Penn State ‘always had a special place in my heart’ for 2027 4-star commit Layton Von Brandt

Since then Penn State Layton Von Brandt, who came with an offer on May 9, wanted to fulfill his commitment. James Franklin program officer. But the four-star prospect, a top-50 prospect in the 2027 class, was held off as he and his family wanted to keep all options on the table for a while longer.

Georgia was at the head of the next wave of offers for the 6-6, 255-pound offensive lineman, while Boston College, Indiana and his home state of Delaware were also in the mix. Von Brandt, who made the trip from Appoquinimink High School in Middletown, Delaware, has camped at Penn State twice this summer and visited twice for games — most recently for a visit White Out beat Washington 35-6.

This trip, already his fifth trip to Happy Valley, was all he needed to seal the deal.

Von Brandt announced his commitment to Penn State just before kickoff against the Huskiesimpressive running back becomes the second member of the Nittany Lions’ young 2027 class Chemon Magic of McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

“I told my parents: ‘Why wait when what I want is right here?’ “And that was really the deciding factor,” von Brandt told PennLive over the phone this week.

“It was amazing. I mean, the energy gets better every time I’m there. Every time I go there, Penn State gets better and better,” he added of last weekend’s visit. “The games, the camps, everything gets better every time.”

Von Brandt made the decision public social media post Using Penn State’s iconic “It’s Us” slogan as shorthand for the recruiting pitch Franklin and Co. specifically used to persuade him: Winning, Education, Atmosphere, Relationships, and Elite culture.

He delved into what each of these aspects means to him with PennLive.

Winning: “They won, and when I get there, I will win with them.”

Education: “They’ve got a great education. Being in the Big 10, great sports, great education. That means a lot to me too. Just in case. You never know the future. I’ll never know what’s going to happen. The real goal is football. But you know, I just “I’m following God’s plan and wherever He takes me, I want to get an education and be a student-athlete first.”

Atmosphere: “(The atmosphere) is crazy. I’ve always wanted to play in a place like this. The fans are crazy. The fans are amazing. It’s great there.

Relationships: “They built a great relationship with me. I think I could talk to them all day and that’s all you can really ask for.

Elite culture: “Just the overall energy of the whole organization. It’s all just exaggeration. Regardless of the hype, I also love the family part. Everything is family. I live in a house with six siblings. So I’m all about family and I love the fact that it’s all about family.

Growing up in Delaware, he looked to former Penn State and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin for inspiration. Godwin attended Middletown High School, Appoquinimink’s rival.

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Von Brandt also mentioned current Nittany Lions right guard Sal Wormley, who attends Smyrna High School, a short drive south of Middletown. He met Wormley at camps this summer and also worked with Wormley’s former offensive line coach.

“Penn State has always had a special place in my heart,” von Brandt said. “Knowing that someone like me comes from a small town in Delaware, which is already a small state in the country, made me want to follow in (Godwin’s) footsteps and of course create my own legacy. ”

Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, who has been in an intense recruiting process over the last few years, played a big role in Von Brandt’s decision. The sophomore lineman appreciated the honesty he felt from Trautwein throughout the process. He knows he has a long way to go in his development and is confident Trautwein and the rest of the coaching staff can help him achieve his goals.

“He’s everything I want in a coach. A lot of people can’t handle criticism. A lot of people can’t handle feedback and things like that. And if you need to be yelled at, you should be yelled at. Coach Traut does a great job,” Von Brandt said. “He’s yours. He may be your friend but then he wants you to be the best That’s why he hires the guys he hires because he knows he sees potential in them.

“When I talk to him, I know he sees the potential in me, so he’s always going to push me. That stood out to me because he wants me to be great. He told me I was good, but he never said I was great. That meant a lot to me because he’s not going to tell me what I want to hear.” He wants me to be great and he thinks he can make me great, that’s one of the things that stands out to me.”

Von Brandt knows it is early in the process for this commitment; He still has to wait more than two years to officially sign and enroll at Penn State. That’s okay, though, because he’s extremely confident in his word.

He and his family plan to buy a hotel in State College next summer and continue camping at Penn State to benefit from Trautwein’s coaching as much as possible. He also has an eye on bringing on other prospects, saying, “I’m part of the family, so I have to keep adding to the family.” First on his list is 2027 five-star forward Maxwell Hiller from Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

“I am realistic with myself. I know I have a lot to improve and a lot to prove to myself and to them, of course, but it makes me hungrier knowing that they believe in me,” Von Brandt said. “It really means a lot to know that I’m a priority for them, and they just showed that every time I got there.”

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