4-star Petersohn picks Penn State over Gophers; source says TE role was key

Minnesota four-star tight end/linebacker Pierce Petersohn announced Wednesday his commitment to play for Penn State. The Triton High School senior is the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2026 Minnesota recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

The Dodge Center, Minn. native is listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. Petersohn had the Nittany Lions and Gophers as his final two options.

Gophers On SI's Tony Liebert, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reports that Petersohn chose Penn State because he wants to play tight end and there could be a logjam at Minnesota, especially after Tuesday's commitment from the No. 1 in-state recruit, Roman Voss.

Liebert says the Gophers were recruiting Petersohn primarily as a linebacker, with some tight end packages mixed in. Penn State was believed to be exclusively recruiting Petersohn as a tight end.

Petersohn had visited the University of Minnesota campus numerous times during his recruitment. His latest recruiting trip was an official visit to the Penn State last weekend.

He is the No. 342 recruit in the nation according to 247Sports' latest composite ranking.