Penn State has successfully flipped class of 2025 high-three-star athlete/linebacker Cameron Smith from Duke. Smith announced the news on Thursday.
Smith originally committed to the Blue Devils in February. Meanwhile, Penn State lost a commitment from four-star linebacker DJ McClary in June when he flipped his pledge from the Nittany Lions to Rutgers. With an opening at the linebacker position, PSU recently made a Smith a priority target and was ultimately able to get him to flip from Duke and join the Nittany Lions' 2025 recruiting class.
"The culture and standard at Penn State makes it a perfect fit," Smith told Rivals about his decision to flip to Penn State.
In late-July, Smith was in Happy Valley for Penn State's "Lasch Bash" event and that visit helped the Nittany Lions secure a pledge from Smith. The St. Joseph's Preparatory School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) standout has taken multiple other unofficial visits to PSU throughout his recruitment as well.
Smith took an official visit to see the Blue Devils during the weekend of May 31 and previously unofficially visited the program as well. Notably, Smith began building his relationship with Duke head coach Manny Diaz while Diaz was still the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Penn State, and that obviously carried over once Diaz took over in Durham. Additionally, Duke assistant head coach/special teams coordinator/defensive tackles Gabe Infante was the head coach at St. Joseph’s Prep from 2010 through 2018, so there was a strong connection to Smith's school as well.
With that said, the Nittany Lions made a strong enough push to pry Smith away from the Blue Devils. Now with Penn State, Smith will play under head coach James Franklin, defensive coordinator Tom Allen and the rest of the staff.
Smith currently ranks as the No. 13 player in the state of Pennsylvania and the No. 20 athlete in the 2025 cycle.
In addition to Penn State and Duke, Smith had scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Michigan, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Smith is athletic and versatile. He projects as a linebacker at the college level and has good speed and physicality. Smith has good ability when dropping into pass coverage, but is also aggressive and strong in run support.
As a junior in 2023, Smith recorded a team-high 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. Last season, Smith helped lead St. Joseph's Prep to its second-straight Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 6A state championship. It was the Hawks' eighth title in 11 years. Smith is also a U.S. Army All-American selection.
Off of the gridiron, Smith was a District 12 class 3A long jump champion in 2024.
With Smith joining the group, Penn State's 2025 class currently includes 24 total commitments and ranks No. 12 in the country.
Meanwhile, Duke's 2025 class shrinks down to 23 total commitments and ranks No. 34 in the country.
