Penn State Stays Hot in Defensive Line Recruiting

The Lions receive a commitment from 4-star prospect T.A. Cunningham, bolstering their 2024 class.

Penn State is on a defensive recruiting roll, landing highly ranked lineman on consecutive days. On Saturday, 4-star prospect T.A. Cunningham committed to the Lions' 2024 recruiting class, joining fellow 4-star lineman Liam Andrews, who announced his decision Friday.

Cunningham, who will play his senior season at Miami Central High in Florida, is a top-30 defensive lineman in the state and a top-300 player nationally, according to 247Sports. Cunningham (6-6, 275) had condensed a huge offer list to five schools: Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Miami and Texas A&M. Cunningham has traveled a lot of ground in his high school career, which began in Georgia before moving to California and now Miami.

Cunningham transferred last year from Cobbs Creek High in Georgia to Los Alamitos High, where he initially could not play. The California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section did not approve Cunningham's eligibility until five weeks into the season. A lawsuit filed on Cunningham's behalf by a marketing agency sought to overturn the federation's decision. According to ESPN, a judge initially denied the injunction. ESPN ranks Cunningham 116h among its top 300 players.

Penn State has been on roll in recruiting defensive linemen this summer. Since the June visit period ended, the Lions have received commitments from four players, all defensive linemen. That list includes Mylachi Williams, a top-10 prospect in Pennsylvania. Little wonder that Penn State associate head coach Terry Smith, the team's defensive recruiting coordinator, has called defensive line coach Deion Barnes a factor in recruiting.

"He's been a fast learner," Smith said. "Deion is in the building at 6:30 a.m,, trying to be a sponge to learn as much as he can."

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