Blue White Illustrated

P enn State's Class of 2018 received a major boost on Nov. 26 when four- star tight end Zack Kuntz of Camp Hill, Pa., verbally committed to James Franklin and his assistants about two hours before the Nittany Lions' game against Michigan State. Rated by Rivals.com as the top tight end in the nation in next year's recruiting cycle, Kuntz is the brother of former Penn State wide receivers Christian and Brandon Kuntz. He's also one of Pennsyl- vania's top 3ve overall prospects, proving that the Nittany Lions' success this sea- son should have a major impact on where next year's class ultimately ranks. Blue White Illustrated's Ryan Snyder recently caught up with Kuntz to learn all the details of his commitment. BWI A few months ago, it felt like Penn State was in the top 3ve but probably not at the very top of your list. I know you really liked Notre Dame and Alabama. Stanford was another school you had in- terest in. So, was Penn State always your top school, or did it really make a push to the top recently? KUNTZ From the very start of my re- cruitment, I already knew so much about Penn State. I didn't know every- thing, but I knew more than probably any other recruit they were pursuing. So, from the start, I always had that connection and that feel for what Penn State can do for me. Going back to when I was in seventh grade and my brother Brandon was going through the process, I came with him for his uno5cial visit. That was when Coach Franklin and his coaches just got there, so I knew what they were about from the very start and I knew all about Penn State's history be- cause of Christian. I also just grew up not that far away. Even if my brothers didn't play there, everyone around here supports Penn State. So, as I progressed throughout my re- cruitment, I really tried to make sure that I wasn't single-minded with Penn State. That's something my parents re- ally stressed, too. I made sure that I branched out to see what schools had to o4er, and I did really love what a lot of those schools had to o4er when I visited. But, in the end, Penn State was just the best option for me. It's been like a sec- ond home. BWI How much did this season impact your commitment? Did Penn State's progress on the 3eld – winning nine con- secutive games and a Big Ten champi- onship – impact your mindset at all? I N T E R V I E W Z A C K K U N T Z With them being a top team in the nation again, it made that decision easier' ' NEW RECRUIT A four-star tight end from Camp Hill, Pa., Kuntz chose the Nit- tany Lions over Notre Dame, Ala- bama and Stanford. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

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