Blue White Illustrated

defense in 2012. He was accepted into University Park in early December and immediately made it clear that he preferred the run-on opportunity at Penn State over offers from Bucknell, Holy Cross, Wofford, Penn and Princeton. He was a first-team Mid-Penn selection on defense and a second-team MidPenn choice on offense. GREGG GARRITY JR. Ath. | 5-9 | 190 | Wexford, Pa. | North Allegheny Garrity wouldn't be the first member of his family to walk on at Penn State. His father is Gregg Garrity Sr., who joined the Nittany Lions as a walk-on and went on to make one of the most memorable plays in school history with his decisive catch in the 1983 Sugar Bowl against Georgia. The younger Garrity has said he's still waiting on scholarship offers. If he does receive an offer from either an FCS or Football Bowl Subdivision school, Garrity said that he'll have a tough decision to make. He earned first-team All-State honors from both the (Harrisburg) Patriot-News and PAFootballnews.com. CHRIS GULLA K | 6-2 | 195 | Toms River, N.J. | Toms River One of the top three kickers from the Mid-Atlantic region, Gulla has been Penn State's No. 1 target at the position from the start. Many recruiting analysts expected him to receive a scholarship offer by now, but the majority of Northeastern programs made it clear that they don't have a kicker scholarship this cycle. PSU got a real steal in Gulla, who can punt or kick and could very well see playing time as a freshman. RYAN HERR WR | 6-3 | 195 | Camp Hill, Pa. | Trinity Herr is good friends with Adam Breneman. He's still in the process of getting accepted into University Park, but he spoke with Larry Johnson recently and said he feels confident that it won't be a major issue. Herr grew up a Penn State fan and has family alumni. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament early in the season, which may end up being key for Penn State, because he had been receiving interest from Pitt and Penn before the injury. SHANE NASTAHOWSKI LB | 6-2 | 215 | New Berlin, N.Y. | Milford Academy Nastahowski was ready to enroll at Akron last year, but a coaching change convinced him to attend Milford for a season to see if any bigger schools would show interest. If he earns a scholarship offer, he said he'll most likely take it. But as of early January, he was leaning toward Penn State. Nastahowski has already been accepted into University Park. Walton leaves class; other recruits stand firm Following the departure of defensive coordinator Ted Roof, Penn State went on the offensive. Its objective? To learn where it stood with four of its verbally committed recruits from the Southeastern part of the country. Assistants Larry Johnson and John Butler both flew south to meet with defensive back Neiko Robinson, linebacker Jonathan Walton and defensive end Parker Cothren. Each recruit had been at least partially recruited by Roof, and the fifth Southern recruit – defensive back Kasey Gaines from Loganville, Ga. – stated within hours of Roof's departure that he was still firmly committed to Penn State. Robinson of Bratt, Fla., reaffirmed his commitment after a 90-minute meeting with Butler on Jan. 14. With Minnesota being the only school still pursuing Robinson, the three-star prospect said he has no intention of reopening his recruitment. Robinson was scheduled to take an official visit to Penn State Jan. 18-20. GAINES Unlike Robinson, Cothren of Hazel Green, Ala., has received multiple offers recently. Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt have made a push for him, hoping to persuade him to take an official visit. But after sitting down with Johnson, Cothren informed Rivals.com on Jan. 16 that he will be sticking with his commitment to Penn State and will not take any official visits. Elsewhere, Penn State's staff has decided to move on after Jonathan Walton de-committed on Jan. 14. The Daphne, Ala., native has planned official visits to Tennessee (Jan 11-13), South Carolina (Jan. 18-20) and Auburn (Jan. 25-27), and sources have told Blue White Illustrated that the Penn State staff has decided to stop pursuing him. Sources added that the staff is looking for players who truly want to be part of Penn State. With Walton uncertain about his commitment, the staff believed that he might not be a great fit for the program, especially with Penn State unable to extend a full complement of scholarship offers. With signing day approaching, the staff will look at multiple 2013 prospects. But if the coaches don't find a good fit at a position of need, then they will save the three remaining scholarships for the 2014 cycle. In recent weeks, the staff has spent the majority of its time searching for and evaluating prospects from the 2014 and 2015 classes. As of mid-January, it appeared Penn State's 2013 class was all but complete. – R.S.

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