Less than 24 hours before the early signing period begins, Penn State has landed a commitment from a blue-chip tight end that had been committed to another Big Ten program.
Itโs Brian Kortovich, a four-star from Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder also has offers from schools such as Purdue, Illinois, Indiana and Northwestern.
Kortovich committed to Purdue in June but a lot has happened since then. Purdue has maybe the worst season in the history of its storied program, going 1-11 with its only win being over FCS Indiana State. This performance led to the head coach that Kortovich committed to play for, Ryan Walters, being fired.
Now, it looks like heโs Penn State bound.
WHY PENN STATE?
Kortovich announced his commitment less than 72 hours after he saw Penn State pounds Maryland, 44-7 on Senior Day to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Between the game and the commitment, Kortovich talked with On3Sports about his visit, calling the Beaver Stadium environment โawesome.โ
โObviously with it being Thanksgiving weekend and the weather, the stadium wasnโt as packed as usual,โ he said, โbut it did not disappoint.โ
Even though it was just one weekend, Kortovich is excited about the people he began to get to know.
โWhat continues to excite me is just the relationships Iโve built in one weekend whether it be with the coaches, the staff or the players,โ he said.
Oh, and one more thingโฆ
โI know Penn State develops tight ends very well and I could definitely see myself being a part of this program,โ Kortovich said.
TEU
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Warren
Penn State was already developing a knack for quality tight end play before position coach Ty Howle returned to his Alma Mater. In James Franklinโs first six seasons, Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth became stars and today are NFL regulars. But under Howle, that reputation has intensified.
First it was Brenton Strange, who became a star over the 2021 and โ22 seasons. Strange is now with Jacksonville. Current New York Giant Theo Johnson was Penn Stateโs No. 1 tight end last season.
Now, Tyler Warren is the man, and if you donโt know what Warren has been doing, you havenโt been paying attention to Penn State football.
Warren will be out of eligibility after this season but, as hard as it may be to believe, Penn State just might be ok without him. Five-star Luke Reynolds is already seeing playing time as a true freshman and Andrew Rappleyea, who unfortunately has missed almost all season with an injury, is another blue-chipper.
We also canโt forget about Khalil Dinkins, who is getting a lot of playing time and has impressed Franklin and the staff with his blocking.
โWeโre recruiting the best tight ends in the country,โ Franklin said, ย โweโre developing the best tight ends in the country. Itโs a competitive room, you have to embrace that. And then you just look at whatโs happening after they get done. embrace that. Then, you just look at whatโs happening after they get done playing at Penn State. Theyโre all getting their degrees, and theyโre all getting drafted, and the majority of them are getting drafted very high.โ
The early signing period is scheduled to begin Wednesday morning and run through Friday
