Penn State Football: 2024 4-Star Running Back Corey Smith Commits to PSU

On Friday afternoon, 2024 running back Corey Smith announced his commitment to the Penn State football team. Smith is a 4-star prospect according to 247sports and he is from Waukesha, Wisconsin. He chose Penn State over Wisconsin and Notre Dame.

He attends Catholic Memorial High School and if that sounds familiar that’s because current Penn State football commit Donovan Harbour also attends this high school. From what I understand, the two are very close friends and that certainly plays a role in their commitment to Penn State. The two are current teammates and will continue to be at the next level as well.

Smith is the second running back prospect in the 2024 class as Quinton Martin will also play running back at Penn State. The two have similar skill sets but Smith appears to have more refined skills at the running back position whereas Martin is just a pure athlete.

You can watch his highlights from his junior year here on Youtube.

After watching his tape, it’s clear that Corey Smith has perfected the jump cut. When you see him on film almost every play has a Saquon Barkley vs USC in the 2016 Rose Bowl feel to it. Smith knows exactly what time to make that cut and has the speed to break away from defenders after making that move.

The 2024 recruiting class for the Penn State football team is now up to 13 commits with the addition of Smith. They’ve landed 9 commits between the 2024 and 2025 classes in April. I don’t think the common fan realizes just how impressive that is.

This class is stacked with incredible defensive backs, offensive linemen, linebackers, and running backs. Next, they need to find their quarterback, wide receivers, and defensive linemen as well. But it’s still early, and James Franklin is proving once again why he is one of the best recruiters in the country.