One of the top football players in the WPIAL has made his collegiate decision, and he’s staying close to home.

Greater Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch recently solidified his commitment to play college football at Penn State University. The Wildcats junior had several offers from Power Five universities.

“There’s a lot of things, but to start, it was the relationship I had with the coaches,” the future Nittany Lion commented. “They weren’t a team that offered me just to offer me. I started to get real comfortable there and knew most of the coaches there.”

The recruiting process was a lengthy one for Tatsch, as he fielded offers from some of the top schools in the country. Notre Dame, Michigan State, Stanford, USC, and West Virginia are just a small sample of schools that offered scholarships to him.

But in the end, it was Penn State and the tradition that the program has in football that drew him to Happy Valley.

Tatsch gained major attention during this recruiting process. Penn State’s Head Coach James Franklin flew in via helicopter to visit Tatsch in Latrobe. USC’s Head Coach Lincoln Riley flew across the country to pay the nationally-ranked recruit a visit.

However, with all of this attention, Tatsch wanted to just get back to what he loves doing - playing football.

“The attention is nice, but sometimes, it’s a lot for me,” he noted. “The glamour of it is cool, but I’d rather just worry about football than where I’m going to visit next.”

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to the buzz Tatsch has drawn with his play for Greater Latrobe. The Wildcats linebacker had 111 tackles this past season, along with four interceptions and four sacks.

Tatsch isn’t the only standout in the WPIAL who is staying local. Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin also made his commitment to play for the Nittany Lions on the gridiron. The two will be teammates in the fall of 2025.

“There’s great kids that come out of this area,” he added. “It makes it easy to stay local because of the loyalty these in-state schools have to kids. It’s a cool bond you can have with those guys.”

Martin has enrolled early into Penn State, and the idea has crossed Tatsch’s mind when the time comes. He wants to take his time with making that decision.

Tatsch and his Wildcats have a lot to build on from this past season. They finished 8-4 overall in Class 4A, with a 4-2 conference record in the Big Seven. They fell in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, but not without giving eventual champions Aliquippa all it could handle in a 37-29 final.

“We can compete with anybody,” he commented on what the loss to Aliquippa showed his team. “We were under the radar because we didn’t start out the best. But we got better and better as the season continued.”

Tatsch and his teammates are hoping to carry the strong finish of 2023 into the fall of 2024. With Tatsch’s senior year approaching, he’s aware his time is running out for capturing a WPIAL title.

However, he knows that his legacy at Greater Latrobe will last a lifetime, with or without a championship.

“I want to be remembered as a good football player and a good person,” he shared. “I want to leave a great representation of how our football program should be.”