New Penn State commit Owen Aliciene opens up about his decision
Penn State picked up its eighth commitment in the Class of 2025 Sunday, adding offensive tackle Owen Aliciene from Avon Old Farms in Connecticut. At nearly 6-foot-8, 270 pounds, position coach Phil Trautwein has made it a priority over the past year to add length to his room, signing both Garrett Sexton and Eagan Boyer in the previous class last month.
Totaling four visits to Penn State since March 2023, Aliciene earned an offer from the Nittany Lions in May. He returned to campus last July to both camp with the staff and attend the Lasch Bash Barbecue. But even before that trip, the three-state offensive lineman already had PSU as the team to beat.
“When I first visited, after that, I kind of thought that this was the place I would like to go,” Aliciene said. “Then, when they offered me in May, I definitely had the mindset that Penn State was my number one offer. As other offers kept coming, I couldn’t really pick one that I wanted to go to more than Penn State. So yeah, it was pretty easy for me, honestly.”
Aliciene has only been playing football for two seasons, focusing on hockey most of his life. However, it didn’t take long for schools to see his potential, earning his first scholarship last January. He totaled 20 offers over the past year, visiting Boston College, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.
But as he got a better feel for what’s important at each of those schools, Penn State’s lead continued to grow.
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“I think Coach [James] Franklin’s program really replicates what my coach has built here at Avon and what he really preaches to us, which I really like,” Aliciene said. “He emphasizes education, which is really important to my family. He was talking about how for everyone on the team, there’s no option not to graduate. If you’re going to go there, you’re going to be there until you graduate, which I think is important.
“I also think that they’re heading in the right direction. When it comes to the recruits they’re getting and the development they do, I think they can develop me just as good or better than anyone in the country. I really trust Coach Trautwein and Coach Franklin. That’s pretty much why I made my decision, the trust I have in them. They were also the ones who reached out to me the most and showed the most interest in me throughout.”
Former special teams coordinator Stacy Collins played a role in kickstarting Aliciene’s interest in Penn State. But as he got around Trautwein more, that relationship had a major impact on him deciding to end his recruitment nearly a year before he could sign.
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“I think he’s just an overall good guy,” Aliciene said when asked about Trautwein. “He always shoots it straight. He’s not gonna bullcrap you. He tells me what I need to work on and what I’m doing good. He’s a straight shooter, which I really like. That’s the same way my coach is now and that’s the same way I was brought up by my parents. Just tell it like it is. I think that’s big in their program.
“He was also the O-line coach that was consistently reaching out to me the most. Also, when I did camps in the summer, he was probably the guy I learned from the most. That was definitely my favorite camping experience. I liked the Lasch Bash a lot, too. But we’ve been talking for a while and he’s just a great guy. It’s kind of hard not to like him.”
In addition to the coaching staff, Aliciene also pointed out one of Penn State’s recent enrollees as someone who had an impact.
“I talked to Cooper Cousins a lot this weekend,” he said. “He took me around the place, and we talked for a while at the stadium. We were up in the Mt. Nittany Club and talked a lot up there. I’ve talked to Luke Reynolds a little bit, too, because we played each other. He’s a great guy.”
