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recruit highly sought-after players, but it wasn't going to be able to sign enough of them to field an elite team for years to come. "It was difficult in that you were only going to be able to take one kid in the class for [a particular] position," O'Brien explained. "That was tough. As far as recruiting, we always felt that from the day we walked in here that once we were able to get a young man and his parents here on campus, the place sold itself. It's just a place you can get a fantastic degree and a place where you can play in the Big Ten, which is a fantastic football conference with great coaches and great players. We have a beautiful 108,000seat stadium here and a great football facility. As far as just recruiting the individual athlete, that was never difficult here. It's the numbers that were the difficult part. " The NCAA did not ease up on its other sanctions. Penn State remains ineligible for postseason competition until 2016, the $60 million fine still stands, and the 112 victories from 1998 to 2011 that were vacated have not been restored. However, the NCAA said its executive committee "may consider additional mitigation of the postseason ban in the future" if the school continues to receive positive reviews from Mitchell. When the penalties were handed down in July 2012, NCAA officials called them "corrective and punitive. The university " responded to the demand for corrective action by implementing nearly all of the 119 recommendations contained in the Freeh report ahead of the Dec. 31, 2013, deadline. Those recommendations included the appointment of Mitchell, whose periodic reports about the university's compliance provided the basis for the NCAA's decision to reduce the sanctions. In his first annual report, which was released on Sept. 6, Mitchell said the university had cooperated fully with his staff. He said Penn State had produced more than 47,000 documents in response to requests aimed at assessing the implementation of various changes to university policy, from restrictions on the use of facilities to revised background checks for new employees. "The amount of resources, time, and energy devoted to these efforts has been notable," Mitchell said in his report. "We have been impressed by the professionalism of those leading this undertaking and their open and forthright communications with us. Where we have identified COMPARING THE CONSENT DECREES The NCAA's decision to modify its original consent decree with Penn State will significantly change the way the Nittany Lions are able to recruit in the coming years and is expected to have a major impact on the team's on-field fortunes. Below is a breakdown of how the old and new agreements compare. Initial scholarships OLD Penn State was permitted only 15 scholarships per year beginning with the 2013-14 academic year and continuing through 2016-17. Under the terms of the original consent decree, Penn State would not have been able to sign a full 25-member class until 2017. NEW The Nittany Lions will be allowed 20 scholarships in 2014-15, and that total will rise to 25 per year beginning in 2015-16. All told, Penn State will lose 15 scholarships due to the sanctions: the 10 it has already lost and the five it will lose next year. Total scholarships OLD Penn State was required to trim its scholarship roster to 65 players by 2014, and that cap was to remain in place through the 2017 season. NEW The Lions will be permitted to have 75 scholarship players in 2014, 80 in 2015 and a full complement of 85 players beginning in 2016. Bowl eligibility OLD The Nittany Lions were declared ineligible for bowl competition for four years beginning in 2012. The Big Ten followed suit by ruling that the Lions would not be permitted to take part in the league's championship game until 2016. NEW The NCAA did not lift its bowl ban but did leave open the possibility of further reductions in the sanctions, provided that independent athletics monitor George Mitchell continues to make positive reports on the university's efforts to implement the recommendations contained in the Freeh report. The NCAA stated that its executive committee "may consider additional mitigation of the postseason ban in the future depending upon Penn State's continued progress. " Fine OLD Penn State was fined $60 million, to be paid in five annual installments of $12 million beginning in 2012. The NCAA called for the money to be used in the fight against child abuse. NEW The fine remains in place, although it is subject to an ongoing legal dispute over where the money will be spent. Pennsylvania Sen. Jake Corman and Treasurer Rob McCord filed suit against the NCAA, arguing that the funds should be used in Pennsylvania, where Jerry Sandusky's crimes ocurred. The NCAA argued that the suit was unconstitutional, but the state Commonwealth Court rejected that argument in September. Vacated victories OLD Penn State was stripped of 112 victories from 1998 to 2011. All but one of those wins belonged to Joe Paterno, dropping him from No. 1 in all-time college coaching victories to No. 12, with 298. NEW This penalty has not been modified. I

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