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Oh, Hello: PA S John Petrishen Commits to Penn State

The Pittsburgh safety chooses the Nittany Lions over his hometown Panthers.

By Nick Polak

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John Petrishen, ladies and gentlemen!

Stats:

Home/HS: Central Catholic/Pittsburgh, PA

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 190 lbs

Recruited By: Terry Smith, Bob Shoop

Starz 'n Sheetz:

Stars: 3* 247, Rivals, Scout, ESPN

Offer Sheet: Penn State, Pitt, Maryland, Virginia, Northwestern, Wake Forest, and a ton of mid-majors

Cinema:

The Tale:

John Petrishen switched into overdrive in late November, as his dreams of playing college football for a power conference team, as opposed to a mid-major team, became very real. After picking up offers from Northwestern and Maryland immediately following his Penn State visit (for the Whiteout), he began to start narrowing things down.

Recently, Petrishen stated that his final three was Virginia, Penn State and Pittsburgh, and that he would visit all three before making a decision. After taking an official visit to Pitt two weeks ago, and visiting Penn State last weekend, he chose to cancel his UVA visit. John was visited by coaches from Penn State's staff in the week following his official visit, and had four Pitt coaches at his home just a few days ago. Despite the full court press by the Panthers and new head coach Pat Narduzzi (who is known for his ability to develop defensive backs), Penn State was able to earn John's commitment in the end.

John is yet another example of a kid who probably never would have had the chance to earn a Penn State scholarship without the lifted sanctions. Thankfully for his sake and for Penn State's sake, those restrictions no longer exist.

Outlook:

Petrishen will join a secondary that has become surprisingly crowded over the last few seasons. When he begins practicing, he will not only be competing with all the returning players on Penn State's roster, but with fellow 2015 commits Jarvis Miller and Ayron Monroe, as well. For this simple reason alone, Petrishen will have to fight hard to earn early playing time. It's likely that the incoming freshman who impresses most out of the three will get a chance to play early, but it's too early to guess who that will be.

When he does make it on the field, Petrishen should be a fun one to watch. He has great awareness and fantastic hands, thanks to also playing receiver in high school. He has solid speed, and should be more than able to play safety effectively in Bob Shoop's system. He also has experience returning kicks, which could help him to see the field earlier than expected.

Petrishen's commitment brings Penn State's 2015 class to 24, with just a few days to go until National Signing Day.

Welcome to Penn State, John!

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