Penn State’s recruiting class received a significant boost this week.

Thursday, the Nittany Lions received a verbal pledge from four-star offensive tackle Landon Tengwall. The Olney, Maryland native made his announcement official in a live interview with Rivals.com. He chose Penn State over Notre Dame, which he had in his final two that he released on Wednesday.

When asked why Tengwall selected Penn State over Notre Dame, his first answer was because of head coach James Franklin.

“Coach Franklin, he’s the best coach out there,” Tengwall told Woody Wommack of Rivals.com. “I love Coach Franklin and the staff. Been around there a lot, I love the players and the atmosphere. It’s great up there.”

Tengwall is ranked as one of the top 50 players available in the 2021 recruiting class, coming in at No. 45 overall in 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He’s also the seventh-ranked offensive tackle and the top-ranked player out of Maryland during this cycle.

Penn State now has three players committed in the 2021 class, and Tengwall is currently the highest-rated verbal commit. Athlete Liam Clifford and offensive guard Nate Bruce are both three-star prospects.

With Tengwall’s commitment, Penn State now ranks eighth in the B1G with the 2021 recruiting class and 31st nationally.