The Penn State football team earned a valuable commitment on Wednesday as four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn announced that he will play for the Nittany Lions. Petersohn is a Minnesota native, and he was choosing between the Golden Gophers and Penn State. Minnesota didn't do enough to keep the hometown kid home, so he will be going to Pennsylvania to play for head coach James Franklin. This is a big pickup for the Nittany Lions.

“BREAKING: Four-Star TE Pierce Petersohn has Committed to Penn State, he tells me for @on3recruits,” Hayes Fawcett said in a post. “The 6’5 200 TE from Dodge Center, MN chose the Nittany Lions over Minnesota.”

Pierece Petersohn had a short message to share upon his commitment to the Penn State football team:

“Happy Valley, see y’all soon!” He said.

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Petersohn is a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He is the #342 player in the 2026 recruiting class, the #21 athlete and the #3 player in the state of Minnesota. Petersohn currently attends Triton High School in Dodge Center, MN, which is less than two hours away from the Minnesota campus. Instead of staying in-state, he will make the long journey to Penn State.

In his high school career, Petersohn has had a ton of success on the football field, and he is also a standout basketball player.

“Played quarterback and led his team to an 8-3 record and a Sectional Championship as a junior,” his high school athletic background states. “Threw for 1,479 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 382 yards and nine touchdowns. Had three interceptions on defense. Had an excellent junior season in basketball with 29 points per game, 13 rebounds per game and four assists per game. Track participant who was the MVP of the Minnesota State Track Meet as a junior. Ran 11.24 in the 100, 22.18 in the 200, 48.16 in the 400 and high-jumped 6'4.”

As you can see, Pierce Petersohn is a do-it-all athlete, and the Penn State football team is getting a good one. James Franklin continues to recruit at a high level as the Nittany Lions look like they will finish with one of the top recruiting classes in the country yet again. Right now, Penn State has 21 commits in its 2026 recruiting class. The team has landed zero five-stars, 11 four-stars and 10 three-stars. The class is currently ranked eighth in the country, according to 247Sports.