On Saturday, Feb. 14, Penn State football extended a three-star recruit from the Class of 2027 an offer. While not the blue chip prospect the Nittany Lions hope to land in the future, they and head coach Matt Campbell are proving to themselves that they can compete with other programs across the country.
Matt Campbell banks on family connections to help land 4-star tight end
Defensive lineman Carter Blattner, an Allendale, N.J. native, is the No. 370 recruit from the Class of 2027. He's also ranked 41st in his position group and eighth out of New Jersey, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
Before receiving the offer from Penn State, Kentucky was the leading program expected to land Blattner. He received his offer from the Wildcats on Dec. 30, 2025 and attended their Junior Day on Jan. 17. This is the only program Blattner visited in his recruitment.
Now, the SEC has to overcome the Big Ten and Campbell to land the three-star recruit.
Three-star defensive lineman Carter Blattner schedules visit immediately upon receiving Penn State offer
"Getting the offer from Penn State is huge for me. That has always been a place I wanted to go play," Blattner said, according to On3's Ryan Snyder.
Upon receiving the offer, Blattner penciled in his visit with the Nittany Lions. Snyder reported that Blattner will be in Happy Valley at some point during the spring football season.
Campbell has yet to schedule Penn State's Blue-White Spring Game. If the visit doesn't line up with the game and all goes well on Blattner's initial visit, however, he might find his way back to campus to watch the scrimmage that is typically scheduled for late April.
New Jersey DL Carter Blattner picked up an offer from Penn State on Saturday and immediately locked in a visit for spring ball.
— Ryan Snyder (@RyanSnyderOn3) February 16, 2026
Link ➡️ https://t.co/O44bw1SXIk pic.twitter.com/vbQ7d9SwfJ
Hope keeps building as Campbell and his staff hand out offers to recruits.
On Sunday, Feb. 15, four-star tight end Ben Kolar, who has an Iowa State alum sibling connection, received his offer from the Nittany Lions. Five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou also included Penn State in his top 10 schools, which were announced on Friday, Feb. 13. On Feb. 11, four-star cornerback Kei'Shaun Telfair scheduled three official visits, one of which was to Happ Valley.
All that's left for Campbell is getting the commitment news he's waited for.