Penn State Football Recruiting: Nittany Lions Flip LB Cam Smith From Duke

The Penn State Nittany Lions have been getting some flack for their in-state recruiting performance in the 2025 cycle.

While it won’t absolve them of the criticism, things look a little better on Thursday.

The team received big news as 2025 Philadelphia linebacker Cam Smith announced he was flipping his commitment from Duke to Penn State.

Next Chapter #WeAre 🦁 pic.twitter.com/fIG8ScJ8Bs

— Cam Smith (@camduhhgoat) August 8, 2024

That gives PSU another four star recruit and a fourth composite top-ten player in the state for their 2025 class.

Interestingly, Smith could be considered the fourth linebacker in the class (if athlete Lavar Arrington II were to play there), which leads to the question of if some of their currently figured linebackers could be considered for roles on the defensive line like the transition Abdul Carter made this offseason.

The top-15 class now stands at 24 commits and there has been growing rumors that the team could be making headway to flipping Philadelphia edge rusher Zahir Mathis (currently and Ohio State commit and a top-3 in-state player) as well.

It’s also good news for the program in general as St. Joseph’s Prep School (where Smith currently plays) has been one of the tougher schools for Penn State to recruit in the state so building that relationship could be big going forward.