Blue White Illustrated

technique defensive tackle positions. He reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds, so I project him at the three-technique spot. consider him to be a two-star prospect. While he played all over the defensive line at Hazel Green, it is expected that he will play the three-technique defensive tackle position at Penn State. ESPN ranks Cothren No. 121 among all defensive tackles in the country for the Class of 2013. The Alabama Sports Writers Association named him to its first-team Class 6A All-State squad. WHERE HE VISITED His recruitment might have started slowly, but it ended with a flurry. After he committed to Penn State in November, Cothren earned late offers from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Georgia Tech. He considered visiting a couple of those Southeastern Conference programs but ultimately decided to reaffirm his commitment to the Nittany Lions. His only two visits were to Purdue and Penn State. WHO OPENED THE DOOR Larry Johnson originally extended a scholarship offer to the defensive lineman, but it was former defensive coordinator Ted Roof who helped Penn State get in the door at Hazel Green. Roof���s involvement with Cothren���s recruitment may also have played a role in the decision by Georgia Tech to extend the prospect a late offer. The offer went out soon after Roof accepted a job as the Yellow Jackets��� defensive coordinator. QUOTABLE Hazel Green coach Matt Putnam: ���[O���Brien] was telling me that Parker���s the kind of kid that they really like. They think he���s a great fit for Penn State, just a phenomenal football player.��� PHIL���S TAKE It will be important for Cothren to be ready to compete when he arrives on campus in June. Penn State needs to build depth with Jordan Hill now preparing to play in the NFL and DaQuan Jones being a senior this fall. There are three redshirt freshmen behind Jones and redshirt junior Kyle Baublitz on the depth chart. Cothren has the frame to grow to around 295 pounds and has the athletic ability to play either the one-technique or three- TYLER FERGUSON QB, 6-3, 199 Bakersfield, Calif. College of the Sequoias WHAT HE DID As soon as junior college quarterback Jake Waters announced he was choosing Kansas State instead of Penn State, Ferguson became a very important target for the Nittany Lions. Ferguson committed shortly after Waters��� announcement, becoming the second scholarship quarterback on the Lions��� roster this spring. Penn State���s interest stemmed from Ferguson���s performance in his lone season at College of the Sequoias, in which he totaled 2,614 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Prior to his juco season, Ferguson played at Ridgeview High School, where he threw for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns in six games before suffering a broken collarbone. WHAT HE WON Ferguson is rated by Rivals.com and Scout.com as a two-star prospect, while 247Sports gives him a much more favorable four-star assessment. WHERE HE VISITED Ferguson committed to Houston just as Waters was announcing for Kansas State. He recanted when Penn State came calling, literally minutes later. The other schools on his offers list were Akron and Florida Atlantic. WHO OPENED THE DOOR Charlie Fisher and Bill O���Brien managed to put together an impressive sales pitch for Ferguson, prompting the quarterback to verbally commit, then enroll just three weeks later, without ever visiting the University Park campus. QUOTABLE Ferguson: ���I really was closest with Coach O���Brien and Coach Fisher. Coach Fisher, we���ve been talking for a while. I���m pretty close with him. He came out to see me. ... We met for about three and a half hours. [Penn State] is a good opportunity for me.��� PHIL���S TAKE Everyone seemed to be upset when Waters decided to attend Kansas State. He certainly appears to be a fine prospect, but I really like Ferguson���s size and quick release. He���s got a bit of a hitch in his delivery, but he throws a very accurate deep ball. It���s one of the reasons he was rated the No. 2 juco prospect in the country by one national recruiting service. One big bonus is that Ferguson has four years to use his three seasons of eligibility at Penn State. He will legitimately challenge Steven Bench for the starting job in spring practice. Bill O���Brien recruited him with the understanding that he would have a chance to play. KASEY GAINES CB, 5-10, 160 Loganville, Ga. Grayson HS WHAT HE DID Gaines played safety and helped lead Grayson to a 10-2 overall record. The Rams were rated the top high school team in the country going into the 2012 season, but they were upset by North Gwinnett early in the Georgia state playoffs. Gaines blocked a punt during his senior season, but no other stats have been made available. He finished his junior season with 93 tackles, 13 pass breakups, five interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. He reportedly runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and will likely start his Penn State career at cornerback. WHAT HE WON As a junior, Gaines was honored as the 2011 All-Metro/Gwinnett Defensive Player of the Year and was named first-team All-State and All-Gwinnett County. ESPN.com and 247Sports.com rank Gaines a threestar defensive back, while Rivals.com and Scout.com give him two stars. ESPN ranks him as the No. 86 cornerback in the Class of 2013. WHERE HE VISITED Gaines attended a few summer camps, but Penn State was the only school he visited. He also held scholarship offers from Harvard, Howard, Presbyterian, Virginia Military and Miami (Ohio).

• Cover