Former Penn State commit Mathias Barnwell set to return in June
Back in June 2020, four-star tight end Mathias Barnwell became the youngest player to ever commit to the Penn State football program. At 15 years old, Barnwell had taken two visits to University Park, the first of which was for the White Out win against Michigan in 2019, followed by a junior day in Feb. 2020. At the time, he thought he had seen enough.
But come January, Barnwell and his family realized that he rushed the decision. With schools all over the country showing interest, he decided to open it up again.
“My family and I thought it was the right thing, just because I'm a young prospect and I have a lot of time left to still receive offers and other opportunities,” Barnwell said. “Penn State is, of course, still one of my top schools and I have started to build my bond back with them and get close to Coach [Ty] Howle, like I was with Coach [Tyler] Bowen. So yeah, the love has always been there for Penn State, and always will be there. Nothing's really changed.”
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Just 10 days after Barnwell decommitted, news broke that Bowen, his lead recruiter and position coach, was headed to the NFL to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. It didn’t take long for Penn State to find his replacement, with Howle being promoted from graduate assistant within a matter of days. Immediately, one of Howle's main tasks was to shore up a relationship with Barnwell.
“I talk to Coach Howle twice a week and I talk to Coach [Ja’Juan] Seider twice a week. [Howle is] a really good coach, really cool person. I think we have a great bond,” Barnwell said. “My mom loves him, my sisters love him, and that's the same with Coach Seider, too. We love everybody up there. It's just such a family-oriented place. But our bond [with Coach Howle] has really gotten close. I think we're just as close now as me and Coach Bowen, and that definitely played a big role in me committing early. I also talked to Theo Johnson, the tight end from Penn State. He gave great feedback on Coach Howle, so that was great to hear. But yeah, I can't wait to get up there and see all of them.”
Barnwell is now set to return to State College on June 5 for what will be Penn State’s first major recruiting event in 16 months. Although he’s been on campus before, there’s at least one area that he hopes to learn more about.
“I’ve been up there multiple times, but it never gets old,” he said. “I won't ever get tired of going up there and visiting. It's a really fun trip. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the recruits this time. I've been talking to guys in my class that will be up there. We recently got close during COVID, so I can't wait to see them. I can't wait to see more of the campus and learn more about academics. We got a little bit of insight about their academics the last time we were there, but we had to end it early. So, we didn't get to learn everything we could've that day, academically, so that's one thing I do want to learn more about. I want to learn more about sports broadcasting there.”
In addition to Penn State, Barnwell has two additional visits locked in with Virginia Tech, June 1, and North Carolina, June 12. He also said that he’s currently planning trips to Kentucky and Rutgers and would love to fly out to Arizona at some point this summer to visit the two major Pac-12 schools, Arizona and Arizona State.
"My relationship with [Virginia] Tech never really ended,” he said. “I talked to them throughout my commitment. I have a lot of love for them. They show a lot of love and are a family-oriented program. I love what Coach [Justin] Fuente has done, and really the whole staff in general. Coach [James] Shibest, we're really close. He's always there for me. He always answers when I call, first ring. It's the same with Coach [Ryan] Smith. Just like with Penn State, my mom and my family love the whole staff. I did a few virtual Zoom calls with them during COVID, so I got to see more of the campus than what I did on junior day. But yeah, I like Virginia Tech. They're gonna be a top school as well. They're gonna be competing with Penn State and whoever else."
In regards to North Carolina, he added, "It's just a great school overall, academically and athletically. It's not just football. I've heard that Chapel Hill is a great place. People from the DMV, and really throughout Virginia, have gone to UNC and love it. Tony Grimes is down there now. They said that it's a great place, and some of the top recruits have told me that they visited and they loved the campus. It's a beautiful campus. I don't have an offer from them yet, but we're building our bond and everything and getting close."
This spring, Barnwell and Riverbend High School played a shortened, six-game season. Barnwell totaled 10 receptions for 200 yards and five touchdowns, and the Bears went 4-2. He also helped lead the basketball program to an 11-1 record, winning their conference.
Barnwell was recently named to the Rivals100, coming in at No. 52 overall. He's approaching two dozen scholarship offers now. Some other schools not previously mentioned include Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pitt, Tennessee, USC and Virginia.
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