Penn State football's official visit weekend is slowly but surely panning out to be a success.
Over the weekend, the Nittany Lions hosted 26 recruits on campus, seven of which were uncommitted. They have yet to announce their verbal commitments still, but Penn State commitments for two prospects seem to be on the horizon. Four-star wide receiver Khalil Taylor is one of them, who also canceled his remaining official visits as experts logged their predictions.
The other is three-star safety Caleb Cooper.
Cooper is ranked No. 844 nationally and No. 66 among undesignated athletes in the Class of 2027. He's also ranked No. 30 out of North Carolina, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Cooper is listed at No. 77 in his position, per Rivals Industry Rankings.
National recruiting analyst Brian Dohn logged his expert prediction on Saturday, June 6 for the Nittany Lions to land Cooper. Tyler Calvaruso of Lions247 and Nick Osen of Badgers247 also submitted predictions in favor of the blue and white.
Two Rivals insiders also project Cooper to commit to Penn State. Head coach Matt Campbell currently has an 89.3 percent chance at landing the safety with Virginia Tech behind with a 3.1 percent chance. Wisconsin is the other program Cooper has in his top three, but it is in a similar position as the Hokies with the Nittany Lions looking to cross the finish line soon.
247Sports Brian Dohn has put in a Crystal Ball for PSU to land 3 ⭐️ 6’0 205 S Caleb Cooper 🔮
— PSU Recruiting (@PSUNationRec) June 7, 2026
Cooper just came off his official visit yesterday pic.twitter.com/f4ISpRngsE
Penn State lands expert prediction for three-star safety Caleb Cooper commitment following official visit
Assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith has driven recruitment, especially among defensive backs alongside coach Deon Broomfield. However, cornerbacks are still making up a majority of that volume right now.
Cooper was the only safety on campus over the weekend, but was joined by cornerbacks Kei'Shjuan Telfair, Semajay Robinson, Ka'ron Ceasar, and Zachary Gleason Jr. Three-star safety commit Jonathan Galette is scheduled to be in Happy Valley on June 12-14. Aside from Galette, though, the Nittany Lions do not have another safety committed in this cycle.
Looking at Penn State's roster, the blue and white will be definitely without Jashaun Green, Jeremiah Cooper, and Jamison Patton in 2026. If Marcus Neal Jr. opts to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft after his junior campaign, the Nittany Lions will be down another key safety in the backfield.
It's not a position room Campbell is desperately in need of strengthening in comparison to others for this recruitment cycle at least, but it's still something to keep in mind. Ibn McDaniels, Omarion Davis, and Vaboue Toure are all elgible to return after next season, and the incoming freshmen have yet to prove themselves.
Cooper is definitely a name to know and a target for Penn State to prioritize. In 2025, he totaled 97 tackles, six passes defended, five tackles for loss, and one interception. He was a starter for Providence Day School and earned a first team All-Conference selection and first team All-State selection.
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