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Purdue – attempting eight passes and completing two for 12 yards. All told, he was in command of Penn State's offense for only two offensive possessions all season. Looking solely at the numbers, one could easily come away believing that Penn State will have no hope of approaching last season's offensive productivity. But that's not my take. If Bench, Ferguson, Whipple and Crook make the same type of investment that McGloin did last winter, then I believe they can have similar results. It appears that the four young quarterbacks possess the same type of character traits and approach to the game that McGloin displayed. O'Brien said he was looking forward to working with Bench in the spring. "He's a great kid," O'Brien said. "He's a coach's son. His dad was a coach down there in Georgia, [but] he'll be the first to tell you that he's got a lot [of work] to do." Ferguson was ranked by one Internet recruiting service as one of the top five junior college quarterbacks in the country for the Class of 2013. After suffering a broken collarbone in his right shoulder following an 8-0 start at Ridgeview High School during his senior year, Ferguson decided to enroll at the College of the Sequoias in nearby Visalia, Calif., for the 2012 season. He hoped to prove that he was a quality quarterback prospect, deserving of a scholarship offer from a Football Bowl Subdivision program. His plan worked to perfection. Ferguson completed close to 66 percent of his passes for 2,614 yards and 22 touchdowns and ended up selecting Penn State over Houston and North Carolina State. "He was a guy that we felt really was smart and productive," O'Brien said. "[We're] just really excited about him." Whipple is joining the Nittany Lions as a run-on, but O'Brien said he likes the potential he has seen. Whipple is the son of Mark Whipple, a former Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach and a friend of O'Brien. "I worked for Mark at Brown," O'Brien said. "Austin is his youngest son, and I'm really looking forward to working with him." When you analyze it, Penn State ended up with the perfect mix with its seven early-January enrollees. O'Brien now has four quarterbacks with whom to work in spring practice. Meanwhile, Anthony Smith and Jordan Smith will supply depth at the safety positions. Like their offensive counterparts, the two early-enrolling defensive back prospects will be able to participate in spring practice before their eligibility begins in the fall, so it's a win-win situation for the coaches and the January enrollees. With the 65-scholarship cap set to kick in with the start of the 2014 season, Penn State will probably make an annual effort to sign a limited number of January enrollees. 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In my opinion, Bill O'Brien's most impressive feat during his first year at Penn State was hiring eight members of his nine-member coaching staff during a four-day period immediately after he was announced as head football coach on Jan. 7, 2012. Three months later, while interviewing Rick Pizzo of the Big Ten Network, I asked the following question: Do you think the staff O'Brien assembled is as good as any staff in the Big Ten? Pizzo's answer astounded me. "I think it might possibly be the best overall coaching staff in the country," he replied. With defensive coordinator Ted Roof having left for Georgia Tech, his alma mater, it might seem as though that assertion is a little less compelling. But even without Roof, I believe Penn State's staff could be considered one of the top five nationally. In Larry Johnson and Ron Vanderlinden, I believe Penn State has two of the top defensive assistants in the country. 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