Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Add Four-Star Tight End to 2022 Class

Penn State football added a second commit to its 2022 recruiting class on Tuesday night as four-star tight end Jerry Cross verbally committed, announcing his decision on Twitter.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native comes in on the scale at 6-foot-6, 218-pounds and is rated the sixth-best player in the state and sixth-best tight end for the 2022 recruiting cycle according to the 247 Network’s composite rankings.

Cross tabbed the Nittany Lions over schools such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. He is currently the only tight end committed to Penn State for both the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes that will look to fill the shoes of Pat Freiermuth at the end of his career.

Freiermuth is expected to declare for the NFL Draft following his junior season although he has not made those intentions public. The Mackey Award candidate was technically eligible to declare following this past season but opted to return.

Cross will join a room not short on talent looking to make its mark in a post-Freiermuth era with former four-star recruits Zach Kuntz, Brenton Strange, and incoming freshman Theo Johnson all looking to leave their mark in 2020-21 in a complimentary role behind their star teammate.

In addition, Cross is the first Wisconsin native to commit to the Nittany Lions since Robert Windsor in 2015, he joins receiver Kaden Saunders in Penn State’s 2022 haul, Saunders verbally committing just three days ago.