Son of LBU legend LaVar Arrington takes Penn State football official visit

James Franklin and Penn State football are set to welcome a recruit who has traveled a long distance, but comes from a lineage that is close to home for the program. This weekend, the Nittany Lions will host 2025 linebacker/defensive athlete LaVar Arrington II, son of the College Football Hall of Famer and Linebacker U icon, to town for his official visit.

From Charter Oak High School in California, Arrington is making his third visit to Happy Valley as a prospect. His previous two visits came earlier this year after he earned an offer from Penn State football in November.

#PennState has a nice recruiting weekend ahead!

Here are the Official Visitors for June 21-23: pic.twitter.com/1w7dT4hlCX

— TTJH Sports (@ttjhsports_) June 19, 2024

LaVar Arrington II is rated as a three-star recruit by both On3 and 247Sports. On3 ranks Arrington as the No. 39 linebacker in the 2025 recruiting cycle, while 247Sports grades him as the No. 61 athlete in the class.

In addition to returning to the campus where his father excelled, Arrington also visited UCLA (May 31) and Tennessee (June 14) during the summer recruiting window. While On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Nittany Lions in the lead, Arrington spoke highly of the Volunteers coming off his trip to Knoxville last weekend.

“I mean, it [the visit] helped them a lot, honestly,” Arrington said. “My main questions between picking football programs are if they have a good staff, a good education, and can they win?

“I know at Tennessee, they can win, since they are one of the top in the SEC. They have a really great coaching staff, and the academics speak for themselves.”

Penn State football looking to firm up 2025 recruiting class

© Dan Rainville/USA TODAY NETWORK

This weekend can also serve as an opportunity for Penn State football to make one final push following a whirlwind of a few weeks on the recruiting trail.

There’s been plenty of good, including commitments from four-star cornerbacks Daryus Dixson, Jahmir Joseph, and Antonio Branch in the last week and a half.

But there’s also been more than the Nittany Lions’ fair share of bad. Penn State missed on Michael Carroll and Kainoa Winston, elite prospects with notable ties to the program.

Most recently, the Nittany Lions lost the commitment of top 2025 running back Alvin Henderson, who flipped to Auburn on Friday afternoon.

With one last chance to make an impression before the summer dead period, James Franklin and his staff are looking to make this weekend count.

Penn State football sits with a top 15 class in the 2025 recruiting cycle, currently ranked 12th by 247Sports and 14th in On3.

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