Central Catholic’s Zachary Gleason commits to Penn State

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 2:57 PM

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One of Western Pennsylvania’s top returning cornerbacks plotted his future Tuesday, as Central Catholic junior Zachary Gleason made a verbal commitment to Penn State.

The three-star cornerback chose the Nittany Lions out of 29 offers, including Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Pitt, Rutgers, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and West Virginia, among others.

I’m home #WeAre 🦁🤍💙 https://t.co/0LVzLsH1Nl

— Zachary Gleason JR 3⭐️ (@ZacharyGleason_) March 31, 2026

Gleason (6-0, 170) had 45 tackles, including five for loss, as well as three interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a forced fumble last season. He also returned an interception for a touchdown and was named first-team all-conference in Class 6A for the back-to-back WPIAL champion and PIAA runner-up Vikings.

As a sophomore, Gleason made 27 tackles and had two interceptions.

Gleason visited Penn State this week for spring practice. He is ranked the No. 21 player in the state by 247Sports.

Gleason is the second player in the Class of 2027 to commit to the Nittany Lions, joining four-star DB Semajay Robinson.

Central Catholic teammate James Halter, an offensive lineman, is a Notre Dame commit.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic