Watch: Penn State flips Matthew Outten

Days after Penn State football defeated West Virginia 34-12 in Morgantown, the team won another victory. This time, it was on the recruiting trail. Join the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel as recruiting expert Sean Fitz tells you what you need to know about the latest Nittany Lion. We discuss the news that four-star wide receiver Matthew Outten flipped his commitment from Virginia Tech to the Nittany Lions. You can also catch the video embedded in this article.

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Penn State plays the long game with Outten

Penn State’s recruiting staff thought it was in a great position this summer after Outten took his official visit on June 7. However, Outten committed to Virginia Tech shortly after his visits to the in-state Hokies later that month. Fitz discusses what happened between that point and his decision to flip on Monday. Did the win over West Virginia and Virginia Tech’s loss to Vanderbilt come into play? Fitz gives his thoughts.

We also discuss Outten’s physical skills. The 6-1, 205-pound wide receiver has a 10.91 100-meter dash time in his back pocket from his sophomore track season, but few known testing times beyond that. Did that, plus his “athlete” tag in the recruiting world push his evaluation down? We discuss his talent and why Penn State is higher on him than the recruiting industry might be.

No love lost in recruiting

Finally, we discuss the personal dynamic between Penn State head coach James Franklin and his former generals. Outten originally committed to former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry before flipping to Franklin and the Lions. Earlier in August, the Lions flipped Duke commit Cam Smith from Manny Diaz.