Penn State football has received its second commitment from the Class of 2025 in Omari Gaines, an Adidas Freshman All-American from Malcom X Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey.
Gaines announced the commitment via Twitter Tuesday morning.
1000% COMMITTED TO THE PENN STATE UNIVERSITY🙏🏽 Nowhere near done. #WeAre #BrickCityLions4L #AGTG @coachnazoliver @BigBody_Nas8 @RivalsRichie @RyanSnyderOn3 @TodderickHunt @CoachTerryPSU @coachjfranklin @ChadSimmons_ @KeepItABuckPod1 @Coach_GetWright @RivalsFriedman @BrianDohn247 pic.twitter.com/QxOGDRHIKN
— OmariGaines🎸 (@omarigaines_) March 28, 2023
Gaines joins Jaelyne Matthews, another New Jersey product, in Penn State’s ‘25 class.
Matthews is a four-star offensive high school from Toms River.
This is the second overall commitment the program has received in the past 72 hours. Saturday afternoon, Luke Reynolds, a three-star tight end from Connecticut’s Cheshire Academy, announced his commitment. Reynolds was the fifth player to commit to Penn State’s ‘24 class, so coach James Franklin now has seven in the next two cycles.
Penn State offered Gaines last April. Gaines also has offers from Boston College, Delaware State, Duke, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia.
Gaines visited Penn State this past weekend and told 247Sports that the program gave him “nothing but love” every time he visited.
“The way the coaches are involved in the athletes’ life outside of football,” Gaines told 247, “every time I visit, I just gain more knowledge of the different aspects other than football at Penn State.”
Gaines has visited Penn State multiple times. Per 247, he went to one of the school’s Junior Day events in January, the annual “Lasch Bash” in July, a 7-on-7 tournament in June and another Junior Day last April.
Gaines’s latest visit to Penn State was highlighted by a trip to spring practice this past Saturday. The program is in the thick of spring ball right now as it gets ready for what is a more-anticipated-than-usual 2023 season. Spring practice culminates in the annual Blue-White game, scheduled for Saturday, April 15 at 2.
