Penn State Football Recruiting 2013: LBs and TEs
By Editorial Staff
Welcome back, a few notes to start…
-I forgot about the TE, mostly because it’s a spot I don’t expect us to recruit all that many players to. But more on that later.
-I’ll have a list for the February 18th Junior Day by probably Tuesday. If you’ve been reading my past articles, you’ll have a general idea of who is coming but I’ll have a full list next week.
-In that list will be RB DeVeon Smith (OH) and WR Tyler Boyd (PA). Boyd may be a DB too, but we’ll keep him at WR.
-I was going to have DBs in here, but that would make this article about 3,000 words so instead I’m splitting it into two seperate articles.
Linebackers – I really like the LBs, espescially around here. Penn State will probably take 3, and should have no problem finding some good ones.
-Buddy Brown (NJ) – 6’3 205
Offers: Penn State, North Carolina, Wisconsin, South Florida, Rutgers, Pitt, BC, Virginia, Wake Forest and WVU
One of my favorite recruits thus far. It feels like he’s been around for a while, too. Anyway, he’s a pretty versailte player as he is being recruited at LB, Safety, and there is even talk of him being a DE. He’s a legitimate 6’3 and although thin, looks solid for 205-210. You can see he has good size to go along with very good athleticism. Moves well sideline-to-sideline, and has a nose for the football. Instincts (most important quality for a LB) look really good too. Will need to add some weight, especially in the upper body, but he has the makings of being a really good LB.
Not coming to PSU for JR-Day, as he is scheduled to visit UVA, but will be coming the following weekend. He’s been to PSU multiple times already, and another visit with Vandy and O’Brien bodes well. Penn State is solidly in his top 3, in my opinion. Maybe even leading too. Still early though.
-Alex Anzalone (PA) – 6’2 220
Offers: BC, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple
Another really good LB that PSU is targeting. A lot of his film is in pass coverage which is a bit different from many LB recruits. Usually you just see them attack, attack, attack…which is fine, but it’s refreshing to see a kid like Anzalone be able to go backwards and cover a WR. Has some really good pop when he makes a hit. Good athlete, not quite like Brown, but still a good athlete. You can really tell he gets the game. Reminds me of an old schoool football player for some reason.
He has solid interest in PSU. He’ll be at the massive JR-Day. OSU is interested in his as well. Wouldn’t be shocked to see them offer, but it could just be Urban being Urban too.
-Zayd Issah (PA) – 6’2 210
Offers: UConn, Maryland, Virginia, and Temple
Love, love, love, Zayd Issah (in a football type way). He’s just a really good football player. The majority of his tape is at RB, but he’ll definitely be a LB at the next level. He’s a legitimate 6’2 and already has a pretty bulky frame. A guy like Buddy Brown is a bit longer, whereas Issah is more like Anzalone. Shows really good speed for LB, has good size, and had 123 tackles along with 14 sacks this season.
He’ll be visiting Penn State for the JR-Day. Has good interest in Penn State as well. Definitely think once we really start recruiting him, we’ll go up to the top of his list. He just sent out his JR tape too so expect the offers to start coming in.
-Micah Kiser (MD) – 6’1 215
Offers: Florida, Stanford, Virginia, Rutgers, and Maryland
Coming from Gilman, Kiser continues the tradition of them producing BCS recruits. Simply, he’s really good. He’s a short and stocky guy with really good body mass. Very wide, looks like a LB. Good sideline-to-sideline, disengages from his blocks very well, and really packs the punch when he tackles. Not to mention, he has good form when tackling. Takes good angles and shows the speed to track down a RB or covering a WR. A little tight in the hips, but it’s nothing too bad.
He’s reportedly invited to the JR-Day so we’ll have to see what happens. Hopefully he comes.
-Delando Johnson (MD) 6’2 190
Offers: East Carolina, Toledo, and Youngstown State
Johnson actually plays DE in high school, and is a pretty good one at that. Some talk he could be a stand up DE, but he would need to gain 40-50 pounds for that. LB he’ll probably only need 40 or so. There’s also talk of him being a safety so that shows just how talented and athletic he is. He’s an explosive guy, as he really bursts at the snap of the ball. Shows good speed and quickness obviously, but he even has good power for a guy his size.
Haven’t heard too much yet from PSU, but he goes to Calvert Hall–the school of Trevor Williams, Adrian Amos, and DaQuan Davis. So Penn State has built a mini-recruiting base there.
-Michael Deeb (FL) – 6’3 230
Offers: USF
Don’t ask me why he only has an offer from USF. The man is a beast. Like I said at the top, I love a lot of LBs in the class, but Deeb is probably my favroite. Excellent size already, and really does it all. Goes out in coverage and picks off passes. Attacks the LOS with aggression, running through anyone in his way. He’s just a great LB. Completely shocked that he only has one offer.
He’s reportedly invited to the JR-Day, and is actually teammates with QB Cogswell. We’ll see if they make the trip up.
Other LBs to look out for: Ben Gedeon (LB from OH that visited for the Bama game. Seems like an OSU/UM battle). Dorin O’Daniel (From Good Counsel. Still waiting to see if PSU is intersted). Trey Johnson (Lb from GA that is committed to Auburn. Has a PSU offer from Roof). Zach Bradshaw (Good looking athlete from MD. May be a WR too). Michael McCray (OH LB that may be visiting for the JR day with DB teammate Reon Dawson).
Tight End – You should know his name, but here’s another TE to take a look at…
-Scott Orndorff (PA) – 6’5 240
Offers: Wisconsin (Committed)
Orndorff is your traditonal Tight End. Really good size at 6’5 240. He has really good hands, and catches the ball away from his body. Isn’t just a blocking TE either. Can do some things after the catch. Shows pretty good speed for a guy his size. Has a good build, and is only going to get bigger/stronger.
He’s committed to Wisconsin, but looking around at a variety of places. One of those places is Penn State. He will be visiting for JR-Day. He’s from pittsburgh, and with a lot of the Wisconsin staff going to Pitt, don’t be surprised if they are players here too.
-Adam Breneman (PA) – 6’5 220
Offers: Penn State, Alabamam Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Miami, South Carolina, etc.
Most Penn State fans know Breneman by now, as do most people who follow recruiting. The best Tight End in the 2013 class, Breneman has one of the longest offer sheets out there. The first thing about Breneman…he has excellent hands. Catches the ball away from his body and doesn’t drop a pass. Catches everything thrown to him. Great speed for a Tight End. Has the power to run guys over or make them miss. Runs a variety of routes, and seems to run them very well. Very good athlete too. Not a great athlete, but definitely very good. Don’t see too much blocking, but I don’t think he’ll be used as a blocker all that much. Sure he’s willing, which is all you can really ask for. Even if he sucks at blocking, he’s a playmaker with the ball. Obviously, he’ll need to gain a little more weight but that shouldn’t be a problem either.
Breneman will not be visiting for the JR-Day, and was suppose to visit for the next weekend (along with Brown). After speaking with Bill O’Brien, he moved up his visit to the day before the JR-Day. Which means it’ll be one-on-one…Bill and Co. already going in for the kill. Do I expect Breneman to commit? No. He’s having fun with his recruitment and still wants to see some more schools. Penn State definitely leads though. I’d qualify him as a heavy PSU lean. Just look at his twitter page…talks a lot about Penn State, and doesn’t shy away from the fact he grew up a fan. Another interesting tidbit–goes to Cedar Cliff High School which produced an0ther great Penn State Tight End named Kyle Brady. Also…he cancelled his Ohio State visit to move up his PSu visit: SUCK IT, URBAN !!!!