Blue White Illustrated

MONTAE NICHOLSON DB | 6-3 | 200 | Monroeville, Pa. | Gateway OFFERS Boston College, Bowling Green, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Temple, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia RANKING Four-star prospect, ranked 47th in the nation overall RYAN���S TAKE Nicholson has visited Penn State three times dating back to camp last summer. Many believe he���s the No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania, and while I tend to think Henry gets an edge in that category, Nicholson isn���t far behind. There���s been speculation that Ohio State and Michigan are the schools to beat, but Gateway will have a new coaching staff coming in this year, so past trends may not apply. I believe Pittsburgh and Penn State will be near the top of his list when he announces his top five, but as of this writing, he hadn���t given any indication of where specific schools stand. He���s expected to visit for the Blue-White Game. TROY VINCENT JR. DB | 6-1 | 210 | Baltimore, Md.| Gilman 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 Vincent is the son of former NFL cornerback Troy Vincent. He���s been quiet with everyone in the media, but it���s been confirmed that he has visited 11 schools already. That���s a sign that he is ahead of most recruits and could make a decision before his senior season. He trains with Roman Morris, Stephon Morris���s father, so Penn State has that in its favor. He���s also visited Penn State twice now, so you have to think that the Lions have a solid chance of making his top five. But again, he hasn���t indicated whether any school holds an early edge. *All rankings from Rivals.com as of April 8 Four top lineman recruits visit the Nittany Lions | March and April tend to be busy months for the Penn State coaching staff. Not only are they dealing with the stresses that accompany spring practice, but they are also hosting recruits. Despite the lack of available scholarships, the staff���s 2013 recruiting strategy has been no different than in previous years. The coaches are making sure to get as many players on campus as possible, from potential run-ons to f o u r - s t a r prospects. Arguably the most sought-after NELSON recruit to make his way to University Park so far this spring has been offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, a four-star prospect from Red Bank, N.J. After visiting Urban Meyer and Ohio State March 27-28, Nelson and his family decided to make an unexpected stop off Interstate 80 to visit with Bill O���Brien March 29-30. ���I talked to Coach O���Brien for about an hour and 45 minutes,��� Nelson said. ���He really showed me how much he wants and needs me. Talking to him just gave me more interest in Penn State and made me feel better about the school itself. He also answered a lot of my questions about the sanctions, and I���m not really worried about them anymore. I would go there and redshirt my first year, then play the next year. Then the sanctions would be over, and I���d have three more years of football. ���They also had a really good recruiting class [in 2012] with Brendan Mahon, Garrett Sickels and Christian Hackenberg, so I think they���ll have a pretty good future.��� According to Rivals.com, Nelson is the eighth-best offensive tackle and 66th overall player at any position nationwide. He had previously visited Penn State for the Ohio State game on Oct. 27. Nelson isn���t the only top offensive lineman who has recently visited Penn State. One of the nation���s top junior college linemen ��� Jermaine Eluemunor ��� made the short trip from Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., with his parents on March 15. ���We have been talking a lot. It feels like every day but it���s not quite that much,��� Eluemunor said regarding the PSU staff. ���Going up to Penn State was great because it���s great meeting people in person. A lot of these coaches will tell you anything to get you to come to their school, so you have to meet them to get a good feel for who they really are. ���Both Coach O���Brien and [offensive line coach Mac] McWhorter are class acts. We all came away very impressed. They���re honest, which is very important. They said they think that I do have the potential to play right away but also made it very clear that I have to earn it. I respect that.��� The visit to Penn State was his first unofficial visit to any school outside of Lackawanna. He has since visited with Meyer and the Buckeye coaching staff. With 22 offers as of this writing, Eluemunor has a lot to think about before he narrows his list. He is planning to take official visits to UCLA (June 7-9), Alabama (July 17-19) and Arkansas (July 19-21). Defensive tackle is another position of need in 2014. Two of Larry Johnson���s top targets are Jeremiah Clarke and Ricky Walker, both of whom vis-

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