Penn State picks up new commitment from DL Stanley Montgomery

Penn State continues to build out its Class of 2027. Announcing his decision on Thursday afternoon, Rivals four-star defensive lineman Stanley Montgomery picked the Nittany Lions over finalists that included Kentucky, Virginia, and Northwestern, each of whom had official visits planned with Montgomery this spring.

Texas A&M was also being tossed around as a potential official visit destination, but the latest intel has Penn State and Kentucky duking it out for the top spot. 

Matt Campbell visited Montgomery at his school to offer back in January, and Montgomery returned to Penn State unofficially two weeks ago. There, he watched practice and hit it off with defensive tackles coach Ikaika Malloe. 

“Coach Malloe has a very unique approach to teaching D-line, but it’s really proving to be effective, which I like,” Montgomery said. When asked if him and Malloe have meshed well in recent months, he added, “Yeah, I believe so. When speaking to him one-on-one, he is very personable and he’s the same way with his current players.”

Stanley Montgomery sees profile rise

The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder has watched his recruiting profile rise in the last four months.

He now checks in as the No. 100 overall prospect in the Class of 2027 and the No. 9 defensive lineman nationally according to the Rivals Industry rankings. He’s the No. 7 prospect in Pennsylvania as well. He saw a jump in the latest Rivals rankings release, as he now checks in at No. 104 overall and the No. 10 defensive lineman nationally. By Rivals, he’s the No. 5 prospect in the Keystone State. 

Montgomery was a First-Team All-Catholic selection on both the offensive and defensive lines in 2025. He finished the season with 45 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Archbishop Ryan finished the year 9-3 and won the Philly Catholic League’s Blue Division. 

Penn State climbs in team rankings

The ascent in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the Class of 2027 continued for head coach Matt Campbell and the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday afternoon. Stanley Montgomery, a four-star defensive lineman out of Philadelphia’s Archbishop Ryan, announced his pledge via social media channels.

He picked Penn State from a group of finalists that also included Kentucky, Virginia, and Northwestern following a decommitment from Syracuse in February. 

As a result of that selection, Penn State moved from No. 16 in the Rivals Industry Rankings to No. 14 in the updated tally. The Nittany Lions have 13 total commitments in the class, with Montgomery making the fourth four-star. He’s joined by nine three-stars, with the average rating for the class checking in at 87.85 and an overall team score of 90.535.

The news gives Penn State the fifth-best class in the Big Ten behind Southern Cal (No. 4 overall), Ohio State (No. 5), Oregon (No. 6), and Nebraska (No. 13). Other conference competitors currently in the Top 25 include Washington at No. 17, Wisconsin at No. 20, UCLA at No. 22, and Michigan at No. 25.

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