Penn State makes the top 6 for elite in-state EDGE rusher with intense competition

Pennsylvania is loaded with top high school talent in the 2027 class, and that presents Matt Campbell with a golden opportunity to lay the foundation of a championship team in his first year at Penn State. However, it also presents the tremendously difficult task of adjusting to elite-level recruiting after a career of developing underrecruited players at Toledo and Iowa State. 

Campbell has never landed a five-star prospect and has a limited number of four-star recruiting wins on his resume. That should change quickly; in fact, it needs to for Penn State to reach the heights under Campbell, it couldn’t under James Franklin. 

On Wednesday, Campbell got a positive update from one of the state’s top recruits in 2027, four-star edge rusher Abraham Sesay, who named the Nittany Lions among his top six finalists. With the official visit season approaching in the spring, Penn State appears positioned well for Sesay’s commitment, but it’s far from a guarantee with heavy hitters still in the mix. 

Matt Campbell needs to turn the tide with Abraham Sesay after Notre Dame prediction

Sesay included Penn State along with Notre Dame, Duke, Florida State, Miami, and South Carolina in his top six. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound edge from Downingtown East High School in Exton, Pennsylvania, is the 72nd-ranked player in the country according to 247Sports Composite, and the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania. 

Sesay still needs to develop his body and add weight to his lengthy frame to dominate as a pass-rusher at the next level, but he’s a multi-sport athlete with experience on the basketball court and the track, which have obviously helped to hone his raw athleticism. 

Though he's not a finished product, Sesay does a good job of converting speed to power as a rusher, and his junior season tape displays impressive physicality off the edge. As with most high school juniors, Sesay still needs to build out a more complex repertoire as a pass-rusher, but despite not being much of a technician, he’s a formidable force. 

Two of the top 10 players in Pennsylvania have already committed elsewhere: five-star running back Kemon Spell to Georgia and four-star offensive tackle James Halter to Notre Dame, so Campbell must start locking down the in-state class. However, Steve Wiltfong of On3 has logged a prediction for Sesay to join Halter in Notre Dame's 2027 class.

Six players from Pennsylvania are in the 247Sports Composite top 100, and the top 12 players in the state for 2027 are all top 300 players nationally.