Penn State picked up what could prove to be its final commitment in the Class of 2020 Monday when Rivals250 tight end Theo Johnson announced his decision in front of friends and family at his school.
A Canadian prospect from Windsor, Ontario, Johnson has been at the top of Penn State's recruiting board for months now. The Lions were believed to be the favorite going all the way back to spring, but as his recruitment progressed, it became difficult for Johnson to cut off relationships with other schools. In particular, Georgia, Iowa and Michigan emerged as the main competitors.
All four programs earned official visits, while Iowa, Michigan and Penn State hosted him for multiple unofficial visits, too. In the end, he visited Penn State seven times, more than any other program.
Commitment List: Check out Penn State's complete Class of 2020 here!
Johnson's last visit to State College came in October, when he used his official visit to attend the win over Michigan.
“They have recruited me the hardest and for the longest period of time,” Johnson said of Penn State. “Through this whole process they have been very consistent, making it very clear I am the guy they want. The biggest thing going for them is they have been straight up with me and supporting me the whole time. I would say that’s definitely an advantage that Penn State has.”
Originally, Johnson planned to take an official visit to Michigan for the game against Notre Dame, Oct. 26-27, but he ended up postponing that visit until Nov. 15-16. The plan was to then make a commitment a few days later, Nov. 18, but he ultimately decided that he wasn't ready to do so.
Over the past week, Johnson has hosted coaches from Iowa, Georgia and Penn State. Ricky Rahne and Tyler Bowen did an in-home visit with his family last Monday, Dec. 2.
He's now the second tight end to commit to the Nittany Lions, joining Richmond, Va., native. Tyler Warren. He's the 28th overall commitment in the class and is expected to be one of 11 prospects that will enroll early next month.
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