Big-time Minnesota kid committed to Penn State reopens recruitment

Pierce Petersohn is a four-star recruit who is reopening his recruitment following the firing of Penn State head coach James Franklin.

Pierce Petersohn on his Gophers' official visit. | Picture via: @PiercePetersohn (X)

One of the top Minnesota high school football players in the class of 2026, Triton linebacker and tight end Pierce Petersohn, is reopening his commitment months after verbally committing to Penn State.

"I remain committed to Penn State and appreciate everything they’ve done for me, but with some uncertainty around the coaching situation, I’ve decided to reopen my recruitment," Petersohn announced Monday night.

The four-star athlete from Triton High School in southeast Minnesota is ranked as the No. 283 prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's the No. 3 player in Minnesota, trailing Gophers commits Roman Voss of Jackson County Central and Howie Johnson of Forest Lake.

It's unclear what direction Petersohn will go, but he picked Penn State over Minnesota last summer. The two Big Ten schools were listed as his finalists.

Gophers On SI's Tony Liebert, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reported that Petersohn chose Penn State because he wants to play tight end and there could be a logjam at Minnesota, especially after Voss committed just days before Petersohn revealed his intention to sign with Penn State.

Liebert says the Gophers were recruiting Petersohn primarily as a linebacker, with some tight end packages mixed in. Penn State was believed to be exclusively recruiting Petersohn as a tight end.

While Voss has Jackson County Central in the state semifinals, Petersohn and Triton were eliminated by perennial state power Caledonia in the section playoffs.

Minnesota has also received a verbal commitment from the No. 4 player in the state, ROCORI offensive lineman Andrew Trout. If Petersohn winds up flipping to the Gophers, Minnesota could wind up keeping the top four players in the 2026 class from leaving the state.