Four-star TE Theo Johnson commits to Penn State
Tight end Theo Johnson is the highest-ranked prospect who played out his entire prep career in Canada since Neville Gallimore in 2015. The four-star has spent the last 18 months collecting scholarship offers from the top programs in college football, and on Monday announced he would be accepting the Penn State offer during a ceremony at his Windsor (Ont.) Holy Names High School.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Johnson never announced an official final group, but as fall arrived four schools had emerged as the most serious contenders, and they were Georgia, Iowa, Michigan and Penn State. After taking just the Iowa official visit during the spring visit period, Johnson arrived at his senior year with four official visits available. He would take one to Georgia in September, one to Penn State in October and one to Michigan in November, but unofficial game visits were also taken to Iowa, Michigan and Penn State during the 2019 season. Johnson originally planned to announce a commitment on Nov. 18, but postponed when he realized a decision would not be finalized by then. That
IN HIS WORDS
"It's been a long and hard process for me. There is one choice I feel is the best for me. For the next 3-4 years I will be continuing my athletic and collegiate career at Penn State University."
RIVALS’ REACTION
Speaking with Theo Sunday night before his announcement, it was clear the four-star tight end was still torn about this decision. Penn State was the school I had pegged as the one to beat all fall, so when he postponed the planned Nov. 18 decision date it appeared to be bad news for the Nittany Lions. In the end, though, it just meant James Franklin and his staff had to sweat things out a little longer before being rewarded with Johnson’s commitment. Of the four finalists, Penn State was in earliest and that relationship was rock solid throughout. It was the difference in surviving all the twists and turns this recruitment provided, and now the Nittany Lions have their heir apparent to Pat Freiermuth.