Former PSU commit OT Bleich says that his recruitment is now open

After a recent round of visits, Plymouth (Pa.) Wyoming Valley offensive tackle Chris Bleich has announced that he is opening his recruitment.

Previously committed to Penn State since April 7 of last year, Bleich was the second prospect to verbally declare to the Nittany Lions in the Class of 2018. Since then he went on to visit Pittsburgh, Mississippi State and Nebraska. Hhis most recent offer came from the Cornhuskers and then he visited them last week for the spring game. The 6-foot-5 and 308-pound Bleich told HuskerOnline.com after that trip that the experience might make him reconsider his decision.

"It's something that I'm going to have to really sit down and think about,” he said.

On Friday morning at 7 o’clock, Bleich made the call. Via his personal Twitter account, he announced that he was de-committing from the Nittany Lions. He cited that he ended his recruitment too soon before having the opportunity to visit other schools.

“After many months of discussions with my family I came to the conclusion it’s in my best interest to re-open my recruitment and de-commit from PSU,” he wrote. “I committed too young in my sophomore year. This (his recruitment) only happens once and I just want to make sure I explore all my options. I just want to say thank you to the PSU coaching staff for giving me an opportunity and believing in me.”

A three-star prospect, Bleich holds offers from Connecticut, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Texas State and UCF.

Rivals.com ranks him No. 38 among all offensive tackles in the Class of 2018. He’s considered the 16th-best prospect in Pennsylvania.

With the subtraction of Bleich from the commitment list, Penn State holds its place as the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the nation with 11 verbally committed recruits. He had been one of three three-star prospects in the class.