The son of a Penn State legend is following in his father’s footsteps.
LaVar Arrington II committed to the Nittany Lions’ 2025 recruiting class on Thursday. The son of Penn State great LaVar Arrington announced his decision on social media.
Arrington II is a three-star linebacker from Charter Oak High School in Covina, Calif. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect is ranked as high as the No. 39 linebacker in the country, per on3.
Arrington II picked James Franklin and the Nittany Lions over offers from 15 other schools, including Michigan, Missouri and Oregon. Arrington II took three visits last month: UCLA, Tennessee and Penn State — and the Nittany Lions won out.
This is a win for the Nittany Lions to not only bring in a legacy prospect, but a linebacker with potential. Penn State wanted another linebacker in the 2025 class after losing D.J. McClary, who flipped to Rutgers last month. Arrington II is the third linebacker in the class, joining Alex Tatsch and Dayshaun Burnett, who might ultimately move to defensive end.
Arrington II is the 21st member of Penn State’s vaunted 2025 recruiting class, which ranks as high as No. 6 nationally on Rivals. Arrington II is the 10th player to commit to Penn State’s class in the last month, continuing an impressive run for Franklin and his staff.
Penn State film review: What Lions are getting in top 2025 recruit Daryus Dixson
You can typically count on some Fourth of July fireworks from Penn State on the recruiting trail each year. And whether that’s the case in 2024, we’re diving deeper into the Nittany Lions’ 2025 recruiting class with another film review.
Penn State’s top recruit thus far, cornerback Daryus Dixson, was a massive win for plenty of reasons.
He’s obviously a highly talented player, considering his high four-star status and his ranking as the nation’s 12th-best cornerback, according to the 247Sports composite. But when Dixson committed on June 10, he became just the second California prospect ever added by Penn State coach James Franklin.
Dixson hails from national high school powerhouse Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California.
Dixson may have started a domino effect, too, as Penn State added class of 2026 quarterback Troy Huhn from California last week. Is the Big Ten’s West Coast expansion changing Penn State’s recruiting footprint?
Either way, Dixson is a star in the making. He has the measurables, standing at 6-foot and 180 pounds with a massive wingspan. Dixson also runs track, honing his speed in the offseason.
You can find all of Dixson’s public highlights on his Hudl page, but we’ll focus on his junior season from 2023.
Ball skills
The first two clips of Dixson’s highlight reels show him pulling down interceptions, two of the three he had in 2023, according to MaxPreps.
In the first, he takes advantage of a bit of a miscommunication between the opposing quarterback and receiver, as the throw looks intended for a quick hitch route, but the receiver runs a deep go. Still, from deep man coverage, he reads the quarterback’s eyes and accelerates through the throw, finishing the interception for an easy touchdown.
In the second, he is once again in deep man coverage as the receiver runs a go route. It’s an underthrown pass, but as he already began to swivel his hips to chase the route, he shows some high-level agility and adjustment to position for the pass. He then wins positioning against the receiver without interfering and makes an impressive leaping grab while falling to the sideline.
Physicality
Dixson plays a lot of man coverage at Mater Dei, and many of his highlights come when he’s giving ample cushion to the receiver. But when he’s asked to press up to the line of scrimmage, he’s extremely physical off the ball.
At the 40-second mark, he presses a receiver near the goal line, and with one jab of his hands, derails the route and knocks the receiver to the ground. The quarterback then has to throw the ball away, and it was fairly close to another Dixson interception.
While they might not be as glamorous as an interception or a leaping pass breakup, run-stopping highlights are aplenty for Dixson. Mater Dei lines him up closer to a linebacker or brings him off the edge for a blitz. At the 2-minute timestamp, he comes from a linebacker spot to blitz between the offensive tackle and guard, sniffing out a run in the backfield. He also runs his feet well through contact to finish the tackle with some help from his teammates.
Dixson makes all the plays you want to see in a corner, breaking up passes left and right, making tackles in open field and capitalizing on interceptions when they’re available. He also covers a ton of ground to track down deflections and knocks the ball loose from a receivers grip on a number of occasions.
Dixson’s a strong defender in man coverage, which Penn State has played often in recent years, and his measurables are ideal. He’ll fit in well with Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith when he gets to Happy Valley.
