Blue White Illustrated

still has plenty of room to grow, but he also possesses 4.5-second 40-yarddash speed and reminds many observers of former Nittany Lion NaVorro Bowman, currently an All-Pro linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers. Baker said recently that Penn State "is up there with Ohio State. I grew up a fan of Ohio State, but I went on a visit to Penn State in seventh or eighth grade with a teammate's brother, and ever since then I've just loved Penn State. Penn State and Ohio State, those are my two [favorite] schools." Two other noteworthy Class of 2015 prospects are John Reid and Jon Runyan Jr., both of whom attend St. Joseph's High in Philadelphia. Runyan may be the more recognizable of those two names – he's the son of the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman of the same name – but Reid, a cornerback, is the more highly touted prospect. As of late April, Reid already had The QB that no one is talking about W hile Penn State fans argue about whether Tyler Ferguson or Christian Hackenberg will win the starting quarterback position, incoming run-on quarterback Jack Seymour is quietly preparing for his enrollment on June 22. With Bill O'Brien's playbook already in hand, the two-star recruit, as rated by Rivals.com, knows he will be earning a few more repetitions now that Steven Bench has decided to transfer. "I'm not the kind of guy who is going to sit here and say I want to start from day one," Seymour said. "I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I wouldn't have passed up the opportunities I had if I didn't think I could compete on this level." Those opportunities came in the form of written scholarship offers from Ball State and Western Michigan, and he could have earned offers from a few more Mid-American Conference programs, too. More than half said they would have extended offers had he decided to visit. Let's put that in perspective: Seymour is the only Class of 2013 runon who had a scholarship offer from a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. I'll be the first to say that I don't think he will be the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback this August, but it's important to bear in mind how Seymour might fit into their plans. And to do that, it's helpful to recall the predicament that Penn State's new coaching staff found itself in after arriving on campus in January 2012. Many people seem to forget that when Bench was offered a scholarship, Penn State was in dire need of a quarterback. O'Brien's hiring wasn't announced until Jan. 7, so the staff had a very short period of time in which to evaluate prospects. The new coaches did not have great faith in Paul Jones and Rob Bolden, and they felt they needed to sign someone, even if that meant rolling the dice on a prospect about whom they knew little. So former defensive coordinator Ted Roof knew a guy, who knew a guy, who knew Bench. Penn State made an offer, and the Cairo, Ga., native, who had previously committed to play for Rice, jumped on board. As for Ferguson, it's been well documented that he was not the first junior college quarterback that Penn State pursued. The coaches were more interested in Jake Waters of Iowa Western Community College. His decision to attend Kansas State came as a surprise to everyone associated with Penn State, since Waters had been telling both the staff and eight verbal offers, including an offer from Penn State, plus interest from some of the top programs in the nation. Blue-White Weekend was Reid's second visit to University Park this spring, indicating that the Nittany Lions have a realistic chance to sign the potential Rivals100 prospect. "Ever since I got a Penn State offer, everywhere I go, everyone is always telling me that Penn State would be the best fit for me," Reid said. media that the Nittany Lions were his favorite. In fact, quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher had cut back on his contact with Ferguson a few weeks earlier, so the native of Bakersfield, Calif., committed to Houston before Waters' announcement. Ferguson was under the impression that Penn State had moved on, and honestly, it had – until Waters chose the Wildcats. So Fisher got back in touch, and Ferguson ended up joining the Nittany Lions without ever seeing campus. There are a couple of other runons, too. Penn State had no choice but to find a few a guys who could enroll early, especially with Bench and Ferguson as the only quarterbacks on the spring roster. So O'Brien went the postgraduate route and convinced D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple to walk on. The staff was forced to pick from a very limited pool of prospects, and while Ferguson, Crook or Whipple could turn out to be a starter, I'll put my money on the two who were properly scouted by the staff: Christian Hackenberg and Jack Seymour. It's no secret that Hackenberg is O'Brien's guy. I'll never argue that, but Seymour has the arm to play at the Division I level. If he also has the smarts – and I think he does – O'Brien could rely on him, too, during what are shaping up to be some of the most pivotal years in the history of Penn State football. The duel this summer is between Ferguson and Hackenberg, but don't sleep on Seymour. He may surprise a few this fall, and for years to come.

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