It’s never too early to begin assembling a strong recruiting class. James Franklin and Penn State are looking a few years in advance.

Penn State landed a verbal commitment from a tight end in the 2023 recruiting class on Monday. Mathias Barnwell, a Spotsylvania, Virginia native, gave his pledge to the Nittany Lions. He’s just the fourth player in the cycle to commit to any program this early in the process.

Barnwell made his decision by posting a video on Twitter. He’s the lone player committed to Penn State in the 2023 class at this time.

According to 247Sports, Barnwell is a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end. During the 2020 season at Spotsylvania High School, he totaled 10 catches for 154 yards and five touchdowns.

Barnwell has already generated plenty of attention on the recruiting trail. He’s received 15 offers as a member of the 2023 class, including interest from Duke, Maryland, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Virginia, Virginia Tech, USC, Tennessee and Pitt.

Recruiting is a never-ending process. However, it is unusual to see players commit so early in their high school careers. But Penn State was too good of an offer to pass on.