Legacy prospect Colsen Gatten discusses significance of Penn State offer, upcoming visit plans and more

Penn State fans have a new legacy prospect to keep an eye on this season and beyond in 2026 linebacker Colsen Gatten. The son of former Nittany Lion linebacker Aaron Gatten, Colsen plays alongside future Penn State linebacker Anthony Speca at Pittsburgh Central Catholic.

Back in June, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound sophomore earned an offer from the Nittany Lions while on campus for the Lion Strong 7-on-7 tournament. He then returned to State College two weeks ago to attend the West Virginia game, but as you would expect given his family history, that was far from his experience inside Beaver Stadium.

“We went a lot,” Gatten said, when asked how many times he’s been to Penn State games growing up. “When I was playing youth league, I’d play on Saturday, so we weren’t able to make it up as much then, but I’ve been to a bunch of big-time White Out games. We also went to the Big 10 championship, stuff like that.”

Link: Four-star OL AJ Dennis discusses recent offer from Penn State & what’s next

So far, Gatten has earned four total scholarship offers, as Nebraska, Pitt and Wisconsin have also made early moves. Penn State was actually the first school to offer, and as you would expect, it meant a lot to he and his family.

“I think Penn State certainly hit a little different compared to my other ones, just because of what my dad did there and how that impacted him,” Gatten said. “He speaks so highly of Penn State. It’s definitely a great place, but I also know I have to find the place that’s right for me.”

Gatten went on to add, “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been going up there for a while now. It was always super impressive to me, but ever since I got my offer, it feels even more special now. But yeah, I grew up going there all the time. I love it.”

Since Gatten is still just a sophomore, he hasn’t been regularly speaking with coaches over the phone. That’ll change next June when coaches can contact him, but he said he’s enjoyed his limited interactions with the staff so far.

Link: Four-star linebacker confirms he’ll attend Penn State’s White Out vs. Iowa

“Every time I go up there, I get to know them more,” Gatten said. “I haven’t really been talking to them much on the phone yet because of NCAA rules, but every time I get to talk to them, like Coach Terry [Smith] and all them, they’re great people. They always have great energy. That’s the big thing. It feels like their entire coaching staff has great energy. They’re always positive and that makes an impact.”

In addition to Speca, Gatten is also teammates with future Penn State wide receiver Peter Gonzalez. He said both Gonzalez and Speca have been great role models for him to emulate.

“Those are my guys. They’re really good role models, really good leaders and just really good people for guys like me to look up to,” Gatten said. “I mean, when you see them out there and how they play, you can see what it takes to be a player who’s going to a school like Penn State. Everything from their body language, their control and just the overall way they play. Nowadays, they’re pushing me more towards Penn State than anyone else.”

Gatten said he plans to return to Penn State next weekend for the White Out against Iowa. He also mentioned Nebraska and Wisconsin as two schools he’d like to visit in the months ahead.

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