PIERRE — Cooper Terwilliger’s ties to Iowa State’s previous coaching staff helped lead to his commitment to Penn State.

The Pierre High School junior announced his verbal commitment to play college football at Penn State on April 13, capping off a two-year relationship with coach Matt Campbell. Campbell took over as Penn State’s head football coach in December 2025, and continued recruiting Terwilliger after first offering the Pierre Governor in April 2024. 

“I had a great relationship with them at Iowa State,” Terwilliger said. “They were my first offer and they have been recruiting me for over a year, coming on two years now and they had gone to Penn State, and I had a couple great visits and everything felt right. I matched up well with the staff and the school and everything that I am looking for in my college experience career.”

Terwilliger, a four-star tight end, originally announced in October 2025 his final four schools of Iowa State, Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska. But Campbell got Penn State in the recruiting picture, offering Terwilliger a scholarship shortly after taking over the Nittany Lions. 

Penn State recently hosted Terwilliger on a pair of visits, further cementing his relationship with Campbell and tight ends coach Taylor Mouser. 

“It was a big factor in my decision because the way he runs his program is a program I want to be a part of,” Terwilliger added about Campbell. “He’s doing it the right way, and his entire offensive staff utilizes tight ends in the way I want to be utilized. So them going from Iowa State to Penn State, we maintained that relationship and I went on a couple of visits and really liked the place and made that decision.”

Penn State is located in State College, Pennsylvania, the state’s largest borough with a population of more than 40,000 people. The Nittany Lions play their home games at Beaver Stadium, with a seating capacity of 106,572 fans. 

Terwilliger was also attracted to the campus for its size, scenic views and historical football program when making his decision. 

“The tradition of Penn State was definitely something different from other schools and I really liked it,” Terwilliger said.  

Terwilliger, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end, also received scholarship offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, Utah and Wisconsin.

Terwilliger’s commitment catapulted Penn State’s recruiting class to 18th nationally and eighth in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.com. 

It also lifted off a huge sigh of relief for Terwilliger, who can now shift his attention to playing his final season for the Governors. 

“It felt good to know that this is the place I am going to be at, and pour all my focus into one school,” Terwilliger said. “Now I get to focus my attention on finishing out this senior year and being a good leader and being a good teammate and focus on the goals that we have as a high school program and helping move in that direction to accomplish them.” 

Terwilliger also joins an impressive list of former Governors to play college football, including former North Dakota State University Bison and current Seattle Seahawk offensive lineman Grey Zabel. Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville), Jason Maciejczak (Wyoming) and Jett Zabel (NDSU) are also current Governors playing FBS football. 

The players have helped the Governors win eight state football championships since 2017. 

“We definitely have a good history of football here in Pierre,” Terwilliger said. “We have something going and we have a lot of good players come through the program. To be considered with those guys is pretty awesome and amazing. They are great role models to me and kind of helped me form those dreams of being successful in the sport.” 

Last season, Terwilliger and the Governors won another Class 11AA state championship. The all-state tight end produced 38 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns last season. For his career, Terwilliger has totaled 98 receptions, 1,372 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

Terwilliger also competes in basketball and track and field. He intends on going to law school in college.