Take Two: Is Theo Johnson wavering on Penn State?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
MORE: Is Penn State a top 10 job? | How Johnson compares to Freiermuth
THE STORYLINE
Theo Johnson planned to make his commitment on Monday and it was highly anticipated since he’s a four-star prospect and one of the top handful of tight ends in the 2020 class.
But in recent days the Windsor (Ontario) Holy Names decided to postpone his decision as he plans to review all of his frontrunners and pick a school later on.
Penn State seemed to be the frontrunner for Johnson, rated No. 155 nationally, so this could hurt the Nittany Lions as the four-star tight end plans to visit Michigan this weekend for its big rivalry game against Michigan State.
Iowa and Georgia are very much still in the running as well.
The Canadian tight end had another excellent visit to Penn State recently for its Whiteout win over Michigan. The crowd was rocking, the environment was great and the Nittany Lions have no problem using the tight end in their offense.
Can Penn State still convince Johnson that it’s the right place for him or is this postponement a very worrisome sign that the four-star is now looking elsewhere?
FIRST TAKE: Josh Helmholdt, Midwest analyst
“From what he told me, the reason he’s delaying is because as he thought through it more, he’s less sure about his decision than he was a week ago. My interpretation of that is it’s not good news for Penn State because I felt for a long time that Penn State is the team to beat here.
“So if he’s less sure about his choice, that now brings all four schools back strongly into play.”
SECOND TAKE: Mike Farrell, National recruiting director
“Penn State can still get him. If they were considered the leader heading into that Minnesota game and he delays things, that’s never a good sign. That means he’s taking a step back and looking at stuff.
“But Penn State can still get him. They have a great tight end tradition. They utilize the tight end very well. These other schools do also. We will see after the Michigan visit, but Penn State still has a great chance to land him.”