Penn State lands 2025 four-star RB Kiandrea Barker

After a weekend visit to Happy Valley, The Woodlands (Texas) four-star 2025 running back Kiandrea Barker has committed to Penn State, becoming the Nittany Lions' third commitment in the current junior class.

"As soon as I stepped on campus, I felt the love," Barker said. "They have a long history of running backs getting drafted to the league and that's the plan. The plan is to go big with it."

His relationship with head coach James Franklin manifested into a commitment after he was able to sit down with him over the weekend and communicate the plan to the Houston-area back about the future at Penn State.

"Coach Franklin, he's a character," he said. "I love how straight-forward he was and he wasn't sugarcoating nothing. When I get there in 2025-26, it will be straight work. It'll be all love but he'll be straight-forward with us the whole time. I was just in love with everything he said. It locked me in."

On the visit, just about everything went right for Barker to go ahead and turn in an early commitment.

"The fans, pretty much everything," he said. "Everything was just perfect, it just felt like home."

At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Barker is the No. 123 recruit in the class of 2024, according to Rivals. He is the No. 11 running back in the country and the No. 21 recruit from the state of Texas.