Penn State extends scholarship offer to Olentangy Ath. Kaden Gebhardt

Penn State extended seven new scholarship offers Sunday following its second Elite Prospect Camp of the summer. The Class of 2026 produced three new players to keep an eye on, one of which went to Ohio athlete Kaden Gebhardt.

A three-star prospect, Gebhardt played last season with Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer at Olentangy in Lewis Center. Those ties should only help the Nittany Lions down the road.

“Grunk and I have been best friends since I stepped into high school. He’s someone I look up to,” Gebhardt said. “It’s definitely a plus having him there.”

Gebhardt has been on campus before, attending one of Penn State’s first spring practices in mid-March.

“It was great to see the guys out there competing, for sure,” Gebhardt said when asked about the practice he attended. “One thing that stood out was the physicality of the defense and the way they compete. I got to see the facilities, too, and they’re great.”

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Sunday was his opportunity to get a feel for how well he’d fit with the Nittany Lion coaching staff.

“The camp was awesome,” Gebhardt said. “I learned so much about the safety and linebacker positions and got work with Coach [Anthony] Poindexter and Coach [Tom] Allen. I learned a lot from them. Overall, the camp was awesome.”

Listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Gebhardt was one of the top overall performers from a testing perspective. He still has plenty of room to grow as well, which is why Penn State believes his future may be best moving into the box.

“They like me at linebacker and like the way I can run the felid. They loved my 40, which I ran a 4.53.”

He went on to add, “I’m 100 percent fine with it because I play the game physical and fast, whether that’s being a linebacker or a safety. I would say most schools want me for safety, and some want me for more as a linebacker, which is perfect for me. I will play wherever I’m needed.”

Following his Penn State visit, Gebhardt said he plans to check out Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin in the weeks ahead. He added that he may also camp at Michigan before the end of the month.

According to On3’s Industry Rankings, Gebhardt is ranked No. 400 nationally. He’s the 34th-ranked safety and No. 17 in Ohio for the 2026 class. Last season he totaled 129 tackles for Olentangy. He also had four tackles for loss, four pass deflections, three interceptions and one sack.

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