Oh, Hello: Four-Star South Dakota TE Cooper Terwilliger Commits To Penn State

THE SKINNY

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4.5, 215 pounds
Hometown/High School: Pierre, South Dakota (T.F. Riggs H.S.)
Ranking: ★★★★ (90 Rivals — No. 239 overall, No. 11 tight end)
Notable Offers: Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee

HIGHLIGHTS

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OUTLOOK

Once again, Matt Campbell and his staff’s ties to the Midwest and Great Plains pays off with the commitment of four-star tight end Cooper Terwilliger. Cooper’s older brother, Owen, played at Iowa State under Campbell so there’s some strong family ties here that bring the Pierre, SD native all the way to Happy Valley.

Despite the familial ties, this is an impressive win for Matt Campbell, Taylor Mouser, and the rest of the staff. Terwilliger has an offer from some very big time SEC schools (Tennessee, Georgia, A&M, etc.) and basially had his pick from the old Big Ten West schools, with Nebraska in particular at one point looking like it led in his recruitment. It was Notre Dame though who was the other finalist. So Penn State didn’t land Terwilliger without a fight.

On the field, Terwilliger might have the build right now of a receiving tight end, but make no mistake about it, he’s about as classic to your in-line tight end as you will get in modern college football. Not to say he doesn’t have recruiting chops — he really flashes plays down the seam of the defense — but Terwilliger is a willing blocker that will be just as helpful in the running game as he will be in the passing game.

With Terwilliger’s commitment, Penn State’s 7-man 2027 class jumps up to the 19th ranked class in the country, according to Rivals.