Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell can't afford to not turn the recruitment pressure up with zero commits in the Class of 2027. He and his staff's effort is paying off bit by bit with an elite defensive end.
Penn State whiffs on 4-star DL, loses recruitment battle to Big Ten foe
Edge rusher Aidan O'Neil is a four-star recruit from the Class of 2027, ranking 127th overall in the class, 15th among edge rushers, and third among prospects from New Jersey, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
NEWS: Four-Star DL Aidan O’Neil is down to 7 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’5 250 DL from Montgomery, NY is ranked as a Top 3 Recruit in New Jersey (per Rivals)
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 27, 2026
Where Should He Go?⁰⁰https://t.co/C9xfebY9ZF pic.twitter.com/gDPvsRtFgZ
On Friday, March 27, Hayes Fawcett of On3 reported his top seven finalists. Penn State not only made the cut, but is favored to land his commitment as well.
In addition to the Nittany Lions, O'Neil has Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Texas A&M, and Notre Dame on his list of seven. Among his finalists, Penn State leads in landing the Ramsey, N.J. native (31.5 percent, per Rivals). The Wildcats and Fighting Irish are others with over a 10 percent chance at 16.1 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively.
The blue and white leading doesn't come as a shock. O'Neil told Blue White Illustrated that Penn State is recruiting him the hardest.
Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn has a defensive end room consisting mostly of players who are eligible to return after the 2026 season: redshirt juniors Mason Robinson, Bobby Mears, and Jordan Mayer, redshirt sophomores Max Granville and Aidan Probst, sophomores LaVar Arrington II, Yvan Kemajou, and Alexander McPherson, redshirt freshman Dayshaun Burnett, and freshman Jackson Ford.
O'Neil adds to the young talent on the roster in guys like Granville and Kemajou. In his high school junior year, he registered 54 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one safety.
Campbell said at the start of spring practices that Kemajou is a spectacular player. Finding those key players he can build his team around on both sides of the ball is essential for the head coach in his first couple of years. O'Neil can be one of those players for Campbell, as well as a talented one to build the rest of the Class of 2027 around.
O'Neil will be in Happy Valley over the weekend of June 12.