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Penn State adds final piece to Class of 2023 with Chimdy Onoh commitment

Fitz headshot croppedby:Sean Fitz•02/01/23•

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Dundalk (Md.) offensive tackle Chimdy Onoh. (Photo by Ryan Snyder, Blue-White Illustrated)

Penn State has put a bow on its Class of 2023. The Nittany Lions landed a commitment from Dundalk (Md.) offensive tackle Chimdy Onoh on Wednesday afternoon. The four-star prospect became the lone player to sign with the program in the late signing period. 

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Onoh chose the Nittany Lions over a list of finalists that included Michigan State, Ole Miss and Rutgers. Onoh visited Penn State in January and came away with a great feeling about the Nittany Lions.

“When I went there, it pretty much felt like home,” Onoh told BWI. “I just saw a lot of genuineness from all the coaches and the players, so I really felt like I would fit in there. From all the stuff that the coaches were saying and we talked about, I really believe that they can make me into a great player. I’m excited to be with them.”

Penn State made Onoh a top priority down the stretch

Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein was a regular at Dundalk during the January evaluation period and head coach James Franklin went down to visit Onoh at his school on January 23. 

“As a head coach, I would say that [Franklin] had a big impact because he contacts me a lot compared to all the other head coaches,” said Onoh. “That was a big factor because I could really tell how much the school valued me just from the head coach being that excited about you. He just shows his excitement all the time. He was always talking to me, calling me, making sure I’m good.

“[Trautwein] also contacted me a lot. He was coming to my games and coming to my school and visited a lot. He was always making sure I’m comfortable, answering my questions and stuff like that. We talked a lot about all the stuff we could be doing if I ended up coming up with him.”

Onoh a late riser in the Class of 2023

Onoh was previously committed to former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne and Old Dominion, who managed to keep him on board from Sept. 1 to December 15. Penn State offered on Dec. 18 after Onoh opened up his recruitment. 

“We didn’t talk about anything in depth, but with them being the former staff at Penn State, they spoke really well of Penn State,” Onoh said of the Monarchs. “I wouldn’t say they were encouraging me to go to Penn State, but they spoke highly of everyone there.”

One of the top late risers in the Class of 2023, Onoh finished the cycle as a four-star prospect in both the On3 and On3 Consensus rankings. He’s the No. 207 overall prospect in the Consensus and the No. 14 offensive tackle nationally. That aligns with his On3 ranking, which places him at No. 210 overall and the No. 16 offensive tackle in the country. He’s the No. 4 prospect in Maryland on both metrics. 

Penn State now has 23 commitments in a Class of 2023 that is ranked 14th nationally by On3.

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