Could Penn State Be on The Verge of a 2023 Commitment?

Class of 2023 prospects won’t be able to sign for roughly 900 days, but nationally, four freshmen have already announced verbal commitments. Ath. Treyaun Webb committed o Georgia back in Nov. 2019. 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. Ath. Tony Mitchell also committed to Tennessee at one point, but he's already backed out of that.

TE Mathias Barnwell is now expected to be the fourth prospect in his class to commit to a Football Bowl Subdivision program. The Spotsylvania, Va., native is on pace to be one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most coveted prospects in his class.

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“My family and I didn’t originally think about me committing this early,” Barnwell said. “There aren’t many guys in my class that have really done that. It’s not often that you see a freshman commit this early. My original plan was to commit my junior year or before my senior season, but after some visits and junior days and continuous phone calls with coaches, I just think I found my home early. I just feel in my heart that I found the right place for me.”

Barnwell picked up two Division I scholarship offers before ever playing a snap in high school. Now, he's up to 15 schools, including Duke, Maryland, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Pitt, USC and Virginia. However, the 15-year-old has already narrowed his list to three schools, one of which is Penn State.

“I talk to Penn State every week, just to see how they’re doing, what they’ve been up to, what they did over the weekend, just stuff like that," he said. "We have a really close bond. They offered me back in October, so we’ve gotten really close over the phone. I went to a junior day. We played this game when I was up there for that and we became really close after that.”

Barnwell was offered a few days after he visited University Park for the first time, attending this year’s White Out win over Michigan. He then returned in February for a junior day and has developed strong relationships with James Franklin, Tyler Bowen and Ja'Juan Seider. Penn State is the only school he’s taken more than one visit to. Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech have also previously hosted Barnwell. The Hokies are part of his top three, along with Tennessee.

“Tennessee offered me earlier this year,” Barnwell said. “I believe it was in March or early April. I’ve become really close with Coach [Joe Osovet]. I haven’t been able to visit Tennessee yet, but I can tell that it’s a great atmosphere there. They have a great fan base and it’s in the SEC, so they have great competition every year. Coach O has walked me through what they do with their tight ends. I like that.

“For Virginia Tech, they offered me back in December. Me and Coach [Ryan Smith] have become really close. I went to a junior day there a couple months ago and the campus was great. It’s family first and they take academics seriously. They care about more than football. That’s important for all three of the schools I’m considering. They all care about things outside of football.”

If all goes to plan, Barnwell hopes to announce his decision next week.

“I’m planning to shoot my commitment video this weekend, so my commitment should be out by the end of next week. If not, it’ll be the week after," he said.

Listed at 6-foot-5, Barnwell weighed around 255 pounds last season. He's since lost weight and is currently around 240 pounds. The plan is to be around 225 pounds come the fall. Even if he does add weight in the future, he's versatile enough to play offensive tackle.

As a freshman, Barnwell totaled 10 receptions for 154 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 20 pancake blocks and converted six two-point conversions.

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