Blue White Illustrated

letic lineman in the Suburban One League National Conference. He was a three-year two-way starter who finished with 57 tackles and 16 sacks throughout his junior and senior seasons. He can bench press 345 pounds, power clean 270, dead lift 500 and squat 415, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. WHAT HE WON Cothran was named to the first-team Class AAAA All-State team by Pennsylvania sportswriters. A consensus three-star recruit, Cothran is ranked the No. 21 defensive end in the country by Rivals.com and the No. 10 overall prospect in Pennsylvania. PennLive.com ranks Cothran as the state���s No. 32 overall recruit. WHERE HE VISITED Cothran was recruited by a number of Football Bowl Subdivision programs along the East Coast and throughout the Midwest, but he only visited Penn State, Boston College, Maryland and Rutgers before selecting the Nittany Lions on March 27. head, so I decided to visit both again. During the last visit to each place, I got the best feel for where I wanted to go. Penn State ��� I just felt like it was the place I wanted to go. ���The fans, the whole community is crazy ��� that had a lot to do with it. There���s so much love up there, which always makes you feel comfortable.��� Smith said Bell���s rapport with Vanderlinden, who has been coaching the Nittany Lions��� linebackers for the past 12 seasons, also played a role in his decision. ���They had that connection right away,��� Smith said. ���They were talking that language that linebackers talk. He was able to connect with it. It wasn���t some guy who was like, ���We���re showing you this and this is our school.��� [Vanderlinden] was talking about being a linebacker at Linebacker U. It was crazy.��� Smith said Penn State is getting a good one, too. Following up on his standout junior season, Bell finished his senior year with 110 tackles, 75 of which were solo stops, QUOTABLE Cothran: ���I do take pride in staying [committed] and making it through the sanctions and still sticking strong in what I believe in ��� which is Penn State.��� WHO OPENED THE DOOR Larry Johnson played a large role in Cothran���s recruitment, but Philadelphia native John Butler also stayed in steady contact. With similar roots, Cothran said he and Butler really hit it off, and he said he���s looking forward to having him as his defensive coordinator. PHIL���S TAKE Last February, while breaking down Pennsylvania���s 2012 senior class, I stated that Cothran was the state���s No. 1 sleeper prospect. At the time, he was listed as weighing 225 pounds. He���s since added 10 pounds while maintaining his 4.7-second 40-yard speed and appears capable of bulking up to about 260 pounds at Penn State. He���s projected to play the weakside defensive end position at the college level. two forced fumbles and an interception. What���s more, he compiled those numbers despite a nagging shoulder injury that sidelined him for two and a half games. But Smith said perhaps Bell���s best attributes aren���t shown on the gridiron. ���One of my proudest moments that I had coaching Brandon didn���t happen on the field,��� Smith said. ���It was in Bill O���Brien���s office.��� In early August last year, Bell and Smith traveled to University Park to meet with O���Brien for the first time since the announcement of the NCAA sanctions. Sitting at his office desk, O���Brien began to reassure them why Penn State was still Bell���s best option. But before he could finish, Bell spoke up. ���Coach,��� he said, ���I���m up here to tell you that I���m coming to play football for you.��� ���I just sat there looking at the kid, thinking, ���Wow, that was really cool,��� ��� Smith said. ���Brandon is a really quiet, laid-back person, so to see him say that and have that kind of commitment to Coach O���Brien really speaks volumes.��� PARKER COTHREN DT, 6-5, 265 Hazel Green, Ala. Hazel Green HS WHAT HE DID Cothren finished his senior year with 57 tackles, 15 of which were for negative yardage. He also had four sacks in 10 games. A 4.0 student, Cothren committed to Purdue in July, choosing the Boilermakers over offers from Arkansas State, Tulane, Troy and Middle Tennessee State. But in November, when it became clear that Purdue was preparing to fire head coach Danny Hope, Cothren backed off of his commitment. He had visited Penn State for the Indiana game on Nov. 17, and that trip contributed to his change of heart. WHAT HE WON Rivals.com rated Cothren a three-star strongside defensive end, while Scout.com and ESPN.com both THE BELL FILE S TAT I S T I C S 117 tackles (24 for loss), six sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception as a junior... 110 tackles, including 75 solos, two forced fumbles and an interception as a senior HONORS Named the No. 21 prospect in New Jersey by NJVarsity.com... Rated a three-star prospect and the No. 42 inside linebacker in the country by Rivals. Named to MaxPreps��� 2012 New Jersey Preseason All-State team. Maggie Thomas

• Cover