Blue White Illustrated

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Penn State adds three recruits QB O'Connor, DB Vincent and DT White commit to Nittany Lions BY RYAN SNYDER Blue White Illustrated enn State has added three prospects – a quarterback and two defensive standouts – since early June, giving Bill O'Brien and his staff 13 verbal commitments for the Class of 2014. The class's growth spurt began on June 8 when four-star quarterback Michael O'Connor announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions, a move that enhanced the program's growing reputation as a hot spot for quarterbacks. Along with Clayton Thorson, who verbally committed to Northwestern in March, O'Connor has been at the top of Penn State's quarterback recruiting board for almost a year. With his announcement last month, he became the second nationally ranked top-10 quarterback to commit to the Lions in the past year and a half, joining in incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg. "I felt like overall, [Penn State] is the best fit for me," O'Connor said. "They have great academics, a good business program, and I can go in there and compete for a starting job. They are a pro-style offense, which is big. Coach O'Brien is a great coach, and I love Coach [Charlie] Fisher, so it's just a great fit overall." O'Connor, who stands 6-foot-5, 223 pounds, is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the country. He's a member of the Rivals250, coming in 188th nationally, and he's also considered the 25th-best prospect in Florida. He received 11 verbal scholarship offers, including offers from Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Rutgers, South Florida and Vanderbilt. A native of Ontario, Canada, O'Connor transferred to the Baylor School in P PENN STATE COMMITMENTS NAME POS HT WT HOME SCHOOL Marcus Allen Mark Allen Troy Apke Noah Beh Chris Godwin Michael O'Connor Troy Reeder Nick Scott De'Andre Thompkins Troy Vincent Jr. Jared Wangler Antoine White Daquan Worley Saf. RB WR OL WR QB LB Ath. Ath. DB LB DT DB 6-1 5-7 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-3 5-11 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-2 5-10 187 185 175 250 192 223 232 180 170 181 215 267 175 Upper Marlboro, Md. Hyattsville, Md. Mt. Lebanon, Pa. Scranton, Pa. Middletown, Del. Bradenton, Fla. Wilmington, Del. Fairfax, Va. Swansboro, N.C. Baltimore, Md. Warren, Mich. Millville, N.J. Coatesville, Pa. Wise DeMatha Mt. Lebanon Scranton Prep Middletown IMG Academy Salesianum School Fairfax Swansboro Gilman De La Salle Millville Coatesville THE HOT LIST NAME POS HT WT HOME SCHOOL Alex Bookser Mike Gesicki Al Harris Dravon Henry Thomas Holley Malik Hooker Montae Nicholson Ricky Walker OL TE DB Saf. DT Ath. DB DT 6-6 6-6 5-10 6-0 6-5 6-2 6-2 6-2 295 215 155 185 290 183 200 270 Mt. Lebanon, Pa. Manahawkin, N.J. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Aliquippa, Pa. Brooklyn, N.Y. New Castle, Pa. Monroeville, Pa. Hampton, Va. Mt. Lebanon Southern Regional St. Thomas Aquinas Aliquippa Abraham Lincoln New Castle Gateway Bethel Chattanooga, Tenn., before his sophomore season. After his junior season, he moved to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he now plays for Chris Weinke, a former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback. Penn State also received a verbal commitment from Troy Vincent Jr., the son of former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent. Vincent's commitment on June 26 ended a month of speculation about where he would go. During Penn State's first "Lasch Basch" – a barbecue cookout for members of the current team and a few of the staff's top recruiting targets in the 2014 and '15 cycles – the 5-10, 181-pound defensive back informed the coaches of his intention to attend Penn State. While defensive line coach Larry Johnson and defensive coordinator John Butler deserve the majority FOLLOW RECRUITING ONLINE Visit bwi.rivals.com for updated news on PSU's scholarship offers and commitments.

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