Penn State’s impressive recruiting surge is still going after James Franklin and his coaching staff added yet another sought-after defensive lineman to their 2025 class.
Randy Adirika, a four-star prospect from Miami Central (Fla.), verbally committed to the Nittany Lions’ 2025 class Tuesday. He projects as a defensive tackle at the next level.
Adirika, who stands at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, is ranked as high as the No. 132 overall prospect and the No. 6 defensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to Rivals.
Adirika picked Penn State amid interest from Miami. With the December signing period far away, the Hurricanes might still be players for the 18th-ranked prospect from Florida. But Adirika, who also had offers from USC, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky among others, chose the Nittany Lions.
Adirika joins his high school teammate, quarterback Bekkem Kritza, in Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class. Kritza, who committed last November while at Fairview High School in Colorado, transferred to Miami Central and will play for the Rockets this fall.
Adirika is the latest highly touted defensive lineman to commit to Penn State. Coming out of June’s final official visit weekend, Franklin and his staff secured three defensive end commits in a four-day stretch: Cortez Harris, Max Granville and Jayden Woods.
Woods (No. 167 overall) and Granville (No. 198) are the second- and third-highest rated prospects in Penn State’s class, per 247 Sports. Harris was a good regional get, nabbing the edge rusher out of Riverdale Baptist (Md.). Add in previously committed Imani Christian defender Dayshaun Burnett, who could play linebacker or off the edge at the next level, and it looks like defensive line coach Deion Barnes might be set at DE in the 2025 class.
But work needed to be done on the interior. Adirika is the Nittany Lions’ first defensive tackle commit in the 2025 cycle. To beat out Miami for his commitment was significant.
Penn State now has 22 verbal commits in its 2025 class. According to Rivals, the class ranked No. 7 nationally and second in the Big Ten after Adirika’s commitment.
