Central Catholic linebacker Colsen Gatten picks Duke

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Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | 11:20 PM


Central Catholic linebacker Colsen Gatten, one of the top players in WPIAL football’s Class of ‘26, will play his college ball at Duke.

The 6-foot-1½, 220-pound rising senior announced his commitment Wednesday on social media.

Gatten had 51 tackles and three interceptions for the WPIAL Class 6A champs last season. He is rated a three-star prospect, the 25th-best player in Pennsylvania and the 61st-best linebacker in the country by 247sports.com.

Gatten began receiving Power 4 offers before his sophomore season. He is known to have received offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

His father, Aaron, is a WPIAL Hall of Famer from Washington High School who played linebacker at Penn State. While Colsen won’t play for his father’s alma mater, he will play for a former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator. Duke coach Manny Diaz held that position at Penn State from 2021-23.

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