Matt Campbell restarts Penn State's 2027 Recruiting Class

The Nittany Lions receive their first 2027 commitment under Campbell.

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell answers questions during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Matt Campbell received his first 2027 recruiting commitment Saturday as Penn State's football coach, restarting a class that went in different directions last year. Semajay Robinson, a 3-star defensive back from Florida, became the first player in his class to commit to Campbell.

Robinson told multiple recruiting analysts of his decision, including Tyler Calvaruso of Lions247.

BREAKING: Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard cornerback Semajay Robinson has committed to Penn State.https://t.co/s7hnX3vVEJ pic.twitter.com/gtfVgmHPrS

— Tyler Calvaruso (@tyler_calvaruso) March 28, 2026

Robinson is a 3-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, which ranks him as a top-50 cornerback nationally and a top-500 player overall. Robinson received a Penn State offer in January, part of a torrent of winter offers he earned. Robinson chose Penn State from an offer sheet that included North Carolina, Florida State, Missouri, Auburn, Syracuse, Pitt and Boston College.

He was on campus for a visit with Campbell and his staff this weekend. Robinson will make an official visit to Penn State in June.

A 6-2, 190-pound cornerback, Robinson will play his senior season at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale. Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith spearheaded Robinson's recruiting process.

Robinson's commitment reset Penn State's 2027 recruiting class that evaporated following James Franklin's firing last year. At one point, Penn State had the nation's top-ranked 2027 class, albeit with four commits. Among them was Kemon Spell, the 5-star running back who has committed to Georgia.

Super excited, let’s do it 🥳@CoachTerryPSU @Rosegreennorman @Rivals @JohnGarcia_Jr @adamgorney @BenjaminRivals @On3 pic.twitter.com/hR3M4Qlt0d

— Semajay Robinson 4⭐️DB (@SemajayRobinson) February 12, 2026

Smith, who has taken several recruiting trips with Campbell, described the new Penn State head coach's approach to recruiting.

"It's character driven," Smith said. "You know, it's something that Penn State's culture has been built on forever. Way back to Rip Engle and coach [Joe] Paterno, we're going to recruit a certain kind of kid that fits us, That's a kid that's academically inclined and wants to play football at a high level, but school matters. We're still recruiting those type of kids, and just the fit is more important than the talent. And that's the same culture right now."

Campbell has described his recruitng strategy as relationship-based, though he will take advantage of the expanded resources at Penn State.

"Nobody will be better at developing our student-athletes and our high school football players than us," Campbell said. "We've proven that every step of the way. I think you can ask Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, Will McDonald IV. The flash, the stars, that's cool on signing day, but winning football games on Saturday is what we're going to be about. That's development. We're going to have to be better than anybody in college football.

"The financial aspect I think is certainly unique. One of the great things that we have here is the sacrifice that [Athletic Director] Pat [Kraft} and his team have made to be competitive at the highest level to give yourself a chance to build the best team. I think sometimes in college football we can get lost on the financial piece of it. Do I think it's important? Absolutely. But I think the reality is that cannot be priority No. 1. I want young men that want to be here at Penn State and want to win championships at Penn State. It has to start there."

Penn State began spring drills March 24 and will host Blue-White weekend April 25.

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.