Most eyes will likely be on the all everything tight end, Adam Breneman.  He is of course continuing his recovery from ACL surgery last summer, and during open practices this spring, he has been wearing a non contact jersey.  However, should Adam play, it will be interesting to see how quickly he has picked up a tight end position that O’Brien says is the 2nd toughest spot in his offense, behind only the quarterback.

Sticking on offense, Richy Anderson has been turning heads throughout spring after settling in at receiver.  In fact, his progression was so impressive, the staff had no qualms about moving Trevor Williams over to the defensive secondary.  The latest legacy recruit flew a bit under the radar when he committed to O’Brien, but he is well suited to the slot position, and his speed could prove to be a key mismatch this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, two defensive backs that share a surname might be more critical to the Lions’ success this fall than either of the bigger names on offense.  Jordan and Anthony Smith (no relation) will be stepping into a secondary with some returning talent, but not much depth.  The opportunity for playing time only increased with likely starter Stephen Obeng-Agayapong rehabbing from a torn labrum this spring.

Back on offense, two run on quarterbacks, D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple were brought in to help push Steven Bench and Tyler Ferguson.  While much of the focus will be on those two, Crook and Whipple present an interesting question for the staff.  As I’ve said several times, my hope and expectation is Christian Hackenberg will redshirt this year.  If either of these two wildcards show they are capable of running the offense to some degree, that decision may be made easier for O’Brien.  Besides, PSU just graduated a former (then) walk-on quarterback that did alright.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State

If Adam wasn’t the most important player Bill O’Brien targeted after his hiring over a year ago, he was right up there.  O’Brien made recruiting Pennsylvania the unquestioned focus for his staff, and Breneman was one of the top players in a very deep class in the Keystone State.  Combine all of that with the emphasis placed on the tight end position in BOB’s offense, and you see the importance.  Adam committed early in the process as well, shortly after fellow blue chipper Christian Hackenberg, giving PSU plenty of early momentum.

Adam missed the 2012 season due to an ACL injury suffered in a summer camp, but still earned All American Honors, and lofty recruiting rankings from every service out there.  Instead of focusing just on his rehab, Breneman put together Catch the Cure, a fundraising effort to ultimately end ALS, which has hit close to home with Tom Kirchoff a former Cedar Cliff quarterback diagnosed with the disease.  Over the course of just a few months, Catch the Cure raised over $100,000 towards ALS awareness and research.

Adam’s knee injury makes a redshirt in the 2013 season a strong possibility (not to mention the emergence of Kyle Carter, Jesse James, and Matt Lehman), but even in the highly unlikely event he never catches a pass for the Lions, Adam Breneman will be a name held in high regard by PSU fans for years to come.

Here is our coverage from Adam during the past year:

Adam Breneman bio and video

Adam Breneman interview

Former editor Tim Tolley on his relationship with Adam

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State and National Signing Day 2013

Under Coach Paterno, the tight end position was largely viewed almost strictly as a blocker, and occasionally as a pass catching option.  Nearly 20 years ago, Kyle Brady was a crucial piece in as potent an offense as college football had seen.  More recently, Andrew Quarless used his superior size and athleticism to become a more dependable pass catching threat.  However, neither was ever a focal point of the offense.

From the time Bill O’Brien was announced as Penn State’s 15th coach, much speculation centered around the tight end position.  It was evident from O’Brien’s time running the high octane Patriots offense that the tight end position was very much a weapon in his offense.  BOB also had Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez with him in New England, and it was not apparent going into the year if the Lions had those kind of players at that position.  Blue chip recruit Adam Breneman came on board early, but would not be on campus until 2013.  O’Brien needed to find a answer from the guys on the roster.  Kyle Carter, Gary Gilliam, Jesse James, and Matt Lehman would need to provide the answer.  Did they ever.

Kyle Carter announced his presence early on, catching 6 passes for 74 yards in his first collegiate game vs. Ohio.  Carter proved to have the size, athleticism, and great hands required of a tight end in O’Brien’s offense, making his way onto the John Mackey Award (top collegiate tight end) watch list.  He was the only freshman to appear on the list.  Carter’s season was cut short, missing the Purdue game with an injury, before returning to make 1 catch vs. Nebraska, only to miss the season’s final two games.

Sep 1, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Matt Lehman (84) dives into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Ohio Bobcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Junior Matt Lehman arrived at PSU in 2011, by way of Shippensburg and the Penn State Harrisburg campus.  After not seeing any action in the 2011 season, Lehman emerged as the 2nd leading tight end in 2012 with 24 catches for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Freshman Jesse James is one player that O’Brien had mentioned a lot of leading up to the season, especially in regards to the upside he saw.  James’ first season continued the theme of beating expectations, hauling in 15 passes for 276 yards, and whopping 5 touchdowns.  Heading into the offseason, BOB was already talking up how much better James can get.

Nov 10, 2012; Lincoln, NE, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Jesse James (18) scores a touchdown against Nebraska Cornhuskers defender Sean Fisher (42) at Memorial Stadium in the first half. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Junior Garry Gilliam came into the year as the only PSU tight end that had seen action.  While he only collected 7 catches for 65 yards, Gilliam’s contribution, especially on the leadership side for a very young group of players, cannot be discounted.

As we turn the page to 2013, all eyes will be on Adam Breneman, as he will be enrolling at PSU in January, and continuing his rehab of the torn ACL he suffered in the summer of 2012.  Another newcomer, Brent Wilkerson, will have an opportunity to make his mark after redshirting this past season.  With all 4 tight ends that saw significant time in the 2012 season returning, competition will be fierce.  Carter and James figure to be the focus, but if this past year proved anything, it’s that Bill O’Brien is going to find a way to get the ball to the tight end.  With a new quarterback under center this fall, the experience at tight end will be a huge benefit as that QB adjusts to the starting role.

For a position with so many unknowns, and with so much expected of it, the Nittany Lion tight ends surpassed virtually all expectations.  Are there things to improve, certainly, but this group deserves nothing less than an A.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for all the latest on Penn State!

QB: 1 (previously 1) (Chritian Hackenberg)
As long as Christian Hackenberg is interested in Penn State, they will have a spot for him.

RB: 1 (previously 1-2)
The staff will have to look a little deeper than expected, but getting a running back in this recruiting class is vital.

WR: 1-2 (previously 2-3)
It looks like the coaching staff would have been content taking just two wide receivers in the first place. The fact that they brought in three WRs last year (Lewis, Golden, Warner) gives them some flexibility here. I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see just one player taken this year, due to other areas of need.

TE: 1 (Adam Breneman )
No other TE was ever offered this year.

OL: 2-3 (previously 3-4) (Brendan Mahon, Andrew Nelson)
I think the staff would like to add another tackle, after not landing one in 2011. But with the big local targets off the board, it’s tough to predict what they’ll end up with.

DT: 1-2 (previously 1)
The transfer of Jamil Pollard may leave them wanting an extra DT than they had previously had planned. Problem is, they have zero right now.

DE: 2 (previously 2) (Garrett Sickels, Curtis Cothran)
These two have both solidified their commitments following the NCAA sanctions. For now, the defensive end position is finalized.

LB: 3? (previously 3-4) (Brandon Bell,  Zayd Issah)
After taking just two LBs total in the last two classes, Penn State is very thin on underclassmen linebackers. Bell is a solid commitment, but the jury is still out on Zayd.

DB: 3-4 (previously 4+) (Neiko Robinson)
Probably the biggest depth chart issue on the team, Penn State will likely have to reach to at least add some bodies to this unit. If they don’t have the class full by mid-January, I’d expect to see a couple offers thrown out here to some fringe prospects.

Total: 15-19 15

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Coincidentally, fellow Penn State commit Adam Breneman will be in State College for a routine doctors appointment regarding his recent knee surgery. Conveniently for those involved, Adam will see his doctor in the morning, allowing him time to take in the practice with his fellow classmate. Adam played a part in the recruitment of Issah, originally, while spending the day with him at the Big 33 Game in Hershey, PA. Adam was also in State College two Saturdays ago with Christian Hackenberg, Brendan Mahon, Garrett Sickels and Andrew Nelson, all of whom remain committed to Penn State.

It’s my opinion that Zayd Issah is one of the most underrated recruits in the state of Pennsylvania. He not only totaled over 100 tackles in his first season playing defense, he also gained over 2,000 yards and scored 31 touchdowns last season for Central Dauphin, on their way to a AAAA State Championship. I think he could play a variety of positions at the next level, but with the proper coaching, he could become a prototypical outside linebacker.

Hanging onto Zayd Issah would be a nice statement for the Penn State coaching staff in the state of Pennsylvania. Three other in-state commits (Mahon, Cothran, Breneman) have re-affirmed their commitments to Bill O’Brien. Only Philadelphia’s Will Fuller has changed his mind about his commitment.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

TE Adam Breneman, QB Chritian Hackenberg, DE Garrett Sickels,  OG Brendan Mahon, OT Andrew Nelson and WR Will Fuller made the trip to speak with the staff and each other about their commitments to Penn State.

Before today, Mahon, Sickels and Breneman, to an extent, had re-affirmed that they were still 100% committed, while the others wanted some answers before making that statement. I’ve been told that after meeting with O’Brien and discussing the future, all six players have decided that they are 100% committed.

And then they almost broke twitter.

Love this 2013 class. @AdamBreneman87 @BigBabyMahon @Will_Fuller7 @DorianJ64 @GarrettSickels @ANelson59

— Christian Hackenberg (@chackenberg1) July 28, 2012

-Christian Hackenberg

GREAT time at Penn State! Coach O’Brienmade me remember why I committed in the 1st place. I’m 100% committed to the greatest college.

— 4a Mvp (@Will_Fuller7) July 28, 2012

-Will Fuller

100% committed to Penn State and Coach O’Brien. Love these guys. @chackenberg1 @BigBabyMahon @GarrettSickels @ANelson59 @Will_Fuller7

— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman87) July 28, 2012

-Adam Breneman

We are the 2013 class. @BigBabyMahon @chackenberg1 @AdamBreneman87 @Will_Fuller7 @ANelson59

— Garrett Sickels (@GarrettSickels) July 28, 2012

-Garrett Sickels

#RestoreTheRoar wouldn’t want to do it with anyone but these guys @BigBabyMahon @Will_Fuller7 @GarrettSickels @chackenberg1 @AdamBreneman87

— Andrew Nelson (@ANelson59) July 28, 2012

-Andrew Nelson

This is a special group of young men and, along with the leaders from the 2012 class who are set to start camp in a week, the future of Penn State football is bright.

And also very talented.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Christian’s father has stated that his son remains currently committed to Penn State, but added that the blue chip quarterback needs to have some questions averted before making a final decision.

Will Fuller told me earlier this week that he hoped to speak with his high school coach and family soon before making a decision of his own. He likely has questions for O’Brien, as well. Remember, Fuller committed to Penn State just days after earning his offer. There’s no doubt he wants to be aNittany Lion.

It’s an understatement to call this a critical weekend in the future of the Penn State football program. If O’Brien can convince the core group of this class that Penn State still has plenty to offer, the football team has a strong chance of thriving through the bowl-less seasons.

Adam Breneman has stated that he hopes to get other recruits, such as Dorian Johnson and Curtis Cothran, on campus as well.

My theory is that the more time these kids spend together and with O’Brien and his staff, the more likely they are to remain committed to eachother and the university.

Stay tuned this weekend.

Let’s take a look at what the Penn State players and recruits were up to during the weekend…

Who has the roster update where Paul Jones is a 86 on ps3 for NCAA 13

— Donovan Smith (@PSU_Smith_76) July 15, 2012

Donovan Smith, looking to make some depth chart moves on NCAA 13
 

No struggle. No progress.

— Akeel Lynch (@ALynch_22) July 15, 2012

 Incoming freshman Akeel Lynch figuring out life.
 

Penn State is about to get slammed in the athlete department

— OVOXO(@Zaire_Williams) July 14, 2012

RB Zaire Williams who recently camped at Penn State before committing to WVU.

Sheesh!!

— Rob Bolden (@Rbold_1) July 14, 2012

Rob, probably just saw the depth chart.

I hate it when my phone dies mid-twe

— Anthony Stanko(@5tank0) July 15, 2012

Ha!

Just raising over $100,000 for Kidney Cancer research #liftforlife #nbd instagr.am/p/NHEcTuQHcd/

— Garry Gilliam ™ (@GarryGilliam89) July 15, 2012

Ahhh yeah, Lift for Life was this weekend…Who knew!

Things like Thon, Lift for Life, and Catch the Cure define what Penn State is. Nothing else. Feels great to be a Nittany Lion.

— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman87) July 16, 2012

Adam is becoming the spokesman of the 2013 class and Penn State should be proud of that.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Following the news and abundance of not-really-news-but-instead-crazy-opinion-articles from the last five days, a few people have floated questions my way about potential de-commitments from current Penn State recruits.

Rather than asking kids if they are considering de-committing, I presented several of them with the same question and assured their answers would be anonymous.

On a scale from 1-10, how committed to Penn State are you right now?

• 10 “Fully committed.”
• 9
• 10 “For now.”
• 10 “No doubt.”
• 10 “and you can reveal my name. I’m proud of Penn State, the students, alumni and faculty currently there!” -Garrett Sickels, per his request.
• 10 “I don’t see any point of being committed if you’re not committed.”

A few haven’t answered yet, but you get the idea. This is a tight group of kids. I did not ask Adam Breneman or Christian Hackenberg, but you can rest assured that the average would have gone up if I had.

Cory Giger of The Altoona Mirror recently did a story, documenting the commitments of the offensive duo. When asked if his commitment was still strong, Hackenberg replied “Yeah, without a doubt.” What about if there were sanctions?  ”Yeah. It would have to be the death penalty or the whole staff leave.”

As for Breneman, his father told Giger that ”As long as there’s football at Penn State, Adam’s going to be committed.” Adam later added the same sentiment as his future quarterback, saying that a bowl ban or TV ban would not deter him.

As for the players who didn’t reply by post time, I wouldn’t worry too much. The kids who did were convincing enough for me.

Don’t forget to check out Catch the Cure, Adam Breneman’s effort to raise money for ALS!

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

After telling me that he thoroughly enjoyed his recent visit and that he would be returning for an official visit to watch a game this fall, he revealed a “lucky 13″ list of his favorites and Penn State didn’t make the cut. Strange on a couple levels.

Naming a “Top 13″ is absolutely pointless.

— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman87) July 4, 2012

With Green apparently…maybe…no longer interested, pressure is on for PSU to land David Williams. He is apparently the lone running back left  that the Nittany Lions are pursuing. New Jersey’s Zaire Williams recently camped at Penn State, hoping to earn an offer so that he could join high school teammate. That offer did not come and Zaire committed to West Virginia on Monday night. Keep an eye out for a guy like Roman Clay, who visited back in April, to get some attention. Roman has offers from schools like UMass, Towson and Delaware right now but hit the camp scene hard this summer, visiting UConn, Pitt, Temple, Duke, UNC, NC State and others.

This weekend at The Opening, Alex Anzalone committed to Notre Dame, leaving Penn State fans wondering who, if anyone, would fill his spot as the 4th linebacker in this class. I’ve maintained that a fourth linebacker is not a guarantee. I’m sure that a spot would have been quickly cleared for Anzalone, but the lack of offers over the recent weeks makes me wonder if they’re aggressively pursuing another linebacker. Newby committed to Nebraska, Deeb to Notre Dame, Stevenson to Florida State and, assuming they saw the signs that the rest of us did, they knew that Anzalone to Notre Dame was coming. Still, no notable contact with new linebackers. It’s possible that the staff feels good about their chances with guys like Al-Rasheed Benton or maybe Jermaine Grace, but if they were adamant about a fourth backer in the class, it seems like they’d be casting a wider net. I suppose we shall see.

In some good news, DT Eddie Vanderdoes won the DL MVP Award at The Opening and talked about some upcoming visits. I was able to confirm with his father that he still intends on taking an official visit to Penn State in the fall. He could end up as a five star DT, as one of the best DTs in the country. Getting him on campus for a gameday atmosphere would be Penn State’s best chance at luring Eddie away from the west coast.

Seeing what BOB is able to do under these circumstances really makes you realize how much old staff was hurting PSU in terms of recruiting.

— Devon Edwards (@Devon2012) June 25, 2012

That seems a bit harsh.

I understand what is being said. This is a different situation. What O’Brien has done during his time at Penn State, with the circumstances that he’s been given, is nothing short of admirable. Please don’t mistake this for criticism of O’Brien and his staff. However, the “old staff” did some fine recruiting, themselves. They did it with an aging head coach who didn’t make in-home visits and never could say how long he’d remain the coach.

Heading into November last year, Joe and the staff were well on their way to a top 10 class, nationally. It would have been the second top 10 class in the past three years. It would have contained one of the top corners in the country, one of the top defensive tackles in the country and just maybe the top defensive end in the 2012 class.

But then, things happened. O’Brien was forced to pick up the pieces and finished with a tremendous group of young men. For the sake of this argument, we’ll throw out 2012 because it wasn’t really anybody’s class.

Penn State’s 2011 class was lackluster. It was referred to as a “meat and potatoes” class. It was small in number (19) and didn’t contain a single QB or RB. What it did contain was five 4 star players, each of which was a lineman, most of who will play or start this season.

The reason that was a “meat and potatoes” class was because in 2010, the old staff scored a strong, top 10 class that was ranked as the top class in the conference. It contained TWO standout QBs in Rob Bolden and Paul Jones, two of the top linebackers in the country in Mike Hull and Khairi Fortt, one of the top centers in the class and a running back named Silas Redd. In all, the 2010 class contained 10 four star players.

O’Brien is well on his way to an excellent class. Hackenberg, Breneman and Dorian Johnson are fantastic prospects and great kids. All I’m saying is let’s hold off on the whole “I’m glad they’re gone…” mentality. It’s ok for the grass to be green on both sides of the fence.
For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

2013 commit Christian Hackenberg had a big week. 1st, he was named a finalist for the Elite 11 challenge, a national quarterback competition between the best signal callers in the country. Following that, Hack headed to Atlanta to compete in the Rivals100 Five Star Challenge (I think that’s what it’s called…). He left with hardware, being named the top QB at the competition, over USC commit Max Browne and others. He led his Northeast Team to the 7 on 7 championship.

Joining Christian on that squad was WR Tyler Boyd, who raised a lot of eyebrows over the weekend, “catching everything thrown his way.” Word got out that he and Hackenberg were spending quite a bit of time together over the weekend and that Boyd may join Hackenberg in Happy Valley this  weekend. I have not yet been able to confirm that with Boyd, but you’ll know more when I do.
From what I’m told, it’s USC, WVU and Penn State at the top for Boyd. However, his friend and teammate, Titus Howard, committed to Pitt over the weekend and admitted he would be recruiting Tyler.

Also in Atlanta was OG Brendan Mahon, who drew high praise. In the one-on-one battles, Mahon won 6 of 7, which is very impressive for an interior lineman playing in space.

2014 Ohio linebacker Michael Ferns named his three “finalists” and Penn State made the cut. Joining them are Michigan and Notre Dame. Ferns told me that he plans on making his decision at the end of his junior year. He is one of the top linebackers in the 2014 class.

Alex Anzalone plans on taking a two day visit to State College this weekend. He wants to meet with academic advisers on the first day, before staying over with a player and working out the next day. Alex will be joined by Christian Hackenberg, as I mentioned, as well as Adam Breneman, Andrew Nelson and Curtis Cothran (“hopefully”).  Be confident that there will be some recruiting going on there. Also, be hopeful that the academic folks figure out a way to get Anzalone into the honors program.

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Al-Rasheed Benton visited Penn State on Sunday and was reportedly “blown away.” Benton has been high on PSU for quite some time and is officially on commit watch.
p.s. He’s from New Jersey

Belle Vernon OT Dorian Johnson visited Ohio State last weekend and a source tells me that he loved it. It seems that was once considered a two-horse race between Pitt and PSU now has a third team in the mix. However, Johnson will be visiting Happy Valley this weekend and you can be certain that the coaches will be putting the full-court press on him.

Florida linebacker Freddie Stevenson had previously listed Penn State, Florida State and Texas A&M as his top three but after visiting Florida, he expanded his top schools to four and the Gators are now a player. However, Freddie has yet to receive an offer from the Gators, but it’s not far-fetched to think that one may be coming. Freddie is looking forward to an official visit to Penn State this fall, but I kind of get the feeling that the longer this recruitment goes, the smaller chance PSU has.

One of the top running backs in the country, Derrick Green, visited PSU over the weekend. Charles London has been hard at work on Green, including a visit to his high school earlier in the spring. Green is a beast and getting him on campus for an unofficial is pretty significant. He has told me that he plans on taking an official visit to PSU this Fall to see a game. He will be visiting Auburn soon.

Alex Anzalone is back on the market and is taking another round of visits. He was on his way to Notre Dame last week and attended a one day camp at Florida over the weekend. He will be in Happy Valley on June 29-30 for a camp as well as a meeting with academic advisers. Remember, his original decision was influenced largely by his admission to the honors college at Ohio State. Joining Anzalone on campus that weekend will be Penn State commits Christian Hackenberg and Andrew Nelson. Also scheduled to be on campus is Adam Breneman, but I have not confirmed that trip with Adam since his injury. If I were guessing, Adam won’t miss an opportunity to hang out with Hack and recruit Anzalone, but I don’t know what his status will be.

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Many recruits are pledging their verbal commitements to the Nittany Lions to be able to strap on that White Helmet. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

PENN STATE’S 2013 VERBAL COMMITS

BIG TEN CLASS NATIONAL RANKING

*VBR Composite is the highest rating for each player from all of the 4 major recruiting sites.

For the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Staff Writer, Chris Chuff on Twitter.

Updated: June 6, 2012

Another week with no commitments, puts us around 6 weeks now since the commitment of Andrew Nelson. Have no fear, I will personally GUARANTEE that June will give Penn State at least one commitment. GUARANTEE!

This weekend will mark the first of five summer camps that will be attended by players from all over the northeast. Offers will come out and players will commit. GUARANTEED!

In the meantime, quite a few offers have gone out in the last week! Remember, you can click on a player’s name to see his film!

New Jersey three star linebacker, Brandon Bell (6’1″ 225 lbs.) was offered a scholarship. I thought that this had been coming for a while now. Brandon visited the week before the Blue-White game and has offers from all the northeast regulars (UConn, BC, Cuse, Rutgers) as well as Northwestern, WVU and Maryland.

Ohio three star athlete Marcus Ball also received an offer last week. I’ve been a big fan of Ball’s for some time. He probably projects as a safety for Penn State but is very diverse.

Penn State wasn’t done in Ohio, offering St. Edwards safety Solomon Warfield (***) a scholarship last friday. Solomon quickly scheduled a trip to Penn State, but it conflicted with his SAT. He tells me that he will re-schedule and make it to Happy Valley this summer. He has offers from Mich State, Illinois, WVU and Arizona, among others. His film is short, but I love his play recognition and tremendous closing speed in the clips available. Plus, St. Eds plays a top notch schedule in Ohio.

Duke commit, safety Evrett Edwards, also received a Penn State offer. He committed to Duke on March 21st, but it’s likely that the Virginia three star will take some visits this summer/fall.

Ebenezer Ogundeko was also offered last week. The 6’3″ 240 pounder tells me that he is being recruited by Penn State as an outside linebacker, the position that Scout.com ranks him as 35th in the country. He said he is “taking Penn State very seriously” and plans on announcing his decision on August 14th.

Last week I wrote that Penn State had offered the nation’s top 2014 LB, Dante Booker. Since then, Michael Ferns has joined him as 2014 Ohio LBs with offers. Ferns plans on visiting Penn State this summer.

Alex Anzalone tweeted on Tuesday that Penn State and Notre Dame will be stopping by his school on Wednesday.

Rivals updated their Rivals1oo on Tuesday. PSU was represented by TE Adam Breneman (27) and DE Garrett Sickels (60). The glaring omission, in my opinion, was QB Christian Hackenberg. Christian is ranked 11th overall by ESPN and 49th overall by 247Sports but failed to break Rivals top 100.

CLASS OF 2013 COMMITS:

Chritian Hackenberg QB

Ross Douglas CB

Garrett Sickels DE

Adam Breneman TE

Brendan Mahon OL

Curtis Cothran  DE

Greg Webb DT

Andrew Nelson OL

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

psutimm@gmail.com

Headlining the list is future QB Christian Hackenberg, who is rated as the 11th best player overall and the top “pro style” quarterback in the nation. Christian received an 84 rating.

Joining Christian, and ranked 39th overall, is future Penn Stater Adam Breneman. Adam is listed as the 2nd best tight end in the nation and garnered an 82 rating.

The final Penn State verbal commit on the list is DT Greg Webb, listed as the 123rd player, overall. Greg was given an 80 rating by ESPN.

All three of the prospects listed in the ESPN 150 are rated as 4 stars. Also earning 4 stars were recruits Brendan Mahon (80), Ross Douglas (79) and Garrett Sickels (79).

Penn State is in the mix, if not leading, for several other players on the list of 150. Among them are Robert Foster (23), Dorian Johnson (26), Kendall Fuller (27), Alex Anzalone (65), David Williams (118) and Tyler Boyd (144).

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

psutimm@gmail.com

Total  scholarships: 21 (I’ve seen everything from 16 to 23, I’m going with 21 for now.)

QB: 1 (Chritian Hackenberg)
The other QBs I’ve spoken with have told me that communication has faded, which is consistent with what the staff told Hackenberg.

RB: 1-2
The staff apparently told David Williams that they’d be taking only one RB, but with the depth chart, I struggle to believe that’s the case. I think a scat-back like Richie Anderson could get a late offer.

WR: 2-3
I’m basing this solely off of the current offers out. If they were looking to add more than 3, I think we’d see a lot more offers being thrown around.

TE: 1 (Adam Breneman )
No other TEs ever received offers this year.

OL: 4-5 (Brendan Mahon)
Ideally, Penn State would like to add 2 OTs and another interior lineman to this class, but several of the OTs with early offers are off the board. The staff will likely be branching out with offers soon.

DT: 2 (Greg Webb)
With All-American Webb in the fold, the staff will likely slow down their DT recruiting and be picky. It’s not really a position of need.

DE: 2 (Garrett Sickels, Curtis Cothran)
The staff recently told DaJaun Drennon that they were content with two DEs in this class. This is a position that I think they will add to if they miss at another position.

LB: 3-4
After taking just two LBs total in the last two classes, Penn State will need to take AT LEAST three in this class to offset the depth issues.

DB: 4+ (Ross Douglas)
Probably the biggest depth chart issue on the team, Penn State will likely have to reach to at least add some bodies to this unit. If they don’t have the class full by mid-January, I’d expect to see a couple offers thrown out here to some fringe prospects.

Total: 20-24

It’s crazy how fast 20 scholarships go. Good luck, staff!

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

psutimm@gmail.com

In order of commitment:

Chritian Hackenberg QB  (2/29)
6’4″ 215 lbs.
Scout.com: ****
Rivals.com: ****
247Sports: ****

Ross Douglas CB  (2/29)
5’10″ 175 lbs.
Scout.com: ***
Rivals.com: ****
247Sports: ***

Garrett Sickels DE  (3/4)
6’4″ 228 lbs.
Scout.com: ***
Rivals.com: ****
247Sports: ****

Adam Breneman TE  (3/9)
6’5″ 230 lbs.
Scout.com: *****
Rivals.com: ****
247Sports: ****

Brendan Mahon OL  (3/17)
6’4″ 300 lbs.
Scout.com: ***
Rivals.com: ****
247Sports: ***

Curtis Cothran  DE  (3/26)
6’5″ 235 lbs.
Scout.com: n/a
Rivals.com: n/a
247Sports: ***

Greg Webb DT  (4/5)
6’2″ 290 lbs.
Scout.com: ****
Rivals.com: ****
247Sports: ****

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Dave tells me that “the trip went great” and that “I’m pretty sure they (coaching staff) wanted a commitment but they know I’m not ready yet.”

Williams has visits set up this Spring for Wisconsin, West Virginia, Ohio State and South Carolina.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Next, Ryan Switzer scheduled his announcement, then kind of cancelled his trip to Penn State. Later, his high school coach appeared to blatantly leak Ryan’s announcement to a local newspaper. Still, Ryan showed up Wednesday morning and announced that he would be attending UNC in 2013 to play football. Nobody was more surprised by this than me. I’ll admit, for quite a while during the slow leak, I was half-confident that Ryan was misleading people to create suspense surrounding his announcement. I just couldn’t fathom the idea that he was going somewhere other than Penn State. It wasn’t until later in the evening when I got in touch with his father that I realized it was true. Even then, I refreshed twitter all morning, looking for Ryan’s announcement. Sure enough, he’s a Tarheel. I think we missed out on a future stud in Ryan, but you can’t win ‘em all!

Moving on.

This weekend started out as a big recruiting weekend, then the commitment of Mike McGlinchey to Notre Dame, followed by Switzer’s announcement kind of put a damper on the mini-Junior Day. Things have spiced back up a bit, though. Joining current commits Adam Breneman, Christian Hackenberg and Ross Douglas will be a couple of important prospects. DT Greg Webb was on campus last week and will be returning this weekend.  (UPDATE: Greg is visiting Maryland this weekend.) His teammate, 3 star DE Dajaun Drennon will be on campus. I don’t know enough about it to say for sure, but this certainly could be a package deal in the making.

Also confirmed for this weekend is the top running back in PA, David Williams. David doesn’t seem close to a decision, but this will be David’s 2nd trip to State College in the last 45 days. His relationship with RB coach Charles London combined with the presence of Breneman and Hackenberg should definitely give the Nittany Lions some bonus points.

UPDATE:

LB Micah Kiser is also in Happy Valley. He told me a couple weeks ago that he was trying to schedule a trip this weekend, but I was unable to contact him leading up to it.

Also present, RB/DB Marques Little.

DB/WR Devin Butler will announce his collegiate decision on April 11. Penn State is in the running.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Email me at PSUTimm@gmail.com