Penn State Football added to their 2022 preferred walk-on commit list today as quarterback Xavier Copening out of Connecticut made his decision official via Twitter the other.
Copening is ranked as 6-foot-1, 195-pound dual-threat quarterback. but he will be coming to the Nittany Lions as an athelete and they will decide where he fits best once he arrives on campus. He is also coming oa prep year at Feltrim Academy down in Haines City, Florida.
“Penn State has always been my dream school since I was young,” Copening told Nittany Nation. “I went to a couple camps throughout the years, have been on tours of the school after the camps and then coach (James) Franklin reached out to me back on the 6th, saying they would love to have me there. Right then and there I knew that was the place I wanted to be.”
Copening is a former three-star from the class of 2021 and Connecticut native, who held a few early offers from Boston College, UConn and Syracuse, but decided to a prep year down in Florida at Feltrim Academy for a year in hopes of garnering more interest.
“I went to prep because of COVID-19, I lost my senior season in Connecticut," said Copening. "So I reclassified and went down to Florida to keep things going and continued to work. I helped lead my team to a 7-1 record to go along with 760 passing yards, 560 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns. We played some tough competition and beat IMG's post grad team 56-10 too."
After finally being able to play a full senior season of football, Copening is eager to get to Penn State and compete with the rest of the guys on the team.
"Fans can expect me to work hard on the field and in the classroom from day one," said Copening. "I am going to give it all got on both ends. My parents always taught me to strive for greatness and I refuse to let this opportunity slip through my fingers. Playing for Penn State has been my dream, so just wait and see."
Now when Copening arrives on campus in summer, it won't take long for him to make friends as he was already teammates with a current Nittany Lion during his high school days back in Connecticut.
"Marquis (Wilson) has told how great of a place it is and how much the fans are supportive," he said. "He always tells me there is nothing like playing in front of 100,000+, but you need to be work hard not only on the field but in your studies too. He also told me you always have to be coachable and be willing to learn everything you can from both the players and coaches."
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