Penn State has been putting a big emphasis on the Class of 2028 in recent weeks, with plenty more offers sent out and numerous official visits planned. They continued looking ahead to the future this week, as they try to make their biggest recruiting splash in the Matt Campbell era.
Ryan Snyder of On3 Sports announced that the Nittany Lions offered five-star defensive end Cassell Cruickshank. The blue-chip prospect is from North Carolina, a state that Penn State doesn’t have much real estate or expertise in, but they couldn’t turn down the chance to make a run at a recruit who is gaining a ton of steam.
Penn State has offered 2028 DE and potential five-star Cassell Cruickshank from North Carolina.@Rivals - https://t.co/R27pXgFrRZ https://t.co/s20qcmMDpc
— Ryan Snyder (@RyanSnyderOn3) August 17, 2026
Cruickshank is currently listed as the No. 2 edge rusher in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite ranking, and No. 8 among all players. The Nittany Lions haven’t been in on a player of this caliber yet under Campbell, so hopefully they have intel that made them believe there’s a strong chance of landing Cruickshank.
It won’t be an easy feat because there are some juggernauts in play for the five-star recruit. Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Indiana — all top-10 teams on the preseason AP Poll — have all sent in offers as well.
Penn State should do everything in their power to get the talented edge rusher in the building for this year’s White Out game and hope that can put them over the top. It’s worked on a ton of recruits in the past, and hopefully it would work on Cruickshank too. This is an exciting move for Penn State fans — one that they hope pays off in a big way.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State joins chase for 5-star EDGE in 2028
