David Tarawallie received his first FBS football offer on March 14, then a zero-star recruit from Painesville, Ohio, who caught the attention of Scott Satterfield’s Cincinnati Bearcats’ staff. Now, less than two months later, he’s a composite three-star, the 599th-ranked player in the 2027 class, and as of Thursday, a Penn State Nittany Lions commit.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound offensive lineman is on a meteoric rise through the recruiting rankings, and Matt Campbell was wise enough to send an offer his way on Wednesday. Just a day later, Tarawallie had pledged to come to Happy Valley.
100% Committed‼️ 🦁#weare @CoachMC_PSU @RyanClanton @CoachJSB_74 @CoachXQuig @DerekHoodjer @CoachGriff46 @AllenTrieu @TomLoy247 @PrepRedzoneOH @bryandoberdruk @mccaleb_ma62883 pic.twitter.com/wu5dsy0rdS
— David Tarawallie 3⭐️ (@Dtarawallie09) May 7, 2026
Tarawallie still has official visits scheduled for Michigan State, Cincinnati, USF, and Wake Forest this spring, but it’s hard to imagine a player who committed a day after receiving his offer from Penn State would be on flip watch throughout that process.
Penn State lands 3-star OT recruit David Tarawallie a day after offering him
Tarwallie is a developmental recruit. Despite his expedient ascent through the recruiting industry, he’ll need some time to add weight to his lean and lengthy frame before he’s ready to contribute at the collegiate level. However, if he’s able to retain his impressive athleticism and athletic feet when he does weigh closer to 300 pounds, his upside is tremendous.
Last season, Tarawallie played at 245 pounds, and he looks it on tape. He plays about how you would expect for an offensive tackle of that build; he’s impressive in space and has good bend, but he can struggle to anchor in pass protection, and doesn’t always knock defenders off their spot in the run game. The good news is that both of those problems would be solved with additional mass and strength.
Matt Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer have always had an eye for developmental recruits like Tarawallie. Running a program like Iowa State, they had no choice but to take on projects, and Campbell’s staff had consistent success turning them into reliable Power Conference starters and even sending them to the NFL.
Campbell and Hoodjer clearly haven’t changed their recruiting philosophy, but with the additional resources at their disposal in Happy Valley, they’ll have a much higher hit rate landing these types of recruits. When you’re expected to be in the blue-chip business, you can’t take too many high-upside developmental swings, but if they pick their spots wisely, as it seems they have with Tarawallie, they’ll have an intriguing mix of immediate impact, high school talent, and long-term projects in the pipeline.
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