On Dec. 15, a week before the early signing period, Chimdy Onoh took a risk.
Onoh, for a while an under-the-radar recruit in the 2023 cycle, was verbally committed to Old Dominion since September. But as the signing period drew closer, Onoh’s stock rose as the offensive tackle was bumped up to a four-star prospect.
Onoh had to make a choice: stick with Old Dominion or re-open his recruitment at the 11th hour. He opted for the latter — and his gamble paid off.
Onoh picked Penn State over Ole Miss, Michigan State and more on Wednesday’s national signing day, joining the Nittany Lions’ impressive 2023 recruiting class.
Onoh is the 23rd member and fourth offensive lineman of the class. Wyomissing five-star standout J’ven Williams and four-star Virginia natives Alex Birchmeier and Anthony Donkoh are already enrolled.
Onoh is a big addition for James Franklin and his staff at this stage in the process. After the majority of prospects signed in December, Onoh was ranked by 247 Sports as the fifth-best recruit available ahead of the February signing day.
Onoh is ranked No. 149 on 247 Sports’ final 247 rankings. He is Penn State’s sixth signee ranked inside the top 150, joining Williams (No. 25), Birchmeier (No. 83), King Mack (No. 85), Tony Rojas (No. 121) and DaKaari Nelson (No. 132). This is the first time in Franklin’s tenure that Penn State has signed three top-150 offensive linemen in the same class.
It’s been quite the come up for Onoh, who wasn’t a hot commodity until he dominated in his final year at Dundalk High School in Baltimore. Prior to his senior season, Onoh had offers from Old Dominion and a collection of FCS programs (Towson, Maine, New Hampshire, Saint Francis, Monmouth, Delaware State).
But after his senior campaign, things really kicked into high gear.
In early December, the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder picked up offers from Ole Miss, Nebraska, Rutgers and Syracuse. That prompted him to re-open his recruitment. Within days of releasing a statement thanking Old Dominion head coach and former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne, he added offers from Colorado, Maryland, Michigan State and the Nittany Lions.
Onoh narrowed his top four to Rutgers, Michigan State, Ole Miss and Penn State, visiting the Scarlet Knights in December and the latter three in January. Earlier this week, recruiting outlets projected Onoh would pick the Nittany Lions, which he did on Wednesday afternoon.
It’s been a good week for offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. Penn State kicked off its 2025 recruiting class on Monday with the commitment of four-star offensive tackle Jaelyne Matthews.
With Williams, Birchmeier, Donkoh and now Onoh in the fold along with 2024 commit Cooper Cousins, the future of Penn State’s o-line is bright.
