Penn State football got its first class of 2026 commitment of the month on July 5 when three-star offensive tackle Marlen Bright made his announcement. Now the Nittany Lions received another commitment, this time on the other side of the ball.
Four-star edge rusher Tyson Harley announced that he'd take his talents to Happy Valley following Bright's decision. Harley is the No. 306 overall recruit from the class and No. 32 overall edge. Out of Washington D.C., he's the No. 2 ranked recruit. As a junior at Gonzaga High School, he recorded 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Harley was one of Penn State's top remaining recruits from this cycle, and after a shaky end to June and slow start to July, his commitment was certainly needed to get the Nittany Lions back in the game. Penn State's class of 2026 ranking dropped drastically given its poor recruitment outcomes as of late. It used to sit seventh overall, but plummetted to No. 14.
Edge rusher Tyson Harley commits to Penn State
Back in January, Harley received an offer from Penn State following seven schools that extended one back in 2024. On Nov. 2 before receiving an offer, he took an unofficial visit to Happy Valley and went back again on March 29 after receiving nine more offers. During the official visit season, Harley scheduled with his final five schools: Rutgers, Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland, and Virginia Tech.
“I thought the visit was great,” Harley said, according to BlueWhite Illustrated. “I was hoping to see the brotherhood between the players, and it matched my expectations. You could see that all the players had genuine love for one another.”
According to Pro Football Network, Harley resembles traits that former Nittany Lion and current New York Giant Abdul Carter had. College football analyst Landon Tengwell said that Harley's athleticism, movement, and ability to chase down the quarterback is similar to Carter.
"That’s what I like to see most in these young defensive ends,” Tengwall said. “[Defensive line coach] Deion Barnes can fix the other things. He can fix the technical side of it, work those hands.”
The D.C. native joins four-star Jackson Ford as the pair of edge rusher in Penn State's 2026 recruitment class. Ford announced his commitment on June 27. Harley also joins other defensemen five-star safety Matt Sieg, four-star linebackers Terry Wiggins and Elijah Littlejohn, three-star safety Darrell Carey, three-star defensive linemen Isaac Chukwurah and Alexander Haskell, three-star cornerbacks Julian Peterson, Amauri Polydor, and Jaziel Hart, and three-star linebacker Mathieu Lamah.