked up three scholar- ship offers in June 2025. This past April, he announced that he was planning to move to the United States to boost his recruiting profile and earn additional opportunities. He is set to enroll at St. Thomas More Prep in Connecticut this month and will spend his senior season with the Chancellors. The decision to relocate, combined with his participation in a showcase event at St. Thomas More in May, kicked off another offer surge in the spring. Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Northwestern and Oregon State quickly made their interest known, while Flor- ida State and West Virginia extended scholarship offers in early June. Penn State joined the hunt earlier this summer. Webersink camped at PSU on June 10 and immediately earned an offer from offensive line coach Ryan Clanton and assistant Jackson Scott-Brown. It was clear the Nittany Lions were in good position to add him to the class, but they needed to ensure that he had the aca- demic prerequisites to be admitted. We- bersink's school in Sweden provided his transcripts in July, and he announced his decision shortly afterward. "The reason PSU stood out for me was the coaching staff and the culture that they preach," Webersink said. "The biggest part for me is the development and the way they coach, where nothing is given and needs to be earned. "I really enjoyed my visit, too, and all the great conversations I had with Coach Clanton, Coach Jackson and all the other coaches. I could really visual- ize myself going there, too, so that was a big part of it." In addition to Penn State, both West Virginia and Northwestern expressed interest in hosting Webersink for offi- cial visits in June. However, those trips never took place, putting Penn State in an excellent position with the 6-foot-8, 290-pound lineman. Despite having never taken the field for an 11-man American team, Weber- sink is listed by Rivals as a three-star prospect, as well as the No. 11 player in Connecticut and No. 109 offensive tackle nationally. The excitement about his potential is based on more than just his physical size, which includes an 81- inch wingspan. When he camped in June, he ran a very impressive 5.09-sec- ond 40-yard dash and posted an 8-foot, 3-inch broad jump. BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr said Webersink was "clearly the best player among the top group of tackles and guards" at Penn State's camp. "He was explosive and twitchy out of his stance with a good kick slide and the ability to pop into a solid football posi- tion quickly," Carr noted. "His hand- fighting was unrefined but not wholly raw." Once he enrolls, Webersink will be the first European player (excluding spe- cialists) to commit to Penn State since defensive tackle Joseph Appiah Darkwa, a native of Germany, joined the program in 2019. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE OSCAR WEBERSINK International Prospect Earns Spot In PSU's 2027 Class There's no doubt after seeing Oscar Webersink in person at camp in June that his future is at tackle. He's a legit 6-foot-8 and has the wingspan to match. He has good feet to go with that size, and you can see the building blocks of a guy who can be successful after spending a few years in Penn State's program. Most European prospects who come to the United States in hope of playing big-time college football fit a similar mold: They're athletic, but they have a long way to go on the football field. Webersink fits that profile. He's not completely new to the sport, or to the U.S.; he played nine-man football in North Dakota in 2023. But he'll be taking a big step this fall when he lands at St. Thomas More Prep in Connecticut. Penn State is taking on a multi-year project, but there's worthwhile upside there. So far, the hit rate on European prospects at the Power Four level is low. It's tough to pick up the game without the innate understanding that high-level American players typically possess. Having said that, offensive tackle is a spot where foreign players have had success getting to the next level. There are currently 22 tackles from outside the U.S. on NFL rosters, with seven coming from Europe. Most have similar frames to Webersink. It's tough to find players who can move at that size, so there are few issues taking him in this cycle. — Sean Fitz P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Webersink impressed Penn State's coaching staff during an appearance at one of the program's summer camps in June. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER