Tag: Matt Henderson

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is perfectly balanced, as all things should be

Penn State has signed its Class of 2025, and it’s a solid class.

Penn State may be preparing for the Big Ten championship game this week, but Wednesday was a cause to pause and celebrate the future of the program beyond this season. Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period in college football, and Penn State officially inked 26 members for its Class of 2026. With a recruiting class split evenly with 13 offensive players and 13 defensive players, James Franklin and his staff have managed to pull in a balanced class that will continue to sustain what the entire staff has been working to build for the next few seasons.

More than half of this recruiting class is scheduled to enroll early in January. Penn State announced 14 members of its Class of 2025 will be early enrollees, which will allow them to go through offseason workouts and conditioning and participate in spring football practices.

This recruiting class will be one of Franklin’s best overall classes at Penn State as well. A total of 23 of the 26 commits were ranked as a four-star or five-star player by On3, 247Sports, Rivals, or ESPN. The class also spread the Penn State footprint into 10 different states, including 19 from Pennsylvania or a neighboring state.

Among the top-rated recruits in the Class of 2025 are interior offensive lineman [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] from New Jersey, cornerback [autotag]Daryus Dixson[/autotag] from California, and linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (yes, THAT LaVar Arrington).

Here is a full list of Penn State’s Class of 2025 that has been signed during the early signing period:

  • DL [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] (Miami, Fla.)
  • OL [autotag]Owen Aliciene[/autotag] (Cheshire, Conn.)
  • LB [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (Annapolis, Md.)
  • DL [autotag]Dayshaun Burnett[/autotag] (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • DL [autotag]Chaz Coleman[/autotag] (Warren, Ohio)
  • RB [autotag]Jabree Coleman[/autotag] (Darby Township, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Jeff Exinor Jr.[/autotag] (Baltimore, Md.)
  • OL [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] (Bloomfield, N.J.)
  • DL [autotag]Cortez Harris[/autotag] (Largo, Md.)
  • RB [autotag]Tikey Hayes[/autotag] (Aliquippa, Pa.)
  • TE [autotag]Matt Henderson[/autotag] (Powhatan, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] (Pensacola, Fla.)
  • DB [autotag]Joshua Johnson[/autotag] (Ironton, Ohio)
  • DB [autotag]Jahmir Joseph[/autotag] (Nyack, N.Y.)
  • DL [autotag]Yvan Kemajou[/autotag] (Burtonsville, Md.)
  • TE [autotag]Brian Kortovich[/autotag] (Willoughby, Ohio)
  • QB [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] (Chandler, Ariz.)
  • OL [autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] (Mars, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Matt Outten[/autotag] (Portsmouth, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • LB [autotag]Cam Smith[/autotag] (Salem, N.J.)
  • LB [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] (Latrobe, Pa.)
  • DB [autotag]Braz Thomas[/autotag] (Glassboro, N.J.)
  • DB [autotag]Xxavier Thomas[/autotag] (Canonsburg, Pa.)
  • OL [autotag]Michael Troutman III[/autotag] (Trenton, N.J.)

The focus will now shift to the transfer portal as Penn State’s offseason roster changes could be continuing in the coming weeks amidst its Big Ten and College Football Playoff push.

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Penn State receives commitment from Class of 2025 TE Matt Henderson

Penn State has another tight end coming its way in the Class of 2025 from an under-the-radar recruit from Virginia.

Penn State’s Class of 2025 picked up a new commitment on Wednesday evening when tight end Matt Henderson, of Virginia, announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Henderson shared his commitment announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“I want to give my sincere appreciation to all the amazing people who have made me into the person and player I am today, including my parents, family, friends and coaches, along with a great community behind me,” Henderson said in his commitment announcement. “Without their guidance and efforts, I wouldn’t be able to achieve my dreams doing what I love. I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to Penn State University.”

Henderson is an unrated recruit in the Class of 2025, so he has flown a bit under the radar compared to other commitments in Penn State’s current Class of 2025 lineup. Henderson chose Penn State over offers from Big Ten schools Michigan State and Maryland and a few in-state offers from Virginia Tech, James Madison, and Old Dominion. He also had an offer from Ivy League schools Harvard and Yale.

Henderson received an offer from Penn State in late April, around the time he also received offers from Maryland and Virginia Tech. The 6′-5″ 210-pound tight end has an official visit to Michigan State scheduled in June. Whether that trip still happens is unknown.

Penn State also has a commitment from Brady O’Hara, a three-star tight end from Pittsburgh, in the current recruiting class. The Class of 2024 just added five-star Luke Reynolds.

Henderson is the 13th member of Penn State’s Class of 2025, which currently is ranked no. 9 in the nation for the recruiting cycle by 247Sports. Penn State’s recruiting class ranks third among Big Ten schools behind only Ohio State and incoming member USC.

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