Matt Campbell and Penn State get massive recruiting news from elite in-state DL target

Four-star defensive lineman Stanley Montgomery was a must-get recruit for Matt Campbell and Penn State and the mission was accomplished Thursday.

Montgomery, a Philadelphia prospect, became the 13th member of the Nittany Lions' 2027 recruiting class, choosing Penn State over offers from a final group that included Kentucky, Virginia and Northwestern. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder had previously been pledged to Syracuse, but backed away from that commitment in early February.

Montgomery took his first visit to State College for a junior day event at the end of January. That visit set the stage for Thursday's commitment. He left the campus impressed with what Campbell and his staff were trying to build and bowed out of the Orange's class a few days later. Montgomery returned to State College for a spring visit, which appeared to seal the deal.

4-star DL Stanley Montgomery commits to Penn State

Montgomery told Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports that the positive culture Campbell was building within the football building was hard to ignore.

"They were all great people," Montgomery said. "I had good conversations with them and learned as well. I was able to learn about the new culture they're building, what they're looking for in players and how I would help them. The biggest thing that stood out was the new coaching staff and this new culture they're building."

Montgomery has an official visit to Penn State scheduled for June 5. He also has officials scheduled to the other three schools in his final group, but there's no word on if he will still take those. 

Campbell has been on an incredible recruiting run for the past 30–45 days. All 13 of the Nittany Lions' commitments have come since the end of March and Montgomery is the highest-rated of the bunch. He's the second projected defensive lineman in the class, joining three-star prospect Carter Blattner out of New Jersey. Campbell has also generally stuck to the traditional Penn State recruiting hotbeds, landing nine commitments from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland or Ohio. 

Penn State currently has one of the top-rated classes in the country, coming in at No. 5 overall in 247Sports' rankings. 

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