Penn State picks up commitment from 4-star edge rusher Tyson Harley

Washington (DC) Gonzaga four-star edge rusher Tyson Harley announced his commitment to Penn State on Saturday.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Harley chose to play his college football in State College over his other finalists in Rutgers, Maryland, Michigan State and Virginia Tech.

”What’s makes it a great place is the coaches, players and an amazing atmosphere with the fans and supporters,” Harley said.

Harley becomes commit No. 25 for head coach James Franklin and his staff in the 2026 cycle and the second of the day joining four-star offensive tackle Marlen Bright.

”The love my family and I have received from the coaching staff and players every time we step foot on campus. It also has great education and great development especially for my position.”

Harley ranks as the nation’s No. 24 edge and No. 186 prospect overall. He loves how successful the program has been. The culture also stood out.

”The relationship the players and coaches have built is so strong that the coaches spend time helping them develop and the players trusting what they coaches are teaching. Also the amazing atmosphere by the fans.”

Penn State has been trending since his June visit

Harley took his official visit to Penn State the weekend of June 6.

“The experience there was amazing,” Harley said. He has also been on campus for games in the past. “I felt the love from the coaching staff and even bonded with the players easily. What excites me is how their coaching staff develops players yearly into great football players.”

Harley also spoke highly of his experience to BlueWhite Illustrated’s Sean Fitz.

“I thought the visit was great,” said Harley. “I was hoping to see the brotherhood between the players and it matched my expectations. You could see that all the players had genuine love for one another.”

Scouting edge rusher Tyson Harley

The new Penn State commit finished his junior campaign with 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks on the season, earning All-WCAC honors in the process.

“I like Tyson Harley a lot,” Rivals Director of Scouting Charles Power told Fitz. “He’s more productive than Carter Meadows. I think he’s got a good combination of athleticism, while also still having a good frame to fill out. He’s more of a developmental guy, physically, compared to Meadows, but he’s got a lot that you look for with his athleticism and frame. He was productive against a very good competition. Gonzaga is playing some of the best competition in the region, and he was really productive.”