Penn State freshman Mega Barnwell is no longer with the Nittany Lions
A Penn State football freshman who signed with the program in the Class of 2023 is no longer with the Nittany Lions. Tight end Mathias “Mega” Barnwell was removed from the program’s online roster on Monday afternoon.
A former three-star recruit in the On3 Industry Rankings out of Fredericksburg, Va., Barnwell committed to the Lions on Sept. 25, 2021. It was the second time he picked the program, as he originally pledged to it but then decommitted to explore other options. His search eventually brought him back to Penn State. He enrolled at the school in January and participated in spring practice.
Barnwell started his Penn State career at tight end
While Penn State initially listed him as a tight end, Barnwell had future position flexibility. He started his career at that spot. But, it was always a possibility that natural progression from a weight perspective could lead him closer to the football, on either side of the ball, at some point during his college career.
“He’s the tallest guy in this class,” Penn State coach James Franklin said in December. “We do think he could play defensive end, we do think he could play defensive tackle. We think he can play tight end, for sure. I think there’s also a chance he could play on the offensive line. Now, most high school kids don’t want to hear that they’re being projected to move to offensive line until you show them how many first-round draft choices on the offensive line started at tight end. That’s usually a pretty good story to tell.
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“At the end of the day we want guys to play the position they want to play. A lot of times guys will kind of see that on their own, that they need to move. But to be honest with you, we just wanted him in our program. He’s a really good athlete, great family, really good student, with position flexibility. He may be at tight end for four or five years or another position. We’ll see how the genetics play out. We’ve been very honest and open with the kid and the family that some of these things are possibility. Again, we wouldn’t move him unless him and the family were onboard with the decision.”
Penn State never got the opportunity to move him, however, as his time on campus lasted approximately five months. It is unclear why he is no longer with the program.
