Penn State football acquires overseas pledge after Irish kicker has an impressive camp performance

Penn State football special team coordinator Justin Lustig just received a commitment from a kicker out of Northern Ireland. During the Nittany Lions' final summer camp of the season, Lustig witnessed the latest commit put on a consistent and impressive performance.

Adam McCann-Gibbs hopped on Lustig's radar back in May when new program special teams analyst Allen Tucker made the decision to contact the overseas player. International players aren't new to Tucker, who coached Irish kicker Paddy McAteer at his latest stint at Troy. He also coached current Penn State wide receiver Devonte Ross as a punt and kick returner when he was with the Trojans.

McAteer was coached by Tadhg Leader, an Irish kicking coach who also worked with the newest Nittany Lion commit. McCann-Gibbs announced his commitment on Saturday with excitement, especially given Penn State is the only school he has been in contact with.

In his post, he nodded to Leader's coaching, writing, "This would not have been possible without @TadhgLeader, allowing me to make this dream come true. LeaderKicking changing lives."

His background, according to On3's BlueWhite Illustrated, is primarily in soccer and Gaelic Football. Last April, McCann-Gibbs started kicking in American football.

Though he's listed as unranked on 247Sports, the commit attended Kohl's Kicking Training Camp in January and was rated the No. 22 kicker and No. 36 punter in the Kohl's class rankings. McCann-Gibbs also received a five-star kicker rating and 4.5-star punter rating after the event.

This will be a good addition for the Nittany Lions. Not only will McCann-Gibbs be with a team who has overseas connections in Tucker but he'll be essential in rerouting the special teams group after punter Riley Thompson finishes his final season with the Nittany Lions in 2025-26. The only other class of 2026 special teams player that was extended an offer was Harran Zureikat, but he opted to take his talents to Georgia.

McCann-Gibbs' Kohl's scouting report read:

"McCann-Gibbs is a very talented 17-year-old player from Ireland. He scored 106.3 points in punting, 114.15 points on kickoffs, and 11/15 points at a windy Spring Ranking Event in March of 2025. McCann-Gibbs demonstrates D1 talent and has a lot of upside as a kicker who can also punt. McCann-Gibbs is very mature for his age and should be heavily recruited in the coming months!"

This is the first time Penn State signs a special teams player since the class of 2022's Alex Bacchetta. McCann-Gibbs is also the only international player who will be on the football team, but overseas recruiting isn't new to Penn State Athletics. Whether basketball or hockey, the Nittany Lions improved their recruitment strategies with student-athletes outside of America and found success doing so. McCann-Gibbs is only the first for Penn State football to get started.