Making a decision on which college to attend is a difficult decision and in some cases can be life changing.
2021 offensive tackle Austin Uke thought that nerve-wracking process was over with in September after he made a verbal commitment to attend Holy Cross. Uke has found out that isn’t the case, however, as today he got the news that he had earned a scholarship to attend Penn State.
Uke (6’4″, 265) attends Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas and spoke with Nittany Sports Now about the news he received and what it means for his future.
“I’ve actually been talking with Coach Trautwein for a while now,” said Uke. “I was actually talking to him when he was at Boston College. That’s when I first met him because I went to one of their summer camps. Then when he came to Penn State, he kept in contact with me as well.”
#AGTG After a great talk with @CoachTrautFB I’m extremely grateful to announce that I’ve received an offer to play Big 10 football at Penn State!!! #WeAre @coachnovakov @BSublet @CoachJHeath @That_Boi_Dhawk @CoachMack28 pic.twitter.com/Tm5aPMz2qL
— 💎Austin Uke💎 (@austin_uke) November 11, 2020
“I just think it’s crazy that I was given the opportunity to attend such a great school like Penn State. We all know that it’s a great football program but it’s an even better university. This is just a crazy opportunity and I’m just super, super, super happy.”
Trautwein has kept in contact with Uke, in fact, the two sides spoke yesterday. When Penn State’s offensive line coach asked Uke to call him today, he thought it was just another recruiting call.
“During our call, Coach could probably tell I was shocked because I really had no idea that this was coming,” said Uke. “I actually asked him yesterday about an offer and one would be developing and he just said he wanted to catch up with me and get to know me more. Then today, he told me school wise and football ability has always been good, they just wanted to get to know me more before offering officially.”
Penn State isn’t the first to start recruiting this fast-rising prospect as Uke tells Nittany Sports Now that he’s also received offers from Florida State, SMU, Houston, Vanderbilt, USC and is receiving phone calls and messages from Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, Northwestern, Tulane, Ohio State, Harvard, Memphis, Texas, Tennessee and Rutgers.
“Coming into this season, I thought I was done with recruiting and my recruitment was shutdown after committing to Holy Cross. Then recently, SMU offered, which blew my mind and since then it’s been crazy with the offers and attention and calls I’m getting. It’s really hard to describe.”
Because of all this attention, Uke obviously has a lot to consider and will take his time before ultimately making a decision but Penn State is no doubt in the mix for his services.
“I don’t think I have any other choice but to reevaluate things,” said Uke. “I don’t plan on signing until the second signing period because it’s just going to be too tough with official visits to make a proper decision and without being able to see the school. I’m going to take my time.”
“One of the biggest things that has me interested in Penn State is the atmosphere there and the crowd. The atmosphere for Penn State games is unrivaled. But also the success and history of the program along with the relationship that I have with Coach Trautwein.”
