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underrated prospect. He has a great frame at 6-5, 295 pounds. From the beginning of the year, Nelson was one of Penn State's top five offensive line targets. He also showed a lot of athleticism playing defensive tackle. Of the three offensive linemen in this class, Nelson could end up seeing the most playing time. NEIKO ROBINSON DB | 5-11, 170 | Flomaton, Ala. | Northview (Fla.) HS RYAN'S TAKE Just a pure football player, period. He still has a lot of room to grow, but if he fills into his frame, Robinson has the potential to be the hard-hitting strong safety that Penn State has been missing the past few years. He's also solid at playing the run. I think he could be a great strong safety in this aggressive scheme. GARRETT SICKELS DE | 6-4, 238 | Little Silver, N.J. | Red Bank Regional HS RYAN'S TAKE Quick off the edge with a motor that goes 100 percent for four quarters. Sickels has to add weight, but not as much as people think. Right now, he's around 238 pounds, and Penn State's coaches have already said they would like him to play at around 265. He'll be a speed rusher off the edge. ANTHONY SMITH* DB | 6-0, 184 | Randolph, N.J. | Valley Forge Military Academy RYAN'S TAKE Speed and potential are what stand out to me. Penn State absolutely had to fill that fifth early enrollee spot, so you can argue that in most years, Smith would have been asked to "run on" rather than be given a scholarship. But from everything that I've gathered, he's a low-risk, high-reward recruit. Teams didn't throw his way often at Valley Forge. JORDAN SMITH* DB | 5-11, 178 | Washington, D.C. | H.D. Woodson HS RYAN'S TAKE Smith is technically and fundamentally sound. He didn't play this past year due to ineligibility. But that could be a blessing in disguise, as it cut down on the wear and tear on his body. He also got the chance to work out with two proven defensive back coaches at PrimeXample: Roman Morris and former Philadelphia Eagle Troy Vincent. You don't have to worry about him in the classroom, and he shouldn't have any problems with the scheme. Smith needs to gain experience, and that process is already under way. *Denotes early enrollee F E B R U A R Y 'Run-ons' could make impact The meaning behind the term "walk-on player" has changed a lot since Bill O'Brien coined his new term last fall. O'Brien prefers to call them "run-ons," because no one on his team walks, he says. No matter what people choose to call them, they're going to have a much larger influence on the team than in years past. The Nittany Lions have combed their home state – and other parts of the Northeast and Midwest – to find at least 20 walk-on candidates who the coaching staff believes could earn one of the final 105 roster spots for training camp. Perhaps the run-on with the best chance of seeing early playing time is kicker/punter Chris Gulla of Toms River, N.J. Gulla was rated by Chris Sailer Kicking as the No. 24 kicking prospect in the nation. He's been told by the coaching staff that he will have an opportunity to compete for both the starting kicking and punting jobs when he arrives on campus this summer. Gulla was the No. 1 kicker on Penn State's recruiting board, even though the Nittany Lions didn't have a scholarship to offer. As a senior, he converted on 5 of 8 field goal attempts, including a 45-yard winner against Southern Regional. For his career, he connected on 17 of 22 attempts. On kickoffs he totaled 33 touchbacks as a senior and averaged 42 yards per punt. The staff has also persuaded quarterback Jack Seymour of Indianapolis to run on at Penn State. Seymour, who received full-ride offers from Ball State, Southern Illinois and Western Michigan, completed 102 of 214 pass attempts as a senior at Park Tudor, finishing with 1,570 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He missed three games due to injury. "There are many guys out there – mostly Pennsylvania guys but even some other guys from other states – who have grown up dreaming about playing at Penn State," O'Brien said. "[They] have fantastic opportunities to go to other schools. Fantastic schools. But they've chosen to come to Penn State because of Penn State." While Gulla and Seymour both seem to be solidly committed, walk-on players do not sign letters of intent and are not obligated to follow through on their commitments to the school. If any were to receive a scholarship offer from another school – Division II and Football Championship Subdivision programs are still sorting out their finances and formulating their rosters – nothing would prevent them from accepting. Below is a list of prospects who have verbally committed to run on at Penn State. Complete 'run-on' list for Class of 2013* NAME POS HT WT HOME SCHOOL Cole Chiappiale Sean Corcoran D.J. Crook** Tom Devenney Austin Fiedler Evan Galimberti Gregg Garrity Jr. Adam Geiger Chris Geiss Chris Gulla Carter Henderson Tom Pancoast Dad Poquie Kyle Searfoss Jack Seymour Brandon Smith Andrew Terlingo Brian Tomasetti Von Walker Austin Whipple** Ath. LS QB OL OL DT Ath. Ath. QB K LB S DB LB QB LB OT Ath. Ath. QB 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-6 6-5 5-9 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-4 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-0 6-2 200 210 200 278 307 255 190 195 190 195 213 190 180 225 205 215 270 175 195 200 Beaver Falls, Pa. Bourbonnais, Ill. Worcester, Mass. Lititz, Pa. Turbotville, Pa. State College, Pa. Wexford, Pa. Camp Hill, Pa. Malvern, Pa. Toms River, N.J. Murrysville, Pa. Kennett Square, Pa. Wyndmoor, Pa. Lewisberry, Pa. Indianapolis, Ind. Lewisburg, Pa. Center Valley, Pa. Old Forge, Pa. Mill Hall, Pa. Salisbury, Ct. Blackhawk HS Bishop McNamara Worcester Academy Warwick HS Warrior Run HS State College Area HS North Allegheny HS Trinity HS Great Valley HS Toms River HS Franklin Regional HS Unionville HS La Salle HS Red Land HS Park Tudor HS Lewisburg HS Southern Lehigh HS Old Forge HS Central Mountain HS Salisbury School * As of Feb. 7 7 , ** Early enrollee 2 0 1 3 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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