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Penn State lands blue-chip commitment, flipping 4-star LB from ACC program

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Penn State added an in-state blue-chip prospect to its recruiting class at the cost of the Blue Devils.

Cameron Smith committed to Duke on Feb. 8. The Blue Devils hired former Penn State assistant Manny Diaz as its head coach after Mike Elko left to take the Texas A&M head coaching job.

While pledged to Duke, Smith continued to take visits, and the Philadelphia native decided that his heart is in Happy Valley.

Smith took to social media on Thursday to announce his flip from Duke to Penn State.

“I appreciate the opportunity that the coaches at Duke have given me and I still hold strong feelings about them but in the end l’ve decided to flip to Penn State as I believe it’s the spot most suited for me,” Smith wrote in a note posted to his X account.

“Grateful for my family, friends, coaches, and teammates for this next chapter. #WeARE”

Out of St. Joseph’s Prep School, Smith is listed as measuring 6-feet and 200 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, Smith is rated 4-stars, the No. 9 player in the state of Pennsylvania, No. 30 linebacker and No. 278 prospect overall in the Class of 2025.

Penn State and Duke are not the only programs to offer a scholarship to Smith. During his recruitment, Smith also received interest from Michigan, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Boston College, West Virgnia, UConn and Temple.

With Smith on board, Penn State now has 24 commitments in its 2025 recruiting class, which ranks No. 14 nationally on the Composite. Fans who don’t follow St. Joseph’s Prep can get a feel for what Smith brings to State College by checking out highlights from his junior season in the Hudl video below:

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.