Penn State lands commitment from New Jersey running back Chukwuma Odoh

Penn State set out for a pair of running backs in the Class of 2027, and over the span of a few days, the Nittany Lions have accomplished that goal. First-year running backs coach Savon Huggins landed South Carolina four-star back Aiden Gibson on Tuesday, and on Wednesday evening, he locked down New Jersey running back Chukwuma Odoh. 

Odoh announced for the Nittany Lions on Thursday afternoon, from a list of scholarship offers that also included Auburn, Duke, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State, Wisconsin and others. He’s the 17th commitment for the Nittany Lions in the cycle, as the program came into the day with the No. 14 class in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings. 

“I feel like going there and being coached by Savon, he’s the guy that can get me to where I want to be,” Odoh told BWI. “He’s the guy that I think will develop me the best when it comes to the player I want to be. 

“But also, they just have so many great people there. From Savon to Coach [Matt] Campbell to all the guys on their staff, I know they care about me outside of football and as a person.”

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The 6-foot, 220-pound Odoh was last on campus in April for a Penn State practice. He sat down with Campbell and got an idea of how the Nittany Lions would develop him at the next level. 

“He has a very extensive resume with what he has done in his past and he has a lot of plans for the future of Penn State,” said Odoh. “I also met with Coach Huggins where he told me what he likes in a running back then he showed me how I fit that. He really showed me how much I’m wanted.” 

Odoh missed four games this past season, but still rushed for 930 yards on 121 carries, good for a 7.6 yard average. He also scored 14 touchdowns for Paramus. Odoh started his high school career at St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison, N.J., before transferring into Paramus Catholic for his junior season.  He clocked a 10.86-second 100-meter dash time over the weekend to win the Bergen County Championships. 

A three-star prospect by Rivals, Odoh is currently ranked as the No. 55 running back nationally and the No. 26 prospect in New Jersey.