TE Lukas Ungar updates recruitment

Tight end is expected to be an important position for the Lions in 2020.

After signing Brenton Strange in December, James Franklin and his staff made an attempt to add a second tight end in Florida native Brett Seither, but he ultimately ended up signing with Georgia. When you add in the fact that both Nick Bowers and Jonathan Holland have just one season of eligibility remaining, Penn State needs to add at least two in the upcoming class.

That makes Morristown, N.J., prospect Lukas Ungar an important target. Listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Ungar is no stranger to State College visiting three times already, most recently in November for the game against Wisconsin. Franklin and tight end coach Tyler Bowen also made the decision to offer Ungar four weeks ago, joining a handful of the nation’s best programs that have also offered in recent months.

“I would probably have to say that Clemson, Stanford, Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Northwestern are the six that are recruiting me the hardest,” Ungar said. “I just feel like they send me the most mail and are calling my coaches the most often. I feel like I get texts from those schools most often, too.”

Ungar’s relationship with the Lions, and specifically Bowen, goes back to last March when he attended a spring practice. He then attended the staff’s Whiteout Camp in June and had a very good performance. Bowen made it clear that day that he was on pace to earn an offer as long as he continued to progress.

“After I camped at Penn State last July, they made it clear to me that they really liked what they saw but just wanted to see how I continued to progress and grow physically,” said Ungar. “So, when Coach Bowen saw me at practice a few weeks ago, he said that he saw everything he needed to see. He actually came to one of our strength training sessions and then offered me that night over the phone.

“Since then, we’ve had some really good conversations. They’re really pushing for me to get back on campus. Of course, I’ve been there three times now, so I already have a really good idea for Penn State and everything they have to offer. It’s an incredible school. I’m also beginning to build a better relationship with Ricky Rahne, too, and a couple other coaches. So everything is going great with them.”

In addition to his three visits to Penn State, which is more than any other school, Ungar has also been to Rutgers and Stanford twice. Michigan and Wisconsin have also earned unofficial visits and he camped at Northwestern, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

Despite the fact that Ungar ended up missing most of his junior season with a broken wrist - he still totaled 232 yards receiving and three touchdowns in just three games - that hasn’t kept schools from offering. Since December, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Ohio State are just a few of the programs that have made that move, bringing his total to 23 offers.

Now 100 percent, Ungar has helped lead Delbarton to a 15-3 record on the hardwood. County and state playoffs will likely have a big impact on any unofficial visits in the coming months, but he said there could be a window for some trips at the end of February and into March, before he begins lacrosse.

“I’m going to try and squeeze some visits in here soon,” said Ungar. “We’re entering the county stretch for basketball, and possibly states, so games are going to be less frequent. I’m going to try and squeeze in a few visits here at the end of the month and the beginning of March. After that, lacrosse picks up, so most of my visits will have to wait a few more months.

While Ungar will likely return to Penn State at some point in the coming months, the most important thing for his recruitment is to see some schools he’s not as familiar with. He said that two programs in particular stand out when it comes to where he wants to visit.

“I’d really like to check out Clemson and Ohio State. Like I said, both of those schools are recruiting me pretty hard right now," Ungar said. "I feel like they’ve been in touch a lot and I still haven’t seen their schools yet, so I really would like to make an effort to see their programs and see what they’re all about.”

A four-star prospect, Ungar is currently the eighth-ranked tight end for 2020. He’s also the ninth-ranked prospect in New Jersey.