Riverside High School's Tavian Branch committed to Penn State on Saturday during his official visit to the school, according to 247Sports' Brian Dohn.
The Pennsylvania defensive lineman had originally committed to Rutgers but de-committed last week before scheduling an official visit to Penn State for Saturday.
Branch is a three-star recruit ranked No. 61 in the country at his position and a Top 15 prospect in Pennsylvania in the class of 2026.
Branch Decides on Penn State
Branch's flip in commitment didn't come out of nowhere. Back in May, the Pennsylvania defensive lineman expressed his desire to play on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and Penn State took that desire seriously.
"I always wanted to take my official visit to Penn State," Branch said (h/t 247Sports.com). "I didn't get a chance to do it because I committed before it but I wanted to see what it was like. I was there a few times before (on unofficials) but I wanted to see what (an official) was going to be like."
Branch's original offer from Penn State was from offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, but then in the spring, defensive line coach Deion Barnes told the three-star prospect he had an offer to play on both sides.
Uncommitted PA star DL @BranchTavian destroys an OL and delivers pain to the QB. Hits the crowd with the Lebron celly after. This kid was a top priority for me and now with him still deciding his future he has become that once again for 2026. KEEP TAVIAN BRANCH HOME
— White Out Recruiting (@NittanyNatRec) August 30, 2025
WE ARE🦁 pic.twitter.com/IEVkaePBeI
That along with Branch's experiences at Penn State were enough to flip the 6-foot-3, 300 pound defensive lineman from Rutgers to Penn State.
"The environment at Penn State is amazing," Branch said (h/t 247Sports.com). "They were one of the first to offer so being there, developing (relationships), and just love coach Franklin and coach Trautwein and (coach Barnes)."
Branch will enter Penn State as a defensive lineman. In his junior year at Riverside, Branch collected 65 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
The home-grown talent is in Happy Valley this weekend for Penn State's matchup with FIU.