Top Penn State target Carter Meadows earns five-star rating from On3
One of Penn State’s top targets in the Class of 2026 made a massive jump in the rankings Monday.
With the updated On300 set to be released at Noon ET, On3’s national team announced that Gonzaga edge rusher Carter Meadows has been named a five-star prospect, climbing all the way to No. 6 overall nationally. He was previously part of the On300 but was ranked No. 259 nationally prior to the update.
Listed at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Meadows earned an offer from the Nittany Lions in March 2024. He then camped at Penn State last June, attending a 7-on-7 & Big Man Challenge with his teammates. Since then, he’s been considered one of Deion Barnes’ top overall targets in the class.
“Carter Meadows made a huge move and is now a five-star,” said On3 Scouting Director Charles Power. “I think Meadows is one of the more physically impressive prospects in this cycle. He has elite measurables, but also, at his size, he has rare movement skills and flexibility. His ability to bend at 6-6, 225 is pretty unique.
“Right now, he’s more of a physical tools kind of projection. He’s a good player now and is active, but we would still like to see his production go up some and continue to improve. But also, he plays alongside another really good defensive end with Tyson Harley on his team. Of course, Gonzaga plays great competition, too. He’s facing a bunch of future Division I players.
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“But his traits are pretty rare and I think he has the frame to get up to 270 pounds and still be able to move and bend. His natural gifts stand out in a major way at a premium position. The more we looked at him and the more we watched him, including his basketball highlights, he was a definitive stock-up prospect at edge.”
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Meadows has been focused on basketball lately and elected to not take any visits in January. His last trip to Penn State was in October for the game against UCLA. Although a date hasn’t been locked in yet, Meadows informed On3 that he’s currently planning to return to State College in late March to watch spring practice. As Blue White Illustrated first reported last week, the Nittany Lions are set to begin practicing on March 25.
“The locker room at Penn State was great,” Meadows told On3’s Chad Simmons recently. “The players support each other. Coach Barnes has a great relationship [with them] and they all seem to work for each other there.”
Meadows is now the third player to earn a five-star rating in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. region for the Class of 2025. He’s the second-ranked edge rusher nationally because Zion Elee, who plays at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, is considered the No. 1 recruit in the nation. Offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho, who plays at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Md., is also considered a five-star prospect.
