Riverside all-state lineman Tavian Branch has decommitted from Penn State.

The news was first reported Wednesday afternoon by Hayes Fawcett of Rivals and On3Sports.

Branch, a three-star recruit who initially committed to Rutgers in June and changed to Penn State in September, reopened his recruitment after the firing of Nittany Lions’ head coach James Franklin in October.

Last weekend, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Branch visited Ole Miss. He also has a visit to Auburn on Nov. 29 for the Iron Bowl against Alabama, and could visit Virginia Tech, which hired Franklin, as early as this weekend, he said.

“With Penn State, there is so much uncertainty and instability,” Branch, 18, said Wednesday. “I really had to decide to decommit, because I am going to be an early enrollee. It has been a tough recruiting process for me since Coach Franklin got fired, and I lost that connection to Penn State.

“I have been blessed with this opportunity, and the Lord brought me to this decision, and he is going to lead me to the right school. I have to stay patient. I know this process hasn’t been perfect, but I am going to remain blessed, and when I make my decision, I will be ready to put in the work.”

Branch, a senior, was a sought-after prospect since his all-state junior year when he led the Vikings to the District 2 Class 2A championship and the PIAA Class 2A semifinals. This season, he was a force on both sides of the ball for Riverside, which finished 8-3 and lost to Dunmore in the District 2 Class 2A playoffs.

He held a commitment ceremony at Riverside High School in June when he announced his decision to attend Rutgers over the other finalists, Penn State, Alabama, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

However, prior to Riverside’s game against Hanover Area on Aug. 29, Branch announced he was decommitting from Rutgers. A week later he committed to Penn State University and Franklin after a Saturday morning visit to Happy Valley.

During the recruiting process, Branch received scholarship offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Kent State, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Branch holds 35 scholarship offers, according to Hayes Fawcett.