Obviously, Penn State underwent massive changes in its transition from James Franklin to Matt Campbell. That transition itself was chief among them. An underrated change, though, is happening along the defensive line.
While the Transfer Portal window helped to jumpstart it, the 2027 recruiting class is solidifying a new vision under Campbell, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe. The goal is to get bigger, and Friday’s commitment from 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle Aniti Paiva certainly helps the cause.
The Salt Lake City, Utah, three-star is the 112th-ranked defensive lineman in the country and 1,017th overall recruit. With his commitment, he becomes the 19th member of Penn State’s 2027 recruiting class, the second-largest class in the country, and the second interior defensive lineman.
Penn State football has received a commitment from three-star DL Aniti Paiva.
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) May 22, 2026
6-foot-3, 320-pounder from Utah.
Penn State is clear about wanting to be bigger at DT, and this is another example. pic.twitter.com/t77VqScE3M
Aniti Paiva helps Penn State get bigger on the interior defensive line
Initially, it appeared as though Matt Campbell was going to bring longtime Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock with him from Ames. However, Heacock opted for retirement instead, so Campbell pivoted to Lynn and away from Heacock’s 3-3-5 defense.
Paiva is a true nose tackle who plays in a 3-3-5 structure at Skyline High School. He likely won’t play much nose for Lynn, but he’ll still be useful on the interior for his ability to anchor against double teams and even shed blockers to make tackles at the line of scrimmage. There isn't much pass-rush upside to his game, but that's clearly not what Penn State is prioritizing on the inside.
Lynn is keeping Penn State’s traditional four-down front. However, with Malloe, he’s looking for a very different type of player than previous defensive line coach Deion Barnes, who latched onto Shane Beamer’s staff at South Carolina. Barnes always favored undersized interior defensive tackles with great quickness to penetrate the backfield. Malloe wants space eaters who can hold their ground against double teams and allow the second level of the defense to play free.
Penn State achieved that transition by bidding Enai White, Randy Adirika, Kaleb Artis, Owen Wafle, Sam Siafa, and Xavier Gilliam adieu as they departed for the Transfer Portal and replaced them with five incoming veterans: 6-foot-5, 320-pound Keanu Williams, 6-foot-5 from UCLA, 290-pound Alijah Carnell from Iowa State, 6-foot-2, 290-pound Armstrong Nnodim from Oklahoma State, and 6-foot-2, 318-pound Dallas Vakalahi from Utah.
The 2027 additions of Paiva and 6-foot-3, 300-pound four-star Stanley Montgomery reinforce the new size thresholds in Happy Valley, and fit with the identity of Campbell’s first class at Penn State. He’s never recruited elite four and five-star talent before, and now that he has access like he never did as the head coach of Iowa State, Campbell isn’t abandoning his identity. Fit comes first and foremost with Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer.
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