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What Utah's Aniti Paiva Brings to Penn State's 2027 Recruiting Class

The 3-star defensive tackle brings size and strength to the Nittany Lions.
Mark Wogenrich|
The Penn State Nittany Lions mascot entertains during the Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium.
The Penn State Nittany Lions mascot entertains during the Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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Penn State rarely draws football commits from states like Utah and South Dakota, but its 2027 recruiting class features one from each. Aniti Paiva, a 3-star defensive tackle from Utah, committed to the Nittany Lions on Friday, becoming the 19th player in their 2027 class. Paiva announced his decision in an Instagram post.

Paiva is a 6-2, 315-pound defensive tackle who is the 12th-ranked player in Utah and the 112th-ranked defensive lineman nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He played last season for Corner Canyon High, which won its third straight Utah 6A state championship. Paiva now is enrolled at Salt Lake City's Skyline High, which made the Utah 4A quarterfinal round.

Paiva chose Penn State from an offer sheet with a western U.S. lean. He recieved offers from Arizona, Boise State, Colorado, Oregon State and Washington State, among others. Paiva has an official visit scheduled for Penn State in June.

Paiva connected with Penn State defensive tackles coach Ikaika Malloe, who has a long history of playing, coaching and recruiting in the West. Malloe played and coached at the University of Washington and worked at Utah State and UCLA before joining Matt Campbell's staff at Penn State.

Paiva (6-3 325 pounds) fits the model of defensive tackle that Penn State is recruiting. Malloe and defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn are looking for strong, space-eating tackles who can flex their size at the line of scrimmage, make tackles for loss and clear space for linebackers to make plays.

Paiva joins Penn State tight end commit Cooper Terwilliger in opening some different states for recruiting. Terwilliger is a 4-star tight end who committed to Penn State's 2027 class in April.

Penn State's 2027 class in the rankings

Penn State's 2027 class sits at No. 7 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, after Paiva's commitment. The Nittany Lions have earned all 19 of their commitments since late March, when they began spring drills without a player committed to the 2027 class.

Campbell was comfortable with the methodical start to the class, prioritizing 2026 roster construction and off-season team building first. But the Nittany Lions' 2027 recruiting class now is the largest in the Big Ten.

"You're playing catch up in some ways in terms of your '27 class, because it's no different than what I said about spring practice: Slow and right is critical," Campbell said at the start of spring practice in late March. "It's all about the human beings that we bring in here, and so I'm a huge person in relationships. Who fits Penn State, who fits our culture? And so we're going to do it slow and right. And we're going to make sure any young man that we try to bring in here is the right fit for our football program.

"Obviously having the [Penn State] logo and the history of this place certainly gives you great opportunity to recruit. ... But again, I I think the process of recruiting the right people, making sure it's the right guys you're bringing in here, we're always going to go slow and right in that process.

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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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