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yards in his career and scored 84 touchdowns. He committed to Penn State in June, only to reopen his recruitment in August following the NCAA sanctions. He recommitted to the Nittany Lions in December. WHAT HE WON Issah is rated a four-star prospect by Scout.com and a threestar player by Rivals.com and ESPN.com. He was named to the Pennsylvania Class AAAA All-State teams by The Patriot News and PAFootballnews.com during both his junior and senior seasons. As a junior, he was the Pennsylvania Sports Writers Association���s Class AAAA Co-Player of the Year. WHERE HE VISITED Issah visited Oregon, and the Ducks were Penn State���s main competition. He received 18 total offers before committing to the Lions in December. Maryland, Arizona State, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Virginia were other ceived throughout his high school career. A three-year two-way starter, Cothran played on the offensive line at Council Rock North but also made a name for himself at defensive end. Known for his sheer athleticism, lanky reach and range, Cothran was a disruptive force along the defensive line. ���Being as tall as he is, he���s really worked on playing with leverage and learning about leverage and using that wingspan and his arm length to his advantage,��� said Adam Collachi, Council Rock North���s head coach. ���His motor never stops. He���s always getting after it and never takes a play off.��� Cothran���s pass-rushing skills ��� he totaled 16 sacks during his last two high school seasons ��� got the attention of Football Bowl Subdivision programs. But it was his wellrounded play that helped put him at the top of Penn State���s recruiting board at defensive end. ���[Pass rushing] is one of my schools that he seriously considered. WHO OPENED THE DOOR Larry Johnson led the way on this one, but after Issah decommitted following the sanctions, Bill O���Brien increased his role, too. O���Brien and Johnson both visited Central Dauphin in late November ��� less than two weeks before Issah reaffirmed his commitment. QUOTABLE Issah: ���I always knew Penn State was the right fit if I was going to play linebacker. It���s just hard not to listen to a school like Oregon when Penn State gets hit with these ridiculous sanctions.��� PHIL���S TAKE I���m convinced that if Issah had been able to stay healthy throughout his senior year, he would have been rated much higher by the online recruiting services. As a junior, he was named the PIAA Class AAAA Player of the Year. He is a very versatile athlete who is capable of playing at outside strengths,��� he said, ���but I���m good at stopping the run, too. I do whatever the team wants me to do. If they want me to be a run-stopper, then I���ll be a run-stopper. If they want me to get after the quarterback, I���ll do that, too.��� Collachi said he first noticed Cothran���s Division I potential during his sophomore year. He was a skinny but effective offensive tackle who held his own against much larger opponents. And on the defensive side of the ball, Cothran refused to allow himself to be blocked. Cothran���s tenacity made a big impression on the coaching staff, so after the season, Collachi and a few assistants summoned him for a meeting. They explained to Cothran that with his natural size and athleticism, along with his developing work ethic, he very well could become an FBS prospect in the coming years. ���I guess that would be the turning point where we all kinda game-planned and said this is linebacker, running back or wide receiver at the college level, but Penn State recruited him to play the Will outside linebacker position. Issah has 4.55-second 40-yard speed and a reported 34-inch vertical leap. He also has a frame that could probably carry another 20 to 25 pounds. Next to defensive back Neiko Robinson and outside linebacker Andrew Nelson, Issah is the most underrated player in Penn State���s class. He should have been a consensus four-star recruit. BRENDAN MAHON OL, 6-4, 315 Randolph, N.J. Randolph HS WHAT HE DID On June 1, 2011, the junior-to-be explained that recruiting was something that he wants to pursue,��� Collachi explained. ���That���s when he really got after it.��� Collachi said Cothran never missed a workout in the three years that followed and began to pack some muscle onto his once-slender frame. He started to see the payoff during his junior season, and college coaches quickly caught on. Coaches from all over the East Coast and Midwest reached out to Collachi about Cothran. Boston College, Rutgers, Maryland and Penn State all came through with scholarship offers. Cothran visited Boston College, Rutgers and Maryland, but on March 27 of his junior year, he decided to end his recruitment and pick the Nittany Lions. ���Just being from Pennsylvania and from around the Philadelphia area, everyone is a Penn State fan,��� he explained. ���So it was almost a dream when they offered me. Of course I [was going to pick] Penn State. It was definitely the place I wanted to go.���

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