Penn State Receives First Commitment for the Class of 2023

Mathias Barnwell, a tight end from Virginia, makes an early decision.

Mathias Barnwell, a promising tight end from Virginia, ended his recruiting process quickly. After his freshman season, actually.

Barnwell announced Monday that he has committed to Penn State's Class of 2023. He is the first player to join a recruiting class that will be part of head coach James Franklin's 10th season at Penn State.

The Lions picked up nine commitments during the in-person recruiting shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All were for the 2021 class, however. Barnwell shook up that process, committing three years in advance.

Barnwell, whose nickname is 'Mega,' began drawing attention from college coaches after his first season of high school football at Spotsylvania High. According to Fredericksburg.com, Barnwell received a college offer before he even practiced with his high-school team.

Get a glimpse inside Barnwell's decision by watching his commitment video here.

Also, check out the video at the top of the page in which Franklin discusses his approach to recruiting while in-person contact is suspended.

 "I feel like with some recruits, I’ve gotten to know them better," Franklin said. "Because it’s forced you to sit here and have in-depth conversations rather than walking around campus or walking around the facility, which is also important. But on a relational level, in some ways, this has been better."

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