Blue White Illustrated

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Scranton lineman picks PSU After Beh's commitment, only five spots remain in Penn State's Class of 2014 BY RYAN SNYDER Blue White Illustrated enn State's Class of 2014 is now two-thirds complete following a verbal commitment from threestar offensive lineman Noah Beh. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound native of Scranton, Pa., narrowed his list to Boston College and Penn State in early May. A few months before that, however, it appeared that Beh was leaning toward Steve Addazio and the Eagles. But once Nittany Lion offensive line coach Mac McWhorter increased his contact, that all changed. He committed on June 1, after the morning session of Penn State's Advanced Skills Camp, in which he worked with McWhorter. By that time, Beh had already made a few visits to Penn State, and there was one characteristic about the current squad that had caught the attention of both he and his father. "The one thing that really always stood out to me is the character of the players who will be surrounding him," said Jim Beh, Noah's father. "When these players all rallied behind their seniors and coaches last year, it spoke so highly of the kind of guys that my son will be playing with. That's so important to me, and it's a big reason why I want Noah to play here." Beh, a senior-to-be at Scranton Prep, earned 10 verbal offers, including offers from Connecticut, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple and Virginia. "Most schools wanted him for defense," Jim Beh said. "We actually had Florida State call recently, asking about defensive end and tight end. He's athletic enough to play a few positions. That's another thing the Penn State coaches have mentioned to us – they like his versatility. "But they definitely see him at least DOCK OF THE BEH P Beh is a 6-foot-5, 250-pound lineman who is projected to play offensive tackle for the Nittany Lions. Tim Owen starting at offensive tackle. They like that he's still lean and doesn't have to lose bad any weight before adding muscle." Beh joins two other recent recruits – safety Marcus Allen of Upper Marlboro, Md., and linebacker Jared Wangler of Warren, Mich. – and is the first lineman on either side of the ball to verbally commit to Penn State this year. In all likelihood, he will also be the last offensive lineman the Nittany Lions recruit for the Class of 2014. If things go to plan for Bill O'Brien and his staff, though, he won't be the only verbal commitment in June. One prospect whom Penn State fans should keep an eye on is quarterback Michael O'Connor. The native of Ottawa, Ontario, left Canada a few years back FOLLOW RECRUITING ONLINE Visit bwi.rivals.com for updated news on PSU's scholarship offers and commitments.

• Cover