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Penn State Gets Quick Commitment from 3-Star Safety Caleb Cooper

The defensive prospect from North Carolina received an offer during his official visit.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling match against Nebraska.
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling match against Nebraska. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Penn State added its second commitment Monday following the first official-visit weekend of the June recruiting period. Caleb Cooper, a 3-star athlete from North Carolina, announced his decision to join the Nittany Lions' 2027 recruiting class following his official visit with Matt Campbell and the Penn State football staff.

Cooper joins Louisiana long snapper Clayton Powell in committing after the visit weekend. Powell, Penn State's first commitment of the weekend, seeks to further the program's new reputation as "Long Snapper U." as a scholarship member of the class.

Cooper is listed as an athlete by 247Sports, which ranks him 66th nationally at the spot and 30th in the state. Penn State recruited him as a safety, a position where he ranks 76th nationally according to ESPN.

Cooper chose Penn State over Wisconsin and Virginia Tech, which has become competitive with the Nittany Lions in the 2027 recruiting rankings. Cooper also holds offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Tennessee and Florida, among others.

Cooper is a multi-dimensional player. He made 97 tackles and an interception last season for Providence Day School in Charlotte. Cooper also returned kicks, one for a touchdown, and was named first-team all-state for Providence Day, a North Carolina power that has won four state titles in the past five years.

Cooper made an official visit to Penn State in early June without an offer, which he received from Matt Campbell during the weekend. He quickly made his decision to commit.

Meanwhile, Penn State is waiting on decisions from several other key players, notably receivers Khalil Taylor and Deshawn Hall. Both were in State College for the visit weekend and still have visits planned, though Taylor told 247Sports' Brian Dohn in a subscription post that he no longer has visits scheduled to Nebraska and Alabama in June.

Taylor is scheduled to announce his decision July 6 and is among the top targets remaining on Penn State's board. A 4-star receiver from Pine-Richland High near Pittsburgh, Taylor is the 13th-ranked receiver nationally and the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Taylor (5-11, 180 pounds) was named first-team all-state as a junior last season, when he caught 33 passes for 571 yards and scored an astonishing 25 touchdowns. Taylor finished the season with 1,600 all-purpose yards for Pine-Richland, which reached the WPIAL Class 5A title game.

Hall, who is from Prattville, Alabama, also is standout offensive prospect remaining on Penn State's list. The 4-star receiver ranks 25th nationally at his position, according to the 247Sports Composite, and is the No. 10 player overall in Alabama.

The 6-5, 195-pound receiver visited Auburn before Penn State and has more SEC visits scheduled, including to Tennessee.

Penn State-Virginia Tech go head-to-head in recruiting

Penn State knew that James Franklin would try to poach its recruiting territory at Virginia Tech, which the head coach has done successfully to a certain extent. With 22 recruits in its 2027 class, Penn State ranks eighth nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

However, after receiving three weekend commitments, Franklin's 2027 Virginia Tech class has passed Penn State's. The Hokies, who like Penn State have 22 commits, now have the nation's sixth-ranked recruiting class. For the time being, they're also No. 2 in the ACC behind Miami.

Virginia Tech and Penn State have six 4-star commits. The Hokies received a commitment from 4-star Massachusetts quarterback Peter Bourque, who Penn State also recruited. Virginia Tech also has a commitment from 4-star defensive lineman Joseph Buchanan of Maryland's McDonogh School, which Franklin recruited seriously while at Penn State.

And Franklin also has a new social-media announcement post for commitments.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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