• Jabrill Peppers, arguably the top player in the country, may or may not have been on campus Saturday.  He told Darren Cooper of NorthJersey.com that he would be heading to State College after a morning track meet, but there were conflicting reports whether he made it or not.  In that same article, he explained he loved his first visit to PSU in February, and wants to take a closer look.  Michigan is widely considered a strong favorite, which Peppers alluded to, but he wants to be as sure as he can before his announcement on Sunday evening, which will air on ESPNU.
• While a commitment from Peppers would be a huge coup for Bill O’Brien, he has several talented options already holding offers should the expected happen.  The biggest name would be Dravon Henry out of Aliquippa.  PSU has held a spot in his top 4 all spring, probably trailing only Pitt.  However, he still has no time frame, and there has been some talk that his friend, and fellow Aliquippa native Rushel Shell formerly of Pitt, and now of UCLA, has been in his ear about the Bruins, who recently offered.  PSU has been pursuing Henry hard for awhile, but it’s hard to say where they really stand.
• The other DB name might actually be a little better known amongst football fans.  That would be Maryland native Troy Vincent, Jr.  He is the son of THAT Troy Vincent, of course.  It’s widely assumed he is a heavy Penn State lean, and could commit at any moment.
• Another name that may be nearing a conclusion is Noah Beh, who despite predicions to the contrary, appears to be leaning heavily towards the Lions, over Boston College.  PSU doesn’t plan on taking many offensive linemen this class, perhaps just 1, and Beh is very high on the list.  Beh has long planned on a decision sometime in June after he graduates from high school, and it looks promising for Penn State.
• Not a traditional recruit, but Texas Tech DT, and McKeesport, PA native Delvon Simmons appears to be transferring out of Lubbock.  Simmons briefly signed with UNC out of high school, but never enrolled, and ended up with the Red Raiders.  After sitting out the 2013 season, he would have 2 years of eligibility remaining.  He apparently is visiting USC this weekend, but is also considering Pitt, Miami, and the Nittany Lions.  He was a concensus top 10 DT prospect out of high school, and arguably the top player out of Pennsylvania in 2011.  An interesting story to keep your eyes on.

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The 2014 class already consists of three 4-star prospects, and six 3-stars.  It includes the top 2 players out of Delaware, a top 5 player in Maryland, several players in the top 25 of their positions nationally.  The Lions are also very much in the picture for some of the top high school players in the country, including Jabrill Peppers, the top DB, and arguably top overall prospect in the land.  Not bad for a program that may not even exist in a year or two because of transfers and a lack of recruiting.

It would seem to reason that the closer PSU gets to the end of the sanctions, which begin to expire following the 2015 season, more top players will give the Lions a more serious look.  If the few months of recruiting prior to the sanctions is any indication, O’Brien will not have much of a problem closing with a few of them.  And if I had to guess, there’s an office in Indianapolis that won’t be too happy about that.

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Michael O’Connor from the IMG Academy in Florida has held an offer from PSU since early April, and was told at that point he was Penn State’s choice at quarterback.  He is expected to make a decision in the next month or two, with the Lions very much in the picture, along with Michigan State and Vanderbilt.  So is this recent offer to Cosentino a sign O’Connor may in fact be looking elsewhere?  Or is it, as Ryan Snyder of BWI theorized on Twitter over the weekend, a move to put pressure on O’Connor to make a decision.

Under Joe Paterno, PSU would almost notoriously put all their eggs in one basket at QB (remember that Chad Henne guy?).  That worked out great if you got your target.  But if you didn’t, then you were left scrambling.  When Jake Waters opted for Kansas State last December, which was apparently a mild surprise to the PSU staff, they already had their backup plan in place, with Tyler Ferguson coming on board almost within hours, it seemed.

As connected as Ryan is in the recruiting world, I wouldn’t bet against this Cosentino offer being a strategical decision related to O’Connor, but it’s also not a bad “Plan B” if needed.

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BREAKING: Warren, Mich. LB Jared Wangler has committed to #PennState rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/…

— Ryan Snyder (@BWISnyder) May 10, 2013

Jared picked up his offer from Penn State during a visit to campus back in early April, and was back in Happy Valley today when he gave Bill O’Brien his verbal commitment. At the time, PSU was the first major conference program to offer among a number of MAC schools. However, Michigan State offered the (somewhat) local prospect last week.

247 gives Wangler 3 stars, and the 14th best player in the state of Michigan. They also have him ranked as a safety, but PSU projects the 6’1″, 218 lb. Wangler as a linebacker.

Jared joins Delaware’s Troy Reeder as the 2nd linebacker in the class. Barring an unforeseen change, those two will complete the 2014 linebacker class. After the recent run on skill, it’s good to see PSU address the depth at linebacker, especially in light of the uncertainty around 2013 recruit Zayd Issah following his legal issues.

Here’s Jared’s film:

Welcome to Penn State, Jared!

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BREAKING: Upper Marlboro, Md. safety Marcus Allen has committed to #PennState

— Ryan Snyder (@BWISnyder) May 10, 2013

Marcus becomes the 2nd Maryland commitment in the Class of 2014, joining, believe it or not, Mark Allen from Hyattsville.

The folks at 247 give Marcus 4 stars, and rank him as the 5th prospect in Maryland this year, and the 23rd best safety nationally.  Maryland and Pitt were seen as his favorites, along with Penn State.  All told, he held over 20 offers, including from Clemson, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, Stanford, and Wisconsin.

He becomes PSU’s 2nd straight secondary commit, joining Daquan Worley, who committed last week to Penn State.  They are joined by Delaware LB Troy Reeder as the 3 defensive prospects in this class.  It seems pretty clear that despite taking 4 defensive backs in last year’s class, O’Brien and the staff remain focused on the defensive secondary.

As for the type of player PSU is getting, we will let you judge for yourself in his junior year highlights:

Welcome to Penn State, Marcus!

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Jabrill visited Penn State back in February with two teammates from Paramus Catholic. At the time, he indicated that he would definitely be returning to PSU, but he had also not said much about the Nittany Lions since that visit a few months back.  Now that he has cut his list down to a top 4, expect him to be on campus in the coming weeks, as he is hoping to make his decision early this summer in an effort to focus on his senior season.

It goes without saying that adding one of the top players in the class of 2014 would be quite the coup for PSU.  It’s hard to get much of a read on just where the Lions fall on his top 4, but it has been widely speculated that Brady Hoke and Michigan are the school to beat.  But, getting a player of his talent and reputation onto campus should not be overlooked, nor should we be sleeping on O’Brien and a staff that has continued to surprise on the recruiting trail post-sanctions.

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• QB Michael O’Connor – Even before Steven Bench announced he was transferring, O’Connor had a PSU offer, and had been told he was the only guy PSU was targeting at QB . The 4 star player on 247 is one of the top pro style signal callers in the nation, and has not been shy about saying PSU is getting serious consideration.  His other favorites are Michigan State and Vanderbilt, but with the Spartans already getting a verbal commitment at QB, this may be a Big 10-SEC battle.
• OL/DL Noah Beh – Noah plays on both lines, and while he’s rated by most services as a defensive end, it is thought PSU views his as an offensive lineman.  Just last week Noah narrowed his list to two favorites, the Lions and Boston College.  While there is no set time table, he did say earlier this year that PSU was not pressuring him for a commitment, but that they did only plan to take one player on the offensive line, and couldn’t promise him anything if someone else committed first.
• DB/LB Jared Wangler – Of all the players on this list, Jared could be the most likely to commit soon.  The Warren, Michigan native has said PSU is his leader, and that he does not intend to drag things on into the summer.  Other than the Lions, Cincinnati is his only other BCS conference offer, but the home state Spartans have started to sniff around.  If I were a betting man (and I am, it’s just an expression), I’d be pretty confident Jared is a Nittany Lion.
• DB Dravon Henry – The Aliquippa native has been one of the hotter names, it seems, picking up 8 offers in just the last 2 or 3 weeks.  PSU remains towards the top of his list, along with Ohio State, Pitt, and West Virginia.  Dravon is one of the best athletes in Pennsylvania (#1 in the 247 composite rankings), and would be a huge commit for O’Brien.  Expect this one to drag on a little longer though.
• DT Thomas Holley – This is another one that will not be settled soon, but Thomas is probably one of the biggest fish left on PSU’s list.  He has visited Happy Valley twice this spring, including last month’s Blue-White Game, and it would seem that the Lions will be a factor throughout.

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Coatesville standout cornerback Daquan Worley verbally commits to Penn State’s 2014 recruiting class: Worley i… bit.ly/158MKOF

— Bob Flounders (@BobbyFlo7) May 3, 2013

Worley’s commitment brings the 2014 signing class to 7 members now, but just 2 of those fall on the defensive side (Worley, and Delaware LB Troy Reeder).  247 ranks Daquan as the 15th best player in Pennsylvania this year, and gives him 3 stars.  He is listed on most sites as a running back, but it is widely thought he will settle in on the defensive side of the ball, likely at cornerback.  He will join what will be an especially young group of defensive backs next season, after PSU signed 4 players to the secondary in the 2013 class. In Flounders’ story on his commitment, he also indicated Worley could contribute on special teams, or perhaps slot receiver.  However, with the players PSU has on board both in this class, and already on campus, they would seem to be set on the offensive side of the ball.

The Lions’ primary competition for Daquan came from Rutgers, but he also held offers from Pitt, and Georgia Tech.  PSU could sign up to 8 more players this class, but with the 65 scholarship limit, PSU probably has 5-6 more spots available.

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As for the type of player PSU could be getting, Daquan is one of the best all around athletes in the state.  247 lists him as both a running back and cornerback, and the 15th best player in Pennsylvania this year.  While he plays both ways, it’s widely assumed that he will settle in at defensive back at the next level.  If you’re into stars, 247 gives him 3.  In addition to Penn State, Rutgers, Pitt, and Georgia Tech have all offered Worley.

This should ease some of the concerns that have surfaced about offensive skill being so prominent to this point in the class.  The Lions of course sit at 6 verbal commitments, with 5 of those either on the offensive side of the ball, or likely to end up there.  With likely just 6 or 7 scholarships left, at the most, it would seem that the balance of the class will be heavy on both lines, as well as linebacker, all of which are areas the Lions appear to be in good shape with a number of prospects.

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BREAKING: Delaware WR Chris Godwin has committed to #PennState

— Ryan Snyder (@BWISnyder) April 24, 2013

247 gives Godwin 4 stars, and ranks him as the 27th best receiver in the nation.  If that’s not good enough for you, he holds offers from some of the country’s top football programs in Ohio State, Stanford, and Virginia Tech, among many others.  I wrote earlier this year that I felt Godwin was the most complete of the receivers Penn State had offered (but you can ignore that part about predicting just 1 would ultimately sign).

It’s mildly surprising to see another receiver commit on the heals of DeAndre Thompkins commitment on Saturday after the Blue-White Game, but while Godwin and Troy Apke are pure receivers, Thompkins is viewed as an athlete by most of the scouting services.  In my opinion, he projects best at receiver, but I could see Thompkins lining up as a back, returning kicks, in addition to receiver.

Welcome to Penn State, Chris!

Check out Chris’ Highlights

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I have verbally committed to The University of Pennsylvania State. #WeAre #PSU

— De’Andre Thompkins(@Calle_Alectia) April 20, 2013

OK, he got the actual name backwards, but he’s on board, and it’s a big commitment for O’Brien.  It’s also worth mentioning that another highly coveted recruit dropped a “University of Penn State” during his announcement a few years back.  You might have heard of him too. His name was Derrick Williams.

Thompkins has 4 stars from the folks at 247, and in just the last 2 weeks, has picked up offers from Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Clemson.  North Carolina, NC State, Georgia Tech, and West Virginia had also offered the speedy (4.41 40) receiver.  247 ranks DeAndre as the 9th best player in North Carolina, and 173rd in the country.

Welcome to PSU, DeAndre!

Here are DeAndre’s 2012 junior season highlights.

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#PSU has landed a commitment from Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) WR Troy Apke a #Pitt legacy #WPIAL

— Bob Lichtenfels (@BobLichtenfels) April 13, 2013

Troy picked up his offer back in February when he visited campus for Penn State’s junior day recruiting event.  247 gives Troy 3 stars, and ranks him the 9th best prospect in Pennsylvania, and 42nd best receiver nationwide.  If the last name rings a bell, it may be Troy’s father, Steve.  The elder Apke played linebacker for Pitt, and his alma mater was one of Troy’s other offers.  In addition to the two home state schools, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Toledo had also offered.  Of all the receivers we looked at back in March, Troy might have been the most complete player on video.  He has good speed (4.47 40), solid hands, and a 6’1″, 187 lb. frame that looks like it was built to play receiver in the Big 10.

Troy becomes the 4th player to commit for the 2014 class, joining Mark Allen, Nick Scott, and Troy Reeder.  PSU can of course sign up to 15 players, but also must be under 65 scholarships by the 2014 season, which could put this class in the 12-13 player range, depending on transfers, early graduations or other circumstances.

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In a move that might be somewhat surprising, given the numbers at the position, the Lions extended an offer to Canadian native, and current IMG Academy QB Michael O’Connor. Michael was on campus last month during a swing through several northern schools, making a stop in Happy Valley to take in a practice.  At that time, PSU did not offer, but told O’Connor that should they opt to pursue a quarterback in this class, he would be their only target.  They took that next step according to Steve Wilfong of 247:

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Top247 QB Michael O’Connor lands an offer from #PennState pennstate.247sports.com/Board/18/Penn-… via @247sports #PSU

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) April 9, 2013

Tim Tolley asked the question a few weeks back about whether PSU would take a QB this year, or even if they should, given the depth at the position, and the scholarship limitations.  It would seem that O’Brien wants to make sure he has plenty of depth at the most important position on the field.

On the other side of the ball, the Lions hosted Warren, MI linebacker Jared Wangler for an unofficial visit earlier this week, and O’Brien extended an offer to the 6’2″, 218 lb. prospect according to Allen Trieu from Scout.com:

2014 LB Jared Wangler says the academics at #PennState stand out to him. He was offered/visited yesterday: recruiting.scout.com/2/1282080.html

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) April 9, 2013

Scout and 247 both rank Jared at 3 stars.  Penn State represents the first BCS conference offer for Wangler, in addition to MAC offers from Western Michigan, Ohio, Toledo, and Bowling Green.  Jared moved from safety to linebacker this past season as a junior, and that plays into the versatility O’Brien is looking for with a smaller roster.  Don’t expect him to wait too long to make a decision either, and PSU is likely in good shape.  Notre Dame and Maryland, among others have shown interest, and Jared has plans to visit both schools, in the next few weeks, before making a verbal commitment.

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Alameen was on campus this past weekend according to Eric Detweiler at the Washington Post to get a first hand feel for Penn State.  The folks at 247 have Murphy rated as a 3 star player, with offers from Stanford, Toledo, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech (where Ted Roof is recruiting him).  In addition to those offers, Maryland, West Virginia, Boston College, and Rutgers have all been showing serious interest, along with, of course, Penn State.

He is an interesting prospect in the secondary, having only made the move to the defensive backfield his sophomore year, when he played safety. Prior to that, he actually played on the line.  He moved to cornerback this past season, racking up 82 tackles with three interceptions and 26 passes defended.  He has a pretty good mentor as well, with former Michigan State defensive back Peter Queweay coaching at Friendly High School.

PSU clearly has a couple other players targeted at DB ahead of Alameen (Anthony Davis, Montae Nicholson, Marcus Allen, and Al Harris), but should those players end up elsewhere, Alameen is a name to keep in mind as we move into the summer.

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247 gives O’Connor, who attends the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, 4 stars, and ranks him as the 12th best pro style QB prospect in the country.  While the Lions have not offered a scholarship at this point, Michael does have offers from Michigan State, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, South Florida, and Mississippi State.  The Spartans picked up a commitment from highly regarded QB Chris Durkin on Thursday, and it would seem doubtful Dantonio will take a 2nd QB in this class.

Michael has no timetable for a decision, and is currently visiting a number of northern schools.  Prior to stopping by PSU’s practice Wednesday, he was in South Bend and East Lansing, and spent Thursday at Rutgers.  If he does pick up an offer from Penn State, the native Canadian would have a friend working to pull him to Happy Valley.  Fellow Canadian Akeel Lynch and O’Connor share a trainer, and have become good friends over the past year.

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While Njoku is not currently rated by Rivals or 247, he is considered a three star wide receiver and holds offers from both Boston College and Rutgers. Maybe most importantly, he is listed by 247 Sportsas a 6’4″ 215 pound “Athlete, Wide Reciever, Outside Linebacker.” A player who is good enough at multiple positions to be recognized has higher value to Penn State than to other teams. Having a guy like Njoku on the roster would give some flexibility on their 65-scholarship roster and while he doesn’t yet hold an offer, he is already pretty high on the Nittany Lions.

Penn State is tough. Might rethink my top colleges — David Njoku (@David_Njoku80) March 23, 2013

See David Njoku’s film HERE.

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Six months ago, the quarterback situation at Penn State looked like a storage unit with a paperback book in it. You had starter Matt McGloin, backup freshman Steven Bench, and a black hole behind him. At the time, Christian Hackenberg was verbally committed  but those words conjure up emotions of previous heartbreaks among Penn State fans. At that time, I would have said that Penn State should recruit a quarterback in the 2014 class. 

Insert walk-ons Austin Whipple and DJ Crook, along with JuCo transfer Tyler Ferguson, who is competing with Bench for the starting job in spring practice right now. In the summer, those four will be joined by not only Hackenberg, who has since signed a letter of intent, but also by two star preferred walk-on, Jack Seymour, who turned down mid-major offers to pay his own way at Penn State.

A quarterback depth chart that had one player certain to return for the 2013 season will have six players vying for snaps this summer. Making the situation even more beneficial to PSU, every one of those players will have at least two more years of eligibility AFTER the 2013 season. At least one of them will redshirt and come back with four years of eligibility and freshman phenom-to-be, Christian Hackenberg will have at least three years left in Happy Valley. Those factors should all contribute to Bill O’Brien passing on a quarterback in next year’s class. Oh yeah, I forget to mention that Penn State is battling with severe scholarship limitations and will likely be limited to 10-14 kids in this next class.

Among fans, there is a saying that usually sounds like this: “We should take a quarterback every year!” To be honest, I generally agree with that, outside of a particular set of circumstances: If you have six quarterbacks on your roster, none of whom have less than three years of eligibility, and a limit of 65 scholarships leading to an abnormally small class, you should NOT take a quarterback that year. Look who fits right into that criteria…

According to various reports, Penn State is showing limited interest in recruiting a quarterback right now. Two 2014 QBs have claimed offers from the Nittany Lions. Not to say those offers aren’t valid but with written offers prohibited until the fall, there’s always room for  misunderstandings. Whether or not Penn State will take a recruit is impossible to say right now but if the roster holds up through the summer, I think it would be a mistake to use one of 65 scholarships on a 7th quarterback.

Should they? Will they? We’ll see!

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2014 4-Star DB Dravon Henry has announced that currently, his top four schools are 1.) #Pitt 2.) #PennState 3.) #WestVirginia 4.) #OhioState

— Ryan Snyder (@BWISnyder) March 19, 2013

FYI, Dravon Henry’s list isn’t in order. All four of those schools are equal.

— Ryan Snyder (@BWISnyder) March 19, 2013

Dravon has visited Pitt, PSU and WVU unofficially this winter, and was in Columbus for the Ohio State-Michigan game in November of last year (Michigan has offered as well). Henry plays on both sides of the ball, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns this past year for Aliquippa, but all 4 schools are recruiting him as a defensive back, likely at safety. Dravon has some big family shoes to fill as well in the secondary, as NFL All-Pro Darrelle Revis is his cousin.

Bill O’Brien continues to work to keep the best talent in Pennsylvania at home with the Nittany Lions. Henry could be a key part of that plan.

Check out Dravon’s highlights

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By all accounts, the visit went very well.  Instead of taking my word for it, here’s what Jermaine had to say on Twitter throughout the day:

Penn states stadium is HUUUGEEE!

— jermaine eluemunor (@TheMainShow_) March 15, 2013

damnn Penn state haha first ever college visit is going real well! #WeAre — jermaine eluemunor (@TheMainShow_) March 15, 2013

This place is unreal!! God blessed me real good I cant stop smiling right now! #WeAre twitter.com/TheMainShow_/s… — jermaine eluemunor (@TheMainShow_) March 15, 2013

Excited to see all my other visits as well but today was a 10 out of 10

— jermaine eluemunor (@TheMainShow_) March 16, 2013

Jermaine has already said he will be back on campus next month for the Blue White Game on April 20th, and is tentatively planning his official visit in November for the Nebraska game.  He is not planning an early commitment, and is taking visits to many of those other schools.  With those other schools on the list, it still remains to be seen just where the Lions stand.  But already planning a return visit just a few weeks later, and an official visit down the road can’t be a bad thing.

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Penn State has yet to offer Mike, but according to an NJ.com article, the Lions are solidly in his top 3, along with Rutgers, who has offered, and Wisconsin, who has not.  Along with the home state Scarlet Knights, Boston College, Temple, and Old Dominion have also offered scholarships.  247 and Rivals have yet to rate him, but Scout gives him 3 stars, and ranks him the 26th best tight end prospect in the country.  Mike has spent significant time at Rutgers, making his third visit to campus on Wednesday of this week, but he was also on campus at PSU for the Ohio State game this past fall.  Following that visit to Rutgers, he told the Star Ledger that the Knights are actually recruiting him as a receiver, which is where he prefers to play.  All indications are PSU is targeting him as a tight end.

The Lions of course landed arguably the top prospect at the position last year in Adam Breneman, and have several players with multiple years of eligibility.  Kyle Carter, Jesse James both have 3 years of eligibility remaining going into the 2013 season, while Breneman, and redshirt freshman Brent Wilkerson will each have 4 (5 for Adam if he redshirts). All of this begs the question, why are they pursuing another player at that spot with the 65 scholarship limit, and 15 recruits per class.  For one, O’Brien’s offense utilizes two tight ends, and year 1 showed a willingness to line them up pretty much anywhere on the field.  I think another key factor is Mike’s ability (and desire) to play receiver.  That type of ability to play multiple positions, could be an intriguing factor as PSU heads into the height of the sanctions impact.

Mike is yet to be offered, and it will likely depend on what happens with a few players higher on the board before O’Brien makes a decision, but this is definitely someone to focus on headed into the summer.

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For more recruiting news, check out FanSided150.com