STATE COLLEGE — Penn State added to its Class of 2023 on Saturday when Riverbend (Va.) tight end Mathias “Mega” Barnwell announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions before the win over Villanova.
For Penn State, it was the second straight week with a game-day commitment. Chartiers Valley cornerback Lamont Payne committed to Penn State before the Whiteout win over Auburn and then officially announced his decision at halftime.
Barnwell’s commitment to the Nittany Lions is an interesting one. He was originally the first member of the Class of 2023 in June 2020, but he decommitted in January 2021. Typically, it’s difficult to get decommitments back into the fold, but coach James Franklin and his staff were able to do just that.
Barnwell is certainly deserving of his “Mega” nickname. He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, and he checks in as a four-star recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings. Barnwell is the No. 4 player in Virginia, the No. 16 tight end nationally and the No. 223 overall prospect in the class.
Penn State has its fourth straight home game Saturday night when it hosts Indiana. Will the Nittany Lions make it three straight weeks with a prospect committing on game day?
Breaking down the early Class of 2023 picture
With Barnwell’s re-commitment, Penn State is up to three pledges in the Class of 2023. The group ranks No. 7 nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings. Here’s a look at who’s in the fold so far and their composite rankings:
Broad Run (Va.) offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier: five stars, No. 1 in Virginia, No. 1 interior offensive lineman, No. 38 overall
Riverband (Va.) tight end Mathias “Mega” Barnwell: four stars, No. 4 in Virginia, No. 16 tight end, No. 223 overall
Chartiers Valley cornerback Lamont Payne: three stars, No. 9 in Pennsylvania, No. 33 cornerback, No. 308 overall
It’s a solid start as Franklin and company attempt to spin their momentum from the Class of 2022 forward into 2023.
Wide receiver target sets commitment date
Shoemaker (Texas) wide receiver Omari Evans was at Penn State’s win over Auburn for an official visit earlier this month, and now the three-star recruit in the Class of 2022 appears ready to make a decision.
Evans tweeted Sunday that he’ll announce his commitment Saturday. In the summer, Evans listed Penn State in a top seven that also featured Indiana, Arkansas, Houston, Baylor, Rutgers and Vanderbilt.
Penn State offered Evans in June when he unofficially visited campus. According to 247Sports, Evans ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at a camp this summer, and that is the type of speed that could get the attention of any college program.
Evans is a three-star recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, which also rank him as the No. 163 player in Texas. He’s listed at 6-foot, 170 pounds.
Penn State already has 25 commitments in the Class of 2022, and five of those players are either wide receivers or prospects who could play wide receiver at the next level.
Read more: Parker Washington showcases big-play ability with career day in Penn State’s win over Villanova
Checking in on two prolific commits…
Governor Mifflin running back Nicholas Singleton and Medina (Ohio) quarterback Drew Allar continue to churn out eye-popping numbers during their senior seasons. Of course, most of Penn State’s commitments in the Class of 2022 are enjoying prolific seasons, but these two four-star recruits seem to jump out a little bit more than most.
Singleton carried 18 times for 289 yards and six touchdowns in Governor Mifflin’s win over Episcopal Academy on Friday.
Allar, meanwhile, completed 22 of 32 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns while rushing eight times for 24 yards and three more scores in a 48-13 win over Strongsville (Ohio).
Read more: James Franklin eyes improvement for Penn State running game entering Big Ten slate
James Franklin was busy Friday
Franklin toured central Pennsylvania on Friday to check in on some local commitments. According to social media, Franklin stopped by Manheim Township (four-star wide receiver Anthony Ivey), Central York (three-star quarterback Beau Pribula) and CD East (four-star wide receiver Mehki Flowers). He also returned to Central York via helicopter to see Pribula play.
Read more: 4 Penn State takeaways from 38-17 win over Villanova: Playmakers, a stingy defense and more
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Penn State coverage on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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