Five-star linebacker Brandon Smith announced his commitment to Penn State Monday afternoon.

The Mineral, VA, native picked the Nittany Lions over Ohio State, Alabama, and Michigan, among other elite programs. He made an unofficial visit to Happy Valley on April 7 after attending Penn State’s 33-14 victory over Pitt during the 2017 season.

Smith is the No. 30 overall prospect in the country and the second-ranked inside linebacker in the class of 2019, according to 247Sports. He was also the top-ranked player from Virginia in this recruiting cycle.

This marks the second consecutive year in which Penn State captured the commitment of the top player available from the state of Virginia. Running back Ricky Slade signed his letter of intent as the top Virginia native from the class of 2018. James Franklin has now secured the top two recruits out of Virginia this cycle.

Smith will play his final season of high school football with Louisa County High School before joining the Nittany Lions next season. Smith has the potential to further Penn State’s reputation as “Linebacker U” and will certainly be a welcome addition to Brent Pry’s defense.

Smith won’t be the first Penn State linebacker named Brandon Smith in program history. The other Brandon Smith played for the Nittany Lions from 2013-17, making 30 appearances and winning a Big Ten championship in 2016 before graduating and earning Academic All-Big Ten honors.