Penn State recruiting stays hot, picks up commitment from four-star LB Blake Betton

When Matt Campbell got the head coaching job at Penn State, he brought some of his best recruiting relationships with him to Happy Valley. Among the first players to answer the call was Shakopee (Minn.) linebacker Blake Betton, who quickly set up his first trip in January. Betton returned for his second visit this weekend, and he saw enough to join Campbell’s Class of 2027. 

Betton is Penn State’s sixth pledge in the cycle and the first linebacker in the class. 

“The whole coaching staff and what they were for me at Iowa State — they showed how much they really cared about me,” Betton told On3 of his commitment. 

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect chose the Nittany Lions over scholarship offers from Auburn, Arizona State, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. This spring, he checked out all but Auburn and Minnesota for unofficial visits. Penn State had previously set up an official visit with Betton for the summer. 

A four-star prospect by Rivals, Betton is the No. 27 linebacker nationally and the No. 3 prospect in Minnesota in the Class of 2027. The Rivals Industry rankings have him as the No. 33 linebacker nationally and the No. 4 prospect in the state. 

The ‘S’ Zone – Who could be next to commit to Penn State?

Penn State’s linebackers coach duo of Tyson Veidt and Dan Connor and Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn impressed Betton and his family when they visited back in January. 

“They’re all good men. When you can share laughs, it makes it comfortable. Yeah, we’re talking football, but there are other parts of life that come out during these visits. With them, it was all genuine,” said Betton’s father, Ray Betton. “Some of their coaches had their kids around throughout the day. They were introducing us to their kids. It really had that family feel, which was really cool.”

Betton is a top target at linebacker for Penn State, who also remains in the thick of things for Oklahoma four-star Case Alexander, Philadelphia standout Brandon Lockley and Virginia product Tyson Washington. All three have visited in recent weeks. 

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