Blue White Illustrated

were upset because the Penn State that they had committed to changed relative to the sanctions. They all got in their cars and they drove here to State College and they sat right in this room. It was a very private meeting, a very emotional meeting. I stood right here and I answered probably 50 to 75 questions as best I could. If I didn���t know the answer, I just told them, ���Look, I don���t know the answer to that, I���ll find out the answer as fast as I can.��� I think it was important that our whole staff was in here, too, and was able to meet with the families. I think that was an important day for us at Penn State and the football program because it was an honest, somewhat emotional, tough, but very productive meeting. In addition to recruiting these freshmen coming in, you were also continuing to keep your current team together. Were there a lot of meetings? Is that an ongoing process? Can you speak to the significance of going into spring practice with your former team? We feel really good about our football team right now. I think the guys who are here right now, having gone through last year, they know us a little better. They know the things that we expect out of them. They understand the systems on offense and defense and special teams. They love the weight room. They understand how academics works here as far as the support system. We feel good about where we are with them. Nothing has changed about the honesty we have with them, the relationships we have with them. We all understand what the rules are. We���re playing by the rules as far as the sanctions that the NCAA laid down on us. We don���t spend every waking minute, just like we didn���t really last year, talking about staying. We really don���t do that that much. We say right now, ���Hey, you guys are Penn State football players, and we can���t wait to coach you in the spring.��� But we���re very mindful of it. We just continue to coach them on a day-to-day basis. Truth be told, [O���Brien] was nervous entering December, figuring the players would be going home and the likely legal targets of rival recruiters. He thought once the players were back on campus, a hurdle would be cleared. And it has been. Had there been a December exit of the returning nucleus, such as Allen Robinson or other parts of the self-proclaimed ���Supa Six,��� (Allen Robinson, Kyle Carter, Adrian Amos, Donovan Smith, Deion Barnes and Bill Belton), it���s likely Hackenberg, Adam Breneman and the other studs in the class of 2013 would have gotten cold feet. Instead, keeping the returnees and luring the newcomers will build on the legacy left by Michael Mauti, Matt McGloin, Gerald Hodges, Mike Zordich & Co. NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR Soon after the NCAA levied its sanctions against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal, five players who had previously committed to the Nittany Lions backed out, and many others were fielding options from other schools. A funny thing happened, though: coach Bill O���Brien rallied the team and the university. Quarterback Christian Hackenberg and tight end Adam Breneman decided to honor their commitments, and became a de facto welcoming committee for the rest of the inJAY BUSBEE YAHOO! SPORTS coming freshmen. The Nittany Lions did not gain a single commitment after Dec. 14, but they were a major winner on signing day because of the calm they kept throughout. Bill O���Brien and his staff did one of the best under-the-radar recruiting jobs in the country, working in the face of major sanctions to keep three four-star players on board with a five-star quarterback. Christian Hackenberg, Adam Breneman, Garrett Sickels and Brendan Mahon were the first four players to buy into the program, and all four made it to the finish line. While some will point to the middle-of-the-pack finish in national recruiting, this class is a victory because it could have been much worse. DALLAS JACKSON RIVALS.COM This is an area where O���Brien and his staff are going to have to think differently than other coaches and staffs, who all-too-often focus simply on piling up the best athletes they can find. The 2012 Nittany Lions gave the program an incredible gift with their 8-4 season: legitimacy. The goal for Penn State���s program now should not be just to weather the NCAA storm, but to come out of it in as good a shape as it can be for the 2016 season. To do that, the coaching staff is going to need to do two things: get the most out of the talent on the roster, which still is a rather young roster; and use the recruiting classes to find capable, smart players who can fill in the gaps immediately, if need be. Forget counting the stars. This class at the very least seems to have the potential to do that. DONNIE COLLINS [SCRANTON] TIMES-TRIBUNE The second-year Nittany Lion boss, faced with the heart(less) of the onerous sanctions that limit him to 15 scholarships per year, is now Pennsylvania���s Piped Piper of Prep Players Paying Sticker Price to Play for PSU. O���Brien���s run-on strategy of attracting very good but not the very best in-state players to play for Dear Old State and pay out of their own ��� and their parents��� ��� pockets will not only populate his roster, but add depth and legitimate spirit, in the locker room and in the stands. Many kids grew up going to Beaver Stadium on football Saturdays and revering Joe Paterno. They���ve dreamed of running out of the south end tunnel. MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM

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