4-star recruit suddenly considering Penn State with Matt Campbell in place

Penn State football hired former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions are quickly reaping the benefits of it. Their recruitment went down the drain after firing incoming Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin with four- and five-stars making their exits one after another, hour by hour, and day by day.

Matt Campbell’s Iowa State recruiting class can salvage Penn State’s signing day disaster

Now with a head coach in place, things are looking up for Penn State with its Class of 2027, specifically. On Sunday, Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports posted on Twitter/X that the Nittany Lions have a great shot at landing athlete Cooper Ohnmacht.

Ohnmacht is a four-star recruit that's ranked 353rd in the country and 21st among unspecified athletes, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He is also the No. 2 recruit out of Kansas. So far, five schools extended offers to the Great Bend native. Alongside Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas State, and Kansas is Iowa State.

Of the five, Ohnmacht only took an unofficial visit to the Golden Gophers. However, the latest update on his status and interest [roves the Cyclones were on his radar. Specifically, Campbell was. He was the one who gave Ohnmacht his first Power Four offer back in March. the other four got started in September with the Jayhawks giving him his second offer.

Listed as a wide receiver, Ohnmacht can play on both sides of the ball.

In 2024, he had 35 receptions for 466 yards and six touchdowns. He had a kick return touchdown as well. In 2023, he had seven receptions for 119 yards and three kick return touchdowns. On defense, Ohnmacht has 54 tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, three interceptions, and two picks ran back for a touchdown in his two high school seasons combined.

With interest in Penn State already brewing from young recruits, Campbell has an opportunity to recruit hard in the Class of 2027 and rally as many as possible. The Class of 2026 is something that needs a quick start before his opportunity fades away, but Campbell can make a great case for the class of high school juniors as he embarks on his first season as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

With an intriguing 2026 schedule that can at least land them a bowl game in his debut for the blue and white, Campbell has a good chance at rebuilding Penn State very fast.