Matt Detisch

At first, Mars offensive lineman Matt Detisch detested the idea of being a Nittany Lion.

His family being Pitt football faithful by background, he preferred “Sweet Caroline” over the White Out. He watched the Panthers closely and, like most other Pitt fans, didn't really care for Penn State.

But, after his first glimpse of Happy Valley, on a campus visit that Planets coach Scott Heinauer helped to set up during the lineman's sophomore year, Detisch wanted to go to PSU, whether it be to play football or not.

“As a Pitt fan, I didn't want to go on that trip,” Detisch said. “But I was like, 'Let's do it, just to check it out.'”

Fast forward to Wednesday and Detisch signed his name to be a preferred walk-on and wear blue and white next season. He plans to study accounting at Penn State and said his recruitment is now closed.

As the Panthers enjoyed their best season in recent memory, Detisch made a couple of trips back east this fall, including one with his father Tim and brother Ben, to watch the team he was fixing to join.

He went to see the Nittany Lions dispatch Villanova in late September and would have gone back the following week to take in their victory over Indiana if not for his Homecoming. He made it back for the team's loss to Illinois in an FBS-record nine overtime periods.

The desire to be part of a larger team and an environment where football means something more to the people around the team factored heavily into Detisch's choice.

He said, even on Thanksgiving break, there were more fans at the Penn State game during his 10th-grade visit than he'd ever seen at Heinz Field during a Pitt game. The Nittany Lions have the nation's second-largest venue in Beaver Stadium.

“They call it Happy Valley for a reason,” Detisch said. “When you're up there, every store you see, it's all Penn State. Everything is blue and white. Everything relates to Penn State or Penn State football, one way or another.”

He compared the atmosphere to Pitt's, which is more isolated to the school's campus than the whole city.

“I feel like, at some of the other schools that were recruiting me, sure, people like football, but at Penn State, it's a whole different ballgame when it comes to fans.”

Detisch also sought advice from another Mars grad who took the same path he was thinking of.

A tailback for the Planets two seasons ago, Ben Chizmar walked on to play linebacker for the Nittany Lions in 2021. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Max, who plays the same position and starred on the turf at Mars.

“I'm really close with Ben,” Detisch said. “I talked to him a lot last year, we had a couple classes last year. I've been Snapchatting him throughout the process and (seeing) how he feels about it … I know if he loves it, then I'm going to love it, as well.”

As for his Panthers fandom, he's not yet sure how it will work.

“I have to give all of my T-shirts away to my dad,” Detisch joked.