Blue White Illustrated

FOOT B ALL RECRUITING Penn State���s big 10 An in-depth look at the 10 most important prospects for the Class of 2014 | enn State may be off to a great start in recruiting the Class of 2014, but the coaching staff would undoubtedly tell you there is still plenty of work to be done. With three of the Nittany Lions��� top 20 prospects already verbally committed, it looks as if Bill O���Brien and his staff might have only eight to 10 scholarships remaining. The NCAA is allowing Penn State 15 scholarships per year, but because the team must reduce its roster to 65 scholarship players by August 2014, the coaches have to begin chipping away at the number now. If there is one benefit stemming from the lack of scholarships, however, it is this: The staff has more time than those at other schools to devote to its top prospects. Five of Penn State���s primary recruiting rivals ��� Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan and Virginia ��� have extended an average of 96 scholarship offers each. The Nittany Lions, by contrast, have only made about 30 offers but have the same number of coaches on the road recruiting and making calls. To give you a better idea who those top prospects are and where Penn State stands, here, in no specific order, is a breakdown of the 10 prospects who will be pivotal in building Penn State���s Class of 2014. P staff has personally tested him and seen him in action. Most believe Pitt is in the lead. His father, Steve Apke, is a Pitt 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. CHRIS GODWIN WR | 6-2 | 192 | Middletown, Del. | Middletown OFFERS Boston College, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia RANKING Four-star prospect RYAN���S TAKE Godwin is Penn State���s No. 1 target at wide receiver. He has great size and is a physical receiver, yet he has the ability to gain separation. The Nittany Lion staff is off to a great start, having gotten three visits from Godwin dating back to camp last summer. He was scheduled to visit again April 13. The only other schools he���s visited so far are Maryland and Ohio State. South Carolina is the most recent school to grab his attention, so he may visit Columbia this spring or summer. Visits speak for themselves, and considering that he���s made three visits already and was planning a fourth, you have to think Penn State is in great position. TROY APKE WR | 6-2 | 175 | Mt. Lebanon, Pa. | Mt. Lebanon OFFERS Bowling Green, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pitt, Toledo RANKING* Currently unranked 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 ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at Penn State���s camp last June, so the the case. He visited in November for the Wisconsin game, which was a glowing success. He���s preparing to visit again with his father on Blue-White Weekend. That���s significant, because he isn���t going to pick a school that his father hasn���t seen. I���m not prepared to say that he will be on commitment watch when he visits, but there is a chance he could make a decision. DeANDRE THOMPKINS Ath. | 6-1 | 170 | Swansboro, N.C.| Swansboro OFFERS Duke, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State, West Virginia RANKING Three-star prospect RYAN���S TAKE Thompkins hasn���t publicly stated that Penn State is his favorite, but sources close to both Penn State and Swansboro High indicate that���s JERMAINE ELUEMUNOR OL | 6-6 | 300 | Scranton, Pa.| Lackawanna College OFFERS Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, East Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Kansas State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, West Virginia, Wisconsin RANKING Currently unranked RYAN���S TAKE Eluemunor is a junior college prospect who will be an early enrollee somewhere next spring. He visited Penn State with his parents March 15, and the trip was a success. However, Eluemunor hasn���t visited any other programs yet and is very new to the entire Division I recruiting scene. So it���s too early to predict whether Penn State will be able to land him. Many believe that Ohio State and Alabama have an edge, despite the fact that he hasn���t visited either program yet. QUENTON NELSON OL | 6-5 | 282 | Red Bank, N.J.| Red Bank Catholic OFFERS Alabama, Boston College, Central Florida, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Temple, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin RANKING Four-star prospect, ranked 66th in the nation overall

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