4-star DT Fred Hansard flips to Penn State

Penn State picked up another commitment Sunday evening, as Class of 2017 defensive tackle Fred Hansard decided to back out of his commitment to Florida and instead join the Nittany Lions.

A native of Princeton, N.J., Hansard and his family were on campus this weekend for an official visit. After watching Penn State’s 45-12 win over Michigan State Saturday evening, they spent almost all of Sunday meeting with the coaching staff, including brunch with head coach James Franklin. By the time they were ready to head home, Hansard decided to officially switch his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

A four-star prospect and a member of the Rivals250, Hansard is currently the sixth-ranked defensive tackle in the country. He’s also the second-ranked player in New Jersey for the Class of 2017. Hansard was offered by Penn State back in the summer of 2015 and has taken at least five unofficial visits to Happy Valley, including one for the game against Iowa earlier this month. Other notable offers include Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

Hansard is the first defensive tackle to make a commitment to Penn State in this year’s class. He’s the second prospect from New Jersey in PSU’s 2017 class, joining offensive lineman Robert Martin.

Blue White Illustrated will have more on Hansard’s commitment to the Nittany Lions in the coming week.