Holy Trinity's Josiah Brown commits to Penn State

The top-ranked high school football prospect on Long Island reached his college decision Friday night.

Holy Trinity junior wide receiver Josiah Brown announced his commitment to Penn State on social media.

“It just felt different, the type of love they gave out to me and my family,” Brown told Newsday over the phone Friday night. “They’re building something greater, and they have a great history as it is, so that really stood out to me.”

Brown, a four-star athlete and the No. 242 overall high school player in the country, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings, decided between Penn State, Rutgers and Georgia as his top three schools.

He holds more than 20 FBS Division I scholarship offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan and Notre Dame.

“It feels like a stress reliever,” Brown said. “Everybody’s been wondering where I’m going to end up. I’ve been trying to figure out where I’m going to end up, so I’m finally happy the decision is made.”

He visited Penn State last weekend, his third trip to the State College, Pennsylvania, campus before committing.

“It definitely nailed it in,” Brown said of the visit. “Just seeing my family glowing with happiness, it just felt right to go there.”

Brown’s recruitment generated noise when Georgia coach Kirby Smart landed in a helicopter on the Titans’ football field in January, less than a month after Smart’s Bulldogs won their second straight national championship.

The Holy Trinity star cited his relationship with Penn State wide receivers coach Marques Hagans during the recruiting process. Brown is set to run routes under coach James Franklin with the Nittany Lions.

“He’s a real stand-up guy. I just like his vibe and the way he coaches his players,” Brown said of Franklin. “When I went up for the spring game, I could see myself being coached in that offense.”

Brown’s .9146 prospect rating in the 247 Sports Composite Rankings is the highest of any player in New York for the class of 2024 and the highest of any Long Island prospect since Lindenhurst’s Jeremy Ruckert in 2018. He played for Ohio State and now the Jets.

The Titans have won back-to-back CHSFL titles, and Brown won CHSAA individual titles in the 100- and 200-meter sprints on the track this spring.

“His speed is undeniable, he has a good feel for the game and he’s a student of the game,” Holy Trinity coach Kahmal Roy said in January. “I think coaches, once they sit down with him, they see that he’s a very cerebral kid, he’s a very thought-provoking kid and it’s deep-rooted. That’s attractive to anyone.”

Now the 6-foot, 170-pound speedster will focus on his senior year at Holy Trinity as the Titans chase a third consecutive CHSFL title.

“I was ready to wrap things up,” Brown said. “It feels beautiful, being able to focus on getting better for college and not really having to worry about the recruiting stuff.”