Pete Eglitis's high school career ended with a 30-0 run, but his college recruitment is just beginning with Penn State (Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch)
Class of 2026 standout Pete Eglitis has had a whirlwind of a week. The former Iowa State signee heard about new Penn State Football head coach Matt Campbell‘s move, won a state championship, and then got released from his letter of intent to Iowa State.
Safe to say the 6-foot-7 Offensive Lineman has had a gratifying, yet challenging week.
The Whirlwind: State Title and Decommitment Chaos
A Dominant Career: 44-2 Record and Back-to-Back State Championships
As a member of Iowa State’s 50th-ranked class of 2026, Eglitis loved Matt Campbell’s Iowa State culture.
“My recruitment was a little different. I kind of flew under the radar a little bit.” Eglitis, who holds offers from Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and several others, told NittanyCentral in a recent conversation. “The final factor for committing to Iowa State was Coach Campbell and Coach Clanton. They made me feel loved. Everything they said, I loved. The culture around the program was just elite.”
The challenges of losing your head coach two days after signing day can be even tougher than most would imagine. As a part of Columbus, Ohio’s Bishop Watterson, Eglitis has won back-to-back state championships.
“Last year, as well as this year, we won states,” Eglitis told NittanyCentral. “I guess it’s kind of the dream high school football career.”
As a starter, Eglitis was 44-2 overall and closed his career out on a dominant 30-0 run. That truly is a “dream career”.
But it wasn’t all easy.
The Next Chapter: Why Penn State is a Program to Watch for the 6’7″ OL
The coaching carousel challenges reared their ugly head for Eglitis at an unfortunate time.
“I found out about 20 minutes before my state championship game,” Eglitis said. “I’m pretty sure a lot of the dudes in the room got the same ESPN notification as I did. They all came over to me and were like, ‘we just got one thing to worry about right now. Let’s win this game and enjoy the weekend. It’s a Monday thing.'”
Eglitis took his teammates’ advice and left no doubt on the field, beating Central Catholic 30-0.
“Obviously,” Eglitis said. “I had that in the back of my mind. But to be honest, I wasn’t thinking about it much. I knew God had a plan for me, no matter what … I just played through it.”
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Reopening Recruitment: The Race to Sign the Ohio Star
As Eglitis soaks in a second state championship, he also has to shift his focus back to the recruiting process. The Ohio star has until February to decide where he wants to play in college.
“To be honest, it’s just wait and see,” Eglitis said. “This has been super hard on my family and me, so we’re just trying to take it day by day. Whatever happens, happens… Everything happens for a reason.”
As Eglitis contemplates his decision, I would expect Campbell, and the Nittany Lions to be in the mix for him.
EXCLUSIVE: “Campbell Is the BEST Coach”—Why 4-Star Will Slagle Will Still Open Up His Recruitment
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Ian Purdy covers Penn State Football Recruiting for NittanyCentral.
Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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