Penn State has landed its kicker in the Class of 2028. On Saturday afternoon, the Nittany Lions picked up a commitment from Buffalo (N.Y.) St. Joseph School specialist Carter Petri. Petri picked up an offer from Penn State Special Teams Coordinator Justin Lustig after a workout earlier this week.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect is the No. 9 kicker nationally in his class, according to Kohl’s Kicking.
“At the 2026 Kohl’s Eastern Spring Showcase, Carter Petri demonstrated his hard work with impressive results, scoring 12 total points in field goals,” reads his bio on Kohl’s. “During kickoff charting, he earned 109.6 points, achieving a top kickoff of 74 yards and a hang time of 3.6 seconds. He has huge upside and was one of the top prospects at camp, his ball striking is Elite, and he had a wonderful showing at camp. His performance at the 2025 Kohl’s Midwest Winter Showcase further highlighted his growth, where he scored 13 points in field goals and posted 101.15 points in kickoff charting, including a standout kick of 65 yards with a hang time of 3.7 seconds. This consistency underscores his technical skills and composure under pressure, traits that coaches at the next level should value.”
Petri also worked out at Georgia and Virginia Tech this summer and visited Michigan, Penn State and Syracuse in the spring. He attended a Junior Day in Happy Valley in January and came back for a spring practice in April.
Penn State special teams outlook
The Nittany Lions had turnover in all three facets this offseason, but retaining Lustig means that there probably wasn’t as much turnover as there could have been. Former walk-on Ryan Barker is back as a junior this season and was one of the nation’s most accurate kickers last year. Penn State will have to break in a new punter and longsnapper to replace graduated seniors Gabe Nwosu and Tyler Duzansky, but the Nittany Lions think they have the personnel to get it done.
“We certainly have some big holes to fill,” said Lustig. “We feel really good about Nathan Tiyce, that we brought in from Mississippi State. He’s kind of a diamond in the rough. Lot of potential there, Australian punter. So between him and Lucas Tenbrock, I think we’ve got two really good options there. Lucas has got a huge leg, performed really well in the All-American Bowl, so I’m excited about him. So between those two guys, feel good about punter.
“And then, obviously having Barker back at kicker is huge. And then really we had some good depth at long snapper too, with Andrew Dufault and Blaise Sokach-Minnick. So I feel like we can hopefully pick up where we left off from last year.”
Barker’s eligibility will be up after the 2027 season, leaving the door open for Petri and walk-on Matthew Parker to compete for the open job in 2028.
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