Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/115002
FOOT B ALL RECRUITING Lions land two commitments Delaware linebacker and Virginia athlete verbally declare for Penn State | enn State has gotten off to an excellent start as it begins assembling the Class of 2014. In February, the Nittany Lions received verbal commitments from highly regarded prospects Troy Reeder and Nick Scott. Heading into junior day Feb. 23, both Scott and Reeder acknowledged that the Nittany Lions were in good standing, but neither gave any serious indication to the media or the coaching staff that they were close to committing. That quickly changed. Scott, an athlete from Fairfax (Va.) High, committed before he REEDER left campus. And Reeder, a linebacker from the Salesianum School in Wilmington, Del., joined him 72 hours later. The Penn State staff has now landed three of its top 10 targets overall, with running back Mark Allen of SCOTT Hyattsville, Md., having announced for the Nittany Lions last October. ���The whole junior day, I was in my parents��� ear,��� said Scott, who was born in Lancaster, Pa. ���Every time we saw something new, I was telling my parents, ���I want to do this, this is where I want to be.��� ��� At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Scott will most likely come into camp as a running back. But he���s a versatile player who could fit in at a number of spots. That���s important to the Penn State coaching staff, because of the 65-scholarship cap that takes effect in 2014. With their roster about to be slashed, the P PENN STATE COMMITMENTS* NAME Mark Allen Troy Reeder Nick Scott POS RB LB Ath. HT 5-7 6-3 5-11 WT 185 232 180 HOME Hyattsville, Md. Wilmington, Del. Fairfax, Va. SCHOOL DeMatha Salesianum School Fairfax HT 6-3 6-2 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-1 6-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-5 6-0 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-2 5-11 WT 190 175 290 245 292 270 175 300 192 245 185 290 212 270 282 200 210 170 197 181 270 197 HOME Upper Marlboro, Md. Mt. Lebanon, Pa. Nashville, Tenn. Scranton, Pa. Chesapeake, Va. Alexandria, Va. Monroeville, Pa. Scranton, Pa. Middletown, Del. Woodbridge, Va. Aliquippa, Pa. Brooklyn, N.Y. Washington, Pa. Fredericksburg, Va. Red Bank, N.J. Monroeville, Pa. Paramus, N.J. Swansboro, N.C. Wheaton, Ill. Baltimore, Md. Hampton, Va. Lima, Ohio SCHOOL Wise Mt. Lebanon Montgomery Bell Scranton Prep Oscar Smith T.C. Williams Gateway Lackawanna College Middletown Woodbridge Senior Aliquippa Abraham Lincoln Washington Chancellor Red Bank Catholic Gateway Paramus Catholic Swansboro Wheaton North Gilman Bethel Lima Central Catholic THE HOT LIST* NAME Marcus Allen Troy Apke Alex Bars Noah Beh Andrew Brown Jeremiah Clarke Anthony Davis Jermaine Eluemunor** Chris Godwin Da���Shawn Hand Dravon Henry Thomas Holley Shai McKenzie Steven Moss Quenton Nelson Montae Nicholson Jabrill Peppers DeAndre Thompkins Clayton Thorson Troy Vincent Jr. Ricky Walker Darius West POS Saf. WR OT OL DE DE DB OL WR DE Saf. DT RB OL OL DB DB Ath. QB DB DT DB * As of March 8 **Junior college prospect coaches are looking for players who could potentially make a midweek switch if a string of injuries were to occur at another position. ���As far as I know, I guess [running back] is the spot,��� Scott said. ���We���ll see. They think I���m an athlete and they want to use me wherever they need me, so who knows? I���ll play wherever they want me to play. They just need committed guys who will do whatever they have to do for the team.��� Character is also important. The staff can���t afford to have players get caught up in off-the-field trouble. Fortunately for Penn State, Scott doesn���t