Waters chose the Wildcats primarily over Penn State, but recently both Texas and Alabama had begun to show interest.  Going into this season, Waters was a relative unknown, garnering only light interest, and just one scholarship offer from an FCS program.  However, as he began to put together an impressive season that ended with over 3,500 passing yards, 39 TDs through the air, and another 6 on the ground, bigger names began to show interest.  Along with PSU and Kansas State, Waters also held offers from NC State, Akron, Florida Atlantic, and Houston.

Missing out on Waters puts O’Brien, Charlie Fisher and the rest of the Penn State staff in an interesting position heading into the off season.  Barring an unexpected change, PSU will enter spring practice with just one scholarship QB sophomore to be Steven Bench.  Heralded recruit Christian Hackenberg will arrive in the summer, but the Lions depth at the most important spot on the field will be minimal at best.  Bench threw just 8 passes this past season, and Hackenberg’s next snap will be his first in college.

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Nov 17, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Bill O

Jake Waters was barely on anyone’s radar entering this season, let alone major BCS level programs like Penn State and Kansas State.  It’s funny what a 3,500 yard, 39 TD performance will do for you.  Suddenly, Waters found himself fielding calls from Bill O’Brien and Bill Snyder, among others. By the time the calendar flipped to December, Texas and Alabama were linked to the Reveirs’ star signal caller  But it was the Nittany Lions and Wildcats that caught Waters’ eye, and it is those two programs that he is deciding between.

Penn State has a limited at best history with junior college players, but as O’Brien and his staff look to do their best to navigate the NCAA mandated scholarship limitations, he is exploring every avenue available, including the JUCO route.  Waters appears to be the right guy at the right time.  With the mid-season transfer of Paul Jones, the Lions were left razor thin at the quarterback spot going into 2013.  The only scholarship player currently on the roster is sophomore to be Steven Bench, with all of 8 passes to his name.  All everything QB recruit Christian Hackenberg arrives in Happy Valley in the summer, but “true freshman” and “starting quarterback” are not exactly the typical recipe for success in the college game.  Perhaps most concerning would be who would be behind those two; no one.

Jake Waters is not the most important recruit in Penn State history.  I’m not even sure where he ranks on that list.  But from a purely practical stand point, a verbal commitment from Waters later this morning would be huge for this class, and to some degree, this program.  Bill O’Brien and the rest of the staff have been on a roll of late.  Waters would be quite the cherry on the sundae.

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Waters will be making a decision between the Wildcats, who boast an 11-1 season, Big 12 title, and Heisman finalist Collin Klein, and a head coach in Bill Snyder who has a long history of success with junior college transfers.  On the other side, the Nittany Lions are coming off an emotional 8-4 season, but are of course ineligible for post season play for the next three seasons.  Bill O’Brien’s NFL track record and coach of the year honors might be enough for the Nittany Lions though.

PSU’s quarterback situation is dangerously thin headed into spring practice and the 2013 season.  As things currently stand, current freshman Steven Bench will be the only quarterback on the Lions’ roster when spring ball opens in March.  Top recruit Christian Hackenberg will arrive on campus in the summer, but that gives State only 2 scholarship QBs.  Waters would enroll in January, and immediately enter into a competition with Bench for the starting spot, as well as open up a redshirt possibility for Hackenberg.

There has not been much indication which way Waters is leaning, but we will soon have an answer.

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First, Charlie Fisher was at Iowa Western University checking out JuCo quarterback Jake Waters. Following the practice, Penn State joined NC State, Kansas State and others as teams to offer Waters a Division 1 scholarship. Jake would be a player who would sign in February and join the team for the 2013 season.
Admittedly, I’m not all that familiar with how junior college players count against the scholarship limit. It’s possible that Jake would count against the limit of 15, but would be enticing because his eligibility would not tie up four years of scholarship. Steven Bench and Garrett Venuto are the only QBs on the current roster who have eligibility left for next year. By all accounts, standout recruit Christian Hackenberg will be signing in February but has expressed interest in redshirting. Without the addition of a player like Waters, that may not be possible. Iowa Western CC’s football team is currently ranked #1 in the country.

Later yesterday, Penn State also extended an offer to the first quarterback of 2014. Wheaton, Illinois QB Clayton Thorson is not yet rated, but has offers from Iowa, Northwestern and Illinois. He admits that he could see himself playing at Penn State and that “the offense is a big draw.”
I was a bit shocked by the offer as I had not yet heard of Thorson, but Fisher and O’Brien must see something they like in the 6’4″ 195 pound junior. 247 Sports lists Clayton as a pro-style QB while Rivals calls him a dual threat. His film shows that when he runs, he does it very well, but he is definitely a pass-first quarterback.
When he starts receiving his rankings, which you can be sure is coming, he may have 4 star potential. I’d be shocked if any of the big services list him below a three star.

I saw some speculation on Twitter about these offers having something to do with Christian Hackenberg and it’s my opinion that is not the case. Offering a 2014 quarterback just makes sense and the JuCo offer is a clear attempt to gain depth. From everything I know and I am told, Hack is a solid commitment.

In what would not be news at most places, here’s walk-on kicker story… Penn State extended an offer to NJ kicker/punter Chris Gulla to become a preferred walk-on after he was on campus for the Ohio game in early September. He is set to graduate from high school this spring. Chris doesn’t currently have any scholarship offers so chances are that he’ll be walking on somewhere. The perceived open competition at Penn State may be enticing.

Defensive back Malcolm Cook, who committed to Virginia in July, plans on visiting Penn State for the Ohio State game. He camped in Happy Valley over the Summer and at one point had interest in the Nittany Lions. It’s hard to say if that interest still exists or if Cook is just making the trip with his teammate, Christian Hackenberg, but if he’s interested, I would imagine the PSU staff will reciprocate.

Look for an extensive update the week before Ohio State visits Penn State, as that will be one of the most heavily visited games in recent memory.

CLASS OF 2013 COMMITS (Click for commitment stories, film, and more):

Chritian Hackenberg QB

Garrett Sickels DE

Adam Breneman TE

Brendan Mahon OL

Curtis Cothran  DE

Andrew Nelson OL

Neiko Robinson DB

Brandon Bell LB

Jordan Smith DB

Kasey Gaines DB

Tanner Hartman OT

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