Blue White Illustrated

appear to pose any such risks. ���The things that really stands out to me about Nick are his humility and leadership abilities,��� Fairfax head coach Kevin Simonds said. ���He���s always the first one to deflect all of the praise to his teammates. The guidance he���s gotten from his father and his brother, who plays at Holy Cross, really is great. It���s going to make him a great addition to any locker room.��� Like Scott, Reeder is a versatile athlete who looks to be a great addition both on and off the field. The Delaware native has a 4.0 grade point average and a clear understanding of what his future holds. ���I think it���s really important to recognize how important my years at Penn State will be,��� he said. ���It���s a new era here, and I���m really proud to be a part of it. The years that I���m here will be really important when it comes to dictating the program���s future. I want to do everything I can to make sure we get Penn State through the tough times. Then down the road, when Penn State is back on top, I���ll look back knowing I helped get the team through one of its toughest times.��� Reeder, who stands 6-3, 232 pounds, is also a lacrosse standout. As a freshman, he picked up scholarship offers from some of the top lacrosse programs in the nation, and he later committed to North Carolina. But he reconsidered after deciding that football was the sport he wanted to pursue. ���I���m not ranked in lacrosse. I never went to any lacrosse camps to get ranked,��� he said. ���I was very heavily recruited right after my freshman year. I had offers from Maryland, Duke, North Carolina and Princeton. Those are all great lacrosse schools. ���I love both sports. I just didn���t know two years ago if I was going to have a chance to play football, so that���s why I took the opportunity to make a commitment to North Carolina. I���m still very appreciative toward their coaches for recruiting me. In a perfect world, I���d love to play football at Penn State and lacrosse for North Carolina, but I have to chose, and football at Penn State is just something that I can���t pass up.��� Top recruits flock to PSU for junior day | ick Scott and Troy Reeder may have stolen the headlines, but Penn State���s Feb. 23 junior day made a lasting impression on quite a few additional prospects. In fact, judging by the reactions of the players to their visit, it���s likely the event will help the coaching staff as it pieces together the Class of 2014. With roughly 30 prospects and their families in attendance, Penn State���s guest list was limited to its top targets at each position of need. That was a major change from last year���s junior day, and it allowed coach Bill O���Brien to spend one-on-one time with almost every player and his parents. As to how the scholarships will be allotted, the coaching staff���s plans are starting to come into focus. With the NCAA capping Penn State at 15 scholarships for the second consecutive year, it appears as though the staff will only take two cornerbacks, two running backs, two wide receivers, one safety and one offensive lineman. That leaves a few additional scholarships for other positions, but it���s possible that Penn State won���t even be able to use its full scholarship allotment because it needs to trim its roster to 65 scholarship players by 2014. What follows are thumbnail sketches of 10 prospects who not only visited for junior day but who also appear to be near the top of Penn State���s recruiting board. N TROY APKE WR | 6-2 | 175 | Mt. Lebanon, Pa. | Mt. Lebanon OFFERS Bowling Green, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Toledo QUOTABLE ���The coaching at Penn State is obviously great there with Coach O���Brien, Coach [Stan] Hixon and everyone. Then the atmosphere, how it���s a true college town, how everything is all about Penn State football. It���s a good place to play.��� RYAN���S TAKE Apke is a very intriguing prospect. He doesn���t necessarily excel at one specific thing but has solid speed, hands and route-running skills. He���s faster than you might think, having run a 4.47-second 40yard dash at Penn State���s camp last June, so the staff has personally tested him and seen him in action. Despite what Apke says, most believe Pitt is in the lead. His father, Steve Apke, is a letterman, and his former high school coach, Chris Haering, now coaches the Panthers��� linebackers. O���Brien personally offered Apke a scholarship during junior day. It was his third trip to Penn State. NOAH BEH DE/OL | 6-5 | 245 | Scranton, Pa. | Scranton Prep OFFERS Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Temple QUOTABLE ���Growing up, everyone up here is a Penn State fan. I wouldn���t say I grew up a big fan, but I definitely paid attention growing up in Pennsylvania. That doesn���t really matter, though. Right now, recruiting is different, each school is different. One thing I like about Penn State is the academic support. I like their setup.��� RYAN���S TAKE O���Brien personally delivered Beh���s offer during junior day. He���s being recruited as a defensive end by most schools, but Penn State believes his future is brightest on the offensive line. He says it doesn���t matter what position he plays; the most important factors in his decision will be his rapport with the coaches

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