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ers I���ve seen on film this year, he is projected to play at offensive guard. He���s extremely strong, benching close to 400 pounds and squatting more than 600 pounds. picking up and he was hearing from Rutgers weekly, and earning invitations to summer camps at Maryland, Penn State and Boston College. Yet, when asked by Rivals.com if there was a school he���d always fantasized about playing for, he named the Nittany Lions. ���I was always too heavy to play football in pee-wee, so football didn���t really come to me until last year,��� Mahon told Rivals.com. ���That���s when I realized that Penn State is my dream school.��� Mahon developed into one of the top offensive line prospects in the country. He camped with the Nittany Lions, earning an offer and committing last March. WHAT HE WON Rivals.com ranked Mahon the No. 3 offensive guard in the country, the No. 58 player overall and the No. 4 player in New Jersey. He received four stars from 247Sports.com and three stars from Scout.com. Mahon was named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl East squad and had numerous state and regional honors following his senior season. WHERE HE VISITED Mahon made unofficial visits to Connecticut, Boston College, West Virginia and Rutgers among other schools, but his only official visit was to Penn State. He received 16 scholarship offers. WHO OPENED THE DOOR Mahon developed a good rapport with Mac McWhorter during his recruitment. Also, Penn State���s fan base deserves an assist. Mahon said the reception he got from Nittany Lion fans played a role in his decision. QUOTABLE Mahon: ���Penn State was always a school I was real interested in, and after spending some time with [current offensive lineman] Angelo Mangiro, he was just telling me that I have to do what���s good for me. And I just think Penn State is the best choice.��� PHIL���S TAKE Before the start of the 2012 season, I had Mahon rated as one of the top offensive line prospects in the Northeast in my G&W Recruiting Report. One of the best power drive block- ANDREW NELSON OT, 6-5, 295 Hershey, Pa. Hershey HS WHAT HE DID Nelson chose the Nittany Lions early in the recruiting process over offers from Maryland, Missouri, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Temple. He led Hershey to a 6-5 record in 2012 and tallied 18 total tackles, five of which were for losses, and two sacks. He also helped the Trojans rush for 157.5 yards and score 25.5 points per game. In addition to football, Nelson played volleyball and wrestled in high school. WHAT HE WON Nelson was one of three future Nittany Lions who were selected to the Big 33 All-Star team, and he also played in the Chesapeake Bowl. He was a third-team All-State choice by PAFootballnews.com, and ESPN.com rates him a four-star recruit and the No. 17 offensive tackle in the country. Rivals.com considers Nelson to be a three-star prospect. WHERE HE VISITED Other than Penn State, which he visited several times after making his verbal commitment on April 15, Nelson didn���t do a lot of traveling. That wasn���t a big surprise. He said he has visited Penn State at least once a year since he was in middle school. Maryland, which was the first school to extend a scholarship offer, was Penn State���s stiffest competition. WHO OPENED THE DOOR Larry Johnson became the lead recruiter for Nelson after the pair met at summer camp prior to the prospect���s junior season. Johnson and Nelson maintained a strong relationship throughout the recruiting process. Nelson also grew close to offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and strength coach Craig Fitzgerald. QUOTABLE Nelson: ���The thing I���ve always admired about Penn State is how closeknit the community is. The football program gets a lot of support, but everyone affiliated with Penn State supports a Penn Stater in whatever they do. So that���s just what makes me feel so good about my decision.��� PHIL���S TAKE Next to Neiko Robinson, I believe Nelson is the most underrated member of this recruiting class. Going into the 2012 season, I had Nelson rated as one of the top 10 prospects in central Pennsylvania. He has the frame to play at or around 310 pounds at the college level and is the most athletic offensive lineman Penn State recruited in 2013. Hershey coach Mark Painter says Nelson can run the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds. He has excellent feet and stays on his blocks. My projection is that he will end up being a 305pound left tackle at Penn State. NEIKO ROBINSON DB, 6-0, 178 Flomaton, Ala. Northview HS WHAT HE DID In his only season at Northview, Robinson totaled 95 tackles and seven interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. He committed to Penn State in June after receiving his first Football Bowl Subdivision offer. He also received an offer from Minnesota, and although he took a visit to Minneapolis following his commitment to the Nittany Lions, the Gophers weren���t able to change his mind. WHAT HE WON Robinson earned threestar status from Rivals.com and was ranked the No. 54 safety in the country. Scout.com awarded him two stars, while 247Sports.com gave him three. On the field, Robinson helped lead Northview to the FHSAA Class 1A state championship with a 42-21 rout of Trenton in the title game. WHERE HE VISITED Robinson made his first official visit to Penn State���s campus on Jan. 18, and the trip only reaffirmed his belief that he had made the right choice. The trip to Minnesota last October was his only other visit, though he also had offers from Purdue, Louisiana Tech, South Alabama and UAB.

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