Penn State Football Adds Youngest Commitment Ever in TE Mathias Barnwell

Penn State football picked up its youngest commitment in program history Monday when 15-year-old Mathias Barnwell announced his decision to join the Nittany Lions.

A Class of 2023 prospect, Barnwell picked up two Division I scholarship offers before ever playing a down of high school football. Penn State waited to see a handful of games first, but James Franklin and his staff ultimately decided to make the move in October. It came a few days after Barnwell visited for the first time to see the White Out win over Michigan.

He then returned for the staff's last big recruiting event, which took place Feb. 1. Those two trips, plus weekly discussions with the staff, were enough to earn Barnwell's commitment.

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"It's Big Ten football," Barnwell said. "It's also close to home and one of the most competitive programs in the entire country. Penn State also has one of the best atmospheres in the entire country. When you have all of that, plus it's not hard for my friends and family to travel there and come support me, it makes it a great fit for me."

Barnwell, who often goes by his nickname, Mega, is just the fifth prospect in the entire Class of 2023 to announce a commitment to a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Ath. Tony Mitchell was the first player to make that move, committing to Tennessee before he was even in high school, but he ultimately decided to open up his recruitment earlier this year. Ath. Treyaun Webb followed with a commitment to Georgia in November. Then, in April, WR Lamar Seymore committed to his hometown school in Miami. He was followed by WR Shawn Russ Jr., who announced his plans to attend Florida a few days later.

A resident of Spotsylvania, Va., Barnwell never planned to commit this early. Like many prospects, he figured he would announce during his junior year, but he's also known for months now that Penn State was the best fit for him.

"Everything about Penn State is just perfect," he said. "The fan base is great and everybody at Penn State, from the players to the coaches to the fans and students, everyone is great. Everyone was very nice and very welcoming. I feel like everyone I met up there genuinely cares about you. They're so supportive. I feel like even if I didn't choose Penn State, the people I met there would've been supportive of me."

Over the past year, Barnwell has earned 15 scholarship offers. Duke, Maryland, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Pitt, USC and Virginia all made a push, but his decision ultimately came down to Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Relationships played a big role in his decision, and Barnwell has been communicating with Tyler Bowen and Ja'Juan Seider nearly every week since earning the offer. Bowen is now set to be his future position coach.

"Coach Bowen is a really cool guy," Barnwell said. "When I came for their junior day, we became really close. Then, all the meetings and Zoom calls we had, I learned a lot about how they use the tight end. But most of the time, whenever we talk, it's not about football. It's just about life and how my family is doing. He genuinely cares about me and much more than just football. I look at him like an uncle more than a football coach. Me and Coach Bowen are really close."

Penn State's history at the tight end position also had a big impact on Barnwell's decision.

"A lot of schools don't really use the tight end much," he said. "To see how Penn State has done it is exciting. They've had 36 touchdowns to tight ends over the past couple of years. That's a great number. They've also sent guys to the NFL. Mike Gesicki went a couple years ago and now Pat Freiermuth is going to go next year. It's a great place to play if you're a tight end."

Listed at 6-foot-5, Barnwell weighed around 255 pounds last season. He's since lost weight, currently checking in around 240 pounds. The plan is to be around 225 pounds once his sophomore season begins, but even if he does add weight in the future, the Nittany Lions believe he's versatile enough to play offensive tackle.

As a freshman, Barnwell was a force in the red zone, totaling 10 receptions for 154 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 20 pancake blocks and converted six two-point conversions.

Now, in addition to being a leader on his high school team, Barnwell will be looked upon to be a leader for Penn State's recruiting efforts in not just his class, but also the Class of 2022. He said he welcomes the challenge.

"I plan to recruit hard because I want to win a national championship," Barnwell said. "Penn State has been so close to doing that in recent years. They made it into the top four at one point last season. So, I plan to reach out and help recruit the best players possible because I want to help Penn State get to that level."

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