Penn State is looking to finish strong in the 2025 cycle after it’s been a strange recruiting process compared to what has occurred for them the past few years.
With multiple decommitments and flips that have taken place, the Nittany Lions are making a final push to land some of their most high-profile targets who originally committed elsewhere.
The majority of the players they are pursuing have been documented, and they were able to pull off one of them already by flipping three-star cornerback Josh Johnson, but there is another recruit who Penn State is continuing to go after.
That would be in-state prospect and current Ohio State commit [autotag]Zahir Mathis[/autotag].
Ranked No. 73 overall in the 2025 class and third in the state of Pennsylvania, the four-star made up his mind early when he announced his commitment to the Buckeyes back in January.
However, the Nittany Lions have stayed on him, getting him back to campus twice during the summer. These efforts seem to be paying off as Sean Fitz of BlueWhiteIllustrated has described Penn State as being on “semi-equal footing” when it comes to where they stand compared to Ohio State (subscription required).
It should be pointed out that Mathis has shown no signs of moving off his commitment despite his two trips to Happy Valley, and with his official visit to Columbus coming up on Oct. 26, there is a chance that solidifies his decision and he shuts everything down before National Signing Day.
But, based on what Fitz is hearing from either the Penn State or Mathis camp, they have put themselves in a good position to potentially flip the Philadelphia native if he comes out of his trip to Ohio State still not fully sold.
This continues to be something to monitor, and while there isn’t as much confidence this will get home like some others who the Nittany Lions are targeting, it’s still a great sign they are being considered nonetheless.