Blue White Illustrated

four-star prospect has already scheduled official visits to Virginia, Maryland and Virginia Tech, and those schools were believed to be early favorites. However, there are indications that he has been eager to receive a Penn State offer, so an official visit to University Park might be scheduled in the next few weeks. Keihn is a high school teammate of future Nittany Lion defensive back Troy Vincent, so look for Vincent to talk up Penn State in the coming months. Penn State has also made moves in Florida, extending an offer to three-star safety Shawn Boone. Boone plays for Dwyer, which is located in West Palm Beach and is one of the top Florida high school programs. He's been on defensive coordinator John Butler's radar for months, but the staff didn't have the extra scholarships to give. Now, that's all changed. "Their staff has been real with me, Boone " told Rivals. "Even when they didn't have a scholarship for me, they let me know where I stood with them. So I respect that and I'm going to give them a look, too. " Boone is expected to take an official visit to University Park for the Nebraska game. He's already been to Arkansas, Maryland, Ohio State and North Carolina State, all of I which have extended offers. Even with more scholarships, the Lions still aren't in the clear he NCAA's decision to allow the Penn State coaching staff to sign 20 players this coming February has fans excited. When the revisions to the original consent decree were announced Sept. 24, Blue White Illustrated's Internet message boards began filling up with reflections on the Class of 2013 and where it stood before the original sanctions scared a few prospects into going elsewhere. Before the NCAA stepped in, that class had the potential to rank among the nation's top 15. When the NCAA backtracked, restoring many of the school's lost scholarships, its decision gave rise to hopes that the reverse would take place, that prospects who hadn't been looking at PSU previously would suddenly begin to take an interest. Before we go too far down that road, I think it's important to acknowledge the reality of the situation that O'Brien and his staff are facing these next few months. It's a bit more complicated than simply handing out offers to another half-dozen players. One thing that fans don't want to admit is that, for the foreseeable future, there will be a stigma associated with the program. It may not be fair, but it's reality. Many parents knew little about Penn State before November 2011, and their perceptions of the program have been shaped by the Sandusky scandal. I don't expect the fallout to have a huge impact on the majority of rising seniors T who are looking for their first major offer, but I think it's fair to say that it will impact at least a handful of the hundreds of prospects who have received serious interest from Penn State lately. Anyone who understands recruiting knows that it will be the case for the next few years. Even more noteworthy is the fact that the staff has had to adjust its game plan by 180 degrees with just three months to go before signing day. O'Brien had previously instructed his assistants to go all out for the final few elite prospects who remained in this year's class. If the coaches struck out, they could save those spots for next year. If they succeeded, they would be praised not only by fans but by the national media, too. It was a swing-for-the-fences strategy, and it made perfect sense. Now, however, the circumstances are entirely different. The Lions need to fill at least five more spots before they can even entertain the idea of saving scholarships for next year. That may not sound difficult, but the team has immediate needs at specific positions, spots at which a new recruit could start immediately. They need players who will be able to play right away, not players who will take a year or two to develop. And that may not be possible. To put it bluntly, the staff basically turned its shoulder to these three- and four-star players during the past few months. And while Penn State's coaches were looking elsewhere, their top re- cruiting competitors across the MidAtlantic region were speaking to these players weekly. They've developed strong relationships and hosted players and their families on recruiting visits. Last year's class was one of the best examples of how important relationships are. Adam Breneman and Christian Hackenberg probably wouldn't be here if they hadn't developed an early bond with O'Brien and his assistants. Now, all of a sudden, Nittany Lion fans expect the staff to be able to sign any player they want. Sure, Penn State may have more tradition than a place like Rutgers, but what would you do if you had no allegiances? Would you sign with the school that made you a priority since day one? Or the one that came knocking at the end? If you were a parent of one of these prospects, where would you advise your son to go? Come 2015 and '16, I have no doubt that this staff will be extremely successful. I have faith not only in what they'll do on the recruiting trail, but also on the field. But for the immediate future, don't be surprised if PSU offers scholarships to a few two- and three-star players. I know that many readers will cringe at seeing the word unprecedented yet again, but it certainly fits in this instance. The Nittany Lions have had to change their entire recruiting strategy with three months to go – a challenge that no coaching staff has ever encountered before. I

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