Penn State has picked up a major commitment on National Signing Day.

Minneapolis native and 4-star strong-side defensive end Davon Townley, who announced his decision on Wednesday. It’s a huge pick-up for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions staff, which hasn’t seen a large number of commits in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

Townley becomes just the 16th member of Penn State’s 2021 class. The Nittany Lions currently rank 7th in the B1G and 24th nationally.

According to 247Sports, Townley ranks as the No. 3 prospect out of the state of Minnesota and is the No. 19 strong-side defensive end in the 2021 cycle. Overall, Townley comes in at No. 321, regardless of position.

Penn State was one of 18 programs to offer the 6-foot-6, 220-pound defensive end. Townley also received B1G offers from Indiana, Michigan state, Minnesota and Nebraska. Other Power 5 offers included Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, Iowa State, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington.

Townley will bring great athleticism to State College, as he’s a two-sport athlete at the high school level. He also plays basketball. During the 2020 high school football season, Townley totaled 42 tackles, 7 for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also played tight end, totaling 149 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 receptions.