10 Things to Know: Penn State commit Joey Schlaffer

Penn State's run in the Class of 2023 continued Saturday with another commitment announcement from Exeter Twp. tight end Joey Schlaffer.

A three-star prospect, Schlaffer had been considered a lean to the Nittany Lions for the better part of two months now. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect is the third player in the 2023 class to announce a commitment during pregame. Cornerback Lamont Payne started the trend before the Auburn game, while fellow tight end Mathias Barnwell did the same the following week before Villanova.

How important is landing Schlaffer for Penn State? Here's his commitment breakdown.

Schlaffer picked up an offer from Penn State on Sept. 11 when he attended the home opener against Ball State, but his relationship with the staff really started back in the spring.

“He’s been on me awhile. Basically, as soon as Coach [Tyler] Bowen left, Coach [Ty] Howle started recruiting me," Schlaffer said. "I was one of the first guys that he started reaching out to."

Penn State was able to get Schlaffer to camp this past summer, running a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and a 4.6-second shuttle. That helped his chances, but they still wanted to see at least a little bit of film. His early film was promising, which is why Howle travelled to Exeter Twp. on Sept. 10 to watch Schlaffer and his teammates play rival Wilson.

He had five receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns that night in a 42-12 blowout, and that was enough for Howle and the staff to offer the following day.

This one was pretty clearcut.

Schlaffer grew up a Nittany Lion fan, so once he had an offer in hand, there was never going to be much drama. After the Ball State game, he returned again just a week later for the White Out win over Auburn, and then again this past weekend for the Illinois game.

It's a little surprising that Schlaffer didn't end up visiting any other schools during the season, but when you already know where you want to go, is it really worth the trip?

Schlaffer did earn some pretty solid offers, and all of them came within the span of a few months. Ricky Rahne and his staff at Old Dominion were the first to offer in early February. Then, a flood of schools came calling in March and April after watching both his football and basketball film.

Come June, Schlaffer added an offer from Maryland during a visit, and he went on to return to Maryland two more times, visiting again in July and then for the season opener against West Virginia.

Schlaffer also went to Tennessee for a visit in July. If Penn State never offers, there's a real chance he could've ended up at Rocky Top, as Josh Heupel and his staff impressed he and his family.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the coaches at Tennessee," Schlaffer said. "I went down there at the end of July and I really enjoyed my time. I like their coaches a lot. It’s all brand new there, top to bottom....I really believe that if they can put it altogether, they can do great things there. I’m real interested in seeing what they can do."

Most of you probably know this by now, but Schlaffer is the half-brother of former Penn State offensive lineman and two-time team captain Michal Menet. A third-team All-Big Ten selection, Menet was invited to the Senior Bowl and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals this past year. He's currently part of the Cardinals' practice squad.

“There’s a lot of things you have to think about when you’re going to college, and Michal was great at helping me with that," said Schlaffer. "He was the one always questioning me, making sure that I wasn’t just going to Penn State because of his history there.

"He was always unbiased about it, but he also could never disagree with anything. He made the same choice and he knows it’s a great fit for me. I’ve been going up to Penn State all those years. I have such a love for that team, the environment, the culture. It’s infectious.”

Schlaffer currently holds a 5.7 rating on Rivals. He's the 18th-ranked tight end nationally and the 10-ranked player in Pennsylvania for the Class of 2023.

National Rivals' recruiting analyst Adam Friedman on Schlaffer:

"Schlaffer isn't built like an end-line tight end, but he'll fit in great with what PSU likes to do with their TEs. He shows a willingness to block and he'll become more effective in that area once the strength and conditioning staff get their hands on him.

"Where Schlaffer really shines is in the passing game. He's a very good route runner for his size (6-5 210) and does a nice job catching the ball away from his body. PSU QBs will really like his catch radius. Schlaffer does a great job making catches over the middle and on out-breaking routes near the sideline. He doesn't seem to mind reaching for a tough catch even if he knows he's going to take a big hit. Defenders have a difficult time matching up with Schlaffer's size/speed combination, especially on routes down the field.

"As long as Schlaffer takes advantage of the programs at Penn State and continues to develop, their TE room will be as solid as ever."

Schlaffer his commitment to Penn State:

“It’s something I thought about for awhile. It just feels right. As soon as they offered me, I felt like there was no other choice. I kind of felt that my path was set before it even started, if that makes sense. Between my brother’s history there and how much I’ve followed them over the years, this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Here's Penn State's 2023 class sorted by commitment timeline:

July 15, 2021: Four-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier

Sept. 18, 2021: Four-star cornerback Lamont Payne

Sept. 25, 2021: Four-star tight end Mathias Barnwell

Oct. 23, 2021 - Three-star tight end Joey Schlaffer

A look at Penn State's 2023 commits by position:

2 - Tight end

1 - Offensive line

1 - Corner

A breakdown of the Nittany Lions commits by state:

2 - Virginia

2 - Pennsylvania

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook