Four-star TE Pierce Petersohn flips commitment from Penn State to Virginia Tech

Penn State has officially lost another four-star commitment in its 2026 class following the announcement that tight end Pierce Petersohn will be joining former head coach James Franklin at Virginia Tech instead of signing with Penn State. His decision comes just after Petersohn took an official visit to Blacksburg this past weekend.

A native of Dodge Center, Minn., Petersohn came onto Franklin and his staff’s radar late in 2024 and was eventually offered by tight ends coach Ty Howle in March. He visited Penn State for the first time in April to watch spring practice. His connection with the staff instantly made the Nittany Lions a favorite in his recruitment.

However, with Franklin now in the ACC, Petersohn believes that’s the safer bet for his future with the early signing period closing in.

“Coach Franklin’s message was that tight ends are still gonna be used heavily in his offense at Tech. The program and fan base is really strong. And since he’s got there, the community has really bought into him.”

Link: Penn State XXX

Listed at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, Petersohn suffered an ankle injury just before his high school, Triton, entered the playoffs. He reaggravated it on Oct. 25, ending his season.

“He hurt it in our last regular season game,” said Triton head coach Brandon Neseth. “Then, going into our playoff game, I thought he was around 75 percent. Just watching him, he was probably closer to 50. He couldn’t play defense at the end, but I give him a ton of credit for gritting through it and leading us in the way he did. His elusiveness and top speed were definitely hurting.”

Penn State’s previous staff also liked Petersohn’s ability in both basketball and track. On the hardwood, he’s already scored over 1,900 points with his senior season still to go. Petersohn also qualified for the state track meet in four different disciplines in 2024. He has a personal best 6-foot, 8-inch high jump and runs the 400-meter in 48.1 seconds.

He plans to do that again this winter and spring, which is why he’ll enroll at Virginia Tech in the summer.

“He’s worked with our athletic trainer and I think he’s in a better spot with his ankle,” Neseth said. “He hasn’t done much of our pre-basketball stuff yet, but I think he’ll be OK once they start playing games and stuff. The way it swelled scared some people, but I think he’s going to be OK for basketball and eventually track.”

Petersohn is ranked No. 252 nationally by Rivals. He’s the 16th-ranked tight end and No. 1 overall in Minnesota. The Industry Rankings also rate him as a four-star prospect at No. 284 nationally and 14th overall at the tight end position.