Blue White Illustrated

draws at the gate, in the TV ratings and on the recruiting trail continue to be big draws because, well, they're big draws. The Nittany Lions have had a successful program for too long to simply disappear. Their rise from regional power to the national elite paralleled the rise of TV itself. Before the 1960s, there were suspicions that network broadcasts would cut into game attendance, which was where schools made their money. Eventually, everyone came to realize that TV was an asset, not an obstacle, and the Nittany Lions used the growing medium to help build themselves into the biggest draw in the most populous part of the country. It was no surprise in September 2011 when New York Times statistical guru Nate Silver calculated that Penn State had the third-most fans in college football (2.64 million), trailing only Ohio State (3.17 million) and Michigan (2.92 million). While the Sandusky scandal has exacted a dreadful toll, it hasn't turned the Lions into ITT Tech, nor will it. Ever. With its high national profile, its rabid fan following, its state-of-the-art facilities and its coaching staff, Penn State is still one of the better places in the country to play football, sanctions and all. And if you think the Lions are recruiting well now, wait till the shackles come off. Of course, those shackles aren't coming off for a while. The program has a tough road ahead with the scholarship cap essentially taking effect a year early. And while the recruiting successes and media attention have given fans something to get excited about, there's no denying that the program has taken a hit. Attendance declined by 4,697 fans per game from the previous year, continuing a trend that began in 2008. But by the end of the 2013 season, Penn State will be halfway through its bowl ban. The class it signs next February will face only two years of postseason ineligibility, and those who redshirt will only face one. And if the end of the ban will be good for recruiting, it will also help kindle fan enthusiasm by opening up the possibility of a postseason berth, even if the cumulative effect of the scholarship cutbacks will pose major challenges. The players who will be part of the 2016 team are no doubt eager for that day to arrive. But there's no lack of enthusiasm for the season to come. The excitement stems from a desire for competition and a feeling of school pride that has been put to the test during the past year and a half. Anderson picked up on it during his visit. "To be part of something like that, I honestly can't describe it," he said. "I took a bunch of pictures of everything, and I was looking at it all as I was driving home. [I was] thinking about more than just the environment, more than just football, but the entire town, the school and what it means to be part of this team." He's about to find out, as are the other scholarship players in the Class of 2013 and a sizeable contingent of run-ons. Those guys are the future of the program. Maybe that future isn't quite as grim as we thought. I NO NAME POS CLASS HT WT HOME/HIGH SCHOOL 1 Bill Belton RB Jr./Jr. 5-10 199 Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township 1 Malcolm Willis Saf. Sr./Sr. 5-11 215 Marbury, Md./Lackey 2 Jake Kiley CB So./Fr. 6-0 Plymouth, N.H./New Hampton 3 Da'Quan Davis CB So./So. 5-10 164 Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall College HS 3 Austin Whipple QB Fr./Fr. Westlake, Ohio/Salisbury School 4 Adrian Amos CB Jr./Jr. 6-0 209 Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall College HS 5 Tyler Ferguson QB Jr./So. 6-3 199 Bakersfield, Calif./College of Sequoias 5 Nyeem Wartman LB So./Fr. 6-1 236 Archbald, Pa./Valley View 6 Malik Golden Saf. So./Fr. 6-1 186 Hartford, Conn./Cheshire Academy 7 Eugene Lewis WR So./Fr. 6-1 198 Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Wyoming Valley West 7 S. Obeng-Agyapong Saf. Sr./Sr. 5-10 207 Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy 8 Allen Robinson WR Jr./Jr. 6-3 204 Southfield, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's 8 Gary Wooten LB So./Fr. 6-2 235 Miami, Fla./Hialeah Senior 9 Jordan Lucas Saf. So./So. 6-0 185 New Rochelle, N.Y./Worcester Academy (Mass.) WR So./Jr. 179 Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn 10 Deshawn Baker 6-1 6-0 175 190 10 Trevor Williams DB So./So. 6-1 180 Nottingham, Md./Calvert Hall College 11 Brent Wilkerson TE So./Fr. 6-3 239 Clinton, Md./DeMatha Catholic 12 Jordan Smith DB Fr./Fr. 5-11 178 Washington, D.C./H.D. Woodson 13 Jesse Merise DB Jr./So. 5-8 178 Hillside, N.J./Hillside 15 Alex Kenney WR Sr./Jr. 6-0 190 State College, Pa./State College Area 16 Garrett Lerner WR Sr./Jr. 5-8 186 New Tripoli, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh 16 Devin Pryor CB Jr./So. 5-10 171 San Bernardino, Calif./Alconbury (England) 17 D.J. Crook QB Fr./Fr. 6-1 205 W. Barnstable, Mass./Worcester Academy 18 Deion Barnes DE Jr./So. 6-4 244 Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast 18 Jesse James TE So./So. 6-7 258 Glassport, Pa./South Allegheny 19 Richy Anderson WR Fr./Fr. 5-11 171 Frederick, Md./Thomas Johnson 22 Akeel Lynch RB So./Fr. 6-0 Toronto, Ontario, Canada/St. Francis (N.Y.) 22 T.J. Rhattigan LB Jr./So. 5-10 195 Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley 23 Ryan Keiser Saf Sr./Jr. 6-1 209 Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove 24 Anthony Smith DB Fr./Fr. 6-0 184 Dover, N.J./Valley Forge (Pa.) Military Academy 27 Colin Harrop DB So./Fr. 6-0 168 Sinking Springs, Pa./Wilson 28 Zach Zwinak RB Sr./Jr. 6-1 234 Frederick, Md./Linganore 30 Charles Idemudia LB So./Fr. 5-11 226 Grosse Pointe, Mich./Grosse Pointe North 31 Brad Bars DE Sr./Jr. 6-3 Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy 32 Jack Haffner 214 251 FB So./Fr. 5-10 208 State College, Pa./State College Area 34 Dominic Salomone FB So./Fr. 5-10 229 Dillsburg, Pa./Northern 35 Matthew Baney LB So./So. 6-0 224 State College, Pa./State College 35 Pat Zerbe FB Sr./Sr. 6-1 241 West Lawn, Pa./Wilson 36 Deron Thompson RB Jr./So. 5-10 194 Lititz, Pa./Warwick

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