The state of Virginia has been a very fruitful recruiting territory for Penn State.
Over the last three seasons, Penn State has landed seven recruits from Virginia, which is very impressive considering there are two Power Four programs in the state.
Virginia natives Alex Birchmeier, Mathias Barnwell, Anthony Donkoh, Tony Rojas, Carmelo Taylor, Kaveion Keys and Matt Henderson have all committed to the Nittany Lions, and the coaching staff hopes Carter Scruggs will join them.
Scruggs is a 2026 four-star offensive tackle from Leesburg, Va., and on Sunday, the 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle was in State College, Pa. for an unofficial visit.
Scruggs was one of a couple of hundred kids participating in the Penn State Elite Prospects Camp, a camp designed for recruits to showcase their skills to the coaching staff.
“I really wanted to just go out there and get coached by Coach Trautwein and to keep building my relationship with the coaching staff,” Scruggs told Nittany Sports Now. “I think the day went really well. I had surgery recently, so I wasn’t able to do too much, but the things that I was able to do, I thought I did pretty well.
“There was one drill called ‘Big Bertha’ where you hit this big punching bag. That was a unique drill and there were a few other unique drills I did, so I like that.”
Courtesy Carter Scruggs
Relationships and familiarity are key elements when a high school player is trying to decide on a future school. Although it’s early, it sure sounds like Scruggs is developing something strong with the Penn State staff.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“The coaching staff is awesome,” said Scruggs. “They really make me feel like family, they feel like real genuine people. I have a great relationship with them.”
Scruggs knows that his eventual commitment will be a very difficult decision to make considering the quality programs that are in pursuit of him.
“Some key things for me will be academics, definitely,” said Scruggs. “Also, their history of developing players and the school has to be able to compete for a national championship.”
Rivals ranks Scruggs as the 136th-ranked recruit in the class of 2026, and he holds offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oregon, Pitt, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
“I’ll be at Ohio State on the 13th and Michigan on the 19th and then Georgia after that,” Scruggs said.
When asked which schools are pursuing him the hardest at this time, Scruggs mentioned Penn State, Alabama and Michigan.
“I’m definitely going to take my time with my decision and will probably decide by the end of my junior year,” Scruggs said.
