Blue White Illustrated

R E C R U I T I N G Cabinda's commitment boosts LB corps PHIL GROSZ | BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED On Oct. 22, Penn State received its 15th verbal commitment when linebacker Jason Cabinda of Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington, N.J., announced that he plans to sign with the Nittany Lions instead of with Syracuse, the school to which he had previously committed. Before examining Cabinda's verbal commitment and what it means for Penn State, it's important to understand why the Nittany Lions have experienced what many see as an inability to recruit linebackers in this cycle. It seems odd that the linebacker spots have been more severely impacted by the NCAA sanctions than any other position group. Penn State has long been known as Linebacker U, and three former Nittany Lions – NaVorro Bowman of the San Francisco 49ers, Tamba Hali of the Kansas City Chiefs and Sean Lee of the Dallas Cowboys – are in the midst of All-Pro seasons. You would think that the linebacker spots would be the last ones to be affected by the sanctions, not the first. But the team's predicament at linebacker is a perfect example of how badly the NCAA sanctions have impacted the coaches' ability to recruit. In the months before the penalties were handed down in July 2012, Penn State's recruiting efforts were going quite well. Bill O'Brien had received verbal commitments from 14 players, including six four-star prospects. It seemed that Penn State was going to be competitive with Ohio State and Michigan in recruiting. But the sanctions made it next to impossible for Penn State to build the depth it needed at linebacker in its classes of 2013 and 2014. Zach Bradshaw, an outstanding linebacker from Maryland who had announced for Penn State in June 2012, withdrew his commitment and switched to Virginia. Zayd Issah, an outstanding prospect from Harrisburg, Pa., saw his Penn State career unravel before it even began. He got in trouble off the field folO C T O B E R lowing his commitment, and his mounting legal problems forced O'Brien to rescind Penn State's scholarship offer. The original sanctions capped Penn State at 15 scholarships per year through 2016, and the coaching staff made the hard decision to recruit only two scholarship linebackers in its Class of 2014 – even though they knew that might create a lack of depth down the road. Given the impediments they were facing, O'Brien and his staff were thrilled to receive commitments from inside linebacker Troy Reeder of Salesianum High in Wilmington, Del., and outside linebacker Jared Wangler of De La Salle High in Warren, Mich. But then Penn State suffered another bad break. In late August, Wangler received an offer from Michigan. Eager to play for his father's alma mater, he switched his commitment to the Wolverines. Wangler's change of heart put O'Brien and linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden in a bind, one that hasn't been entirely alleviated by the NCAA's decision in September to modify its sanctions. That's why Cabinda's commitment could prove to be a very important development for Penn State. Forget that Rivals.com ranks him as a two-star prospect. When you look at his film, it is not hard to see why he has started at both running back and at a hybrid defensive end/linebacker position the past two seasons. At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he appears to have good speed and excellent acceleration. It's not surprising that he rushed for 1,427 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior, or that he totaled 21 catches for 229 yards. You can tell that he's still learning what it takes to be an outside linebacker, and that's OK considering that this is the first year he's played the position. He has excellent sideline-to-sideline speed and seems to play well in space, but I fully expect him to be redshirted his freshman year at Penn State. 3 0 , 2 0 1 3 9 PENN STATE RADIO NETWORK WAEB............. 790-AM....... Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton WVAM............ 1430-AM.......................................Altoona WRKY............. 104.9-FM............... Altoona/Hollidaysburg WILK.............. 103.1-FM.........................................Avoca WAYC..............1600-AM.......................................Bedford WAYC..............100.9-FM......................................Bedford WCPA............. 900-AM...................................... Clearfield WQYX.............93.1-FM..................................... Clearfield WZDB.............95.9-FM........................ DuBois/Sykesville WHGL.............102.9-FM................................ Elmira, N.Y. WPSE............. 1450-AM.............................................Erie WFRA............. 1450-AM...................................... Franklin WGET............. 1320-AM.................................. Gettysburg WJEJ.............. 1240-AM...Hagerstown, Md./Chambersburg, Pa. WHVR.............1280-AM......................................Hanover ESPN Radio....1400-AM...................................Harrisburg ESPN Radio....95.3-FM....................................Harrisburg WKZN............ 1300-AM..................................... Hazleton WLAK............. 103.5-FM................................Huntingdon WNTJ............. 1490-AM...................................Johnstown WLAP..............1490-AM....................................Lancaster WNPV.............1440-AM.....................................Lansdale WLBR.............1270-AM..................................... Lebanon WMRF............ 95.7-FM.................................... Lewistown WMGW...........1490-AM....................................Meadville WJST.............. 1280-AM.....................New Castle/Sharon WVNJ............. 1160-AM...........................New York Metro WBYB.............99.1-FM................................... Olean, N.Y. WNTP............. 990-AM..................................Philadelphia KQV............... 1410-AM................................... Pittsburgh WAVT..............101.9-FM....................................Pottsville WPPA............. 1360-AM.....................................Pottsville WRAW............ 1340-AM...................................... Reading WBZU.............910-AM.......................................Scranton WBYB.............103.9-FM........................Smethport/Kane WQWK............1450-AM.............................. State College WBUS............ 93.7-FM................................State College WKOK............ 1070-AM...................................... Sunbury WLLI.............. 990-AM...................................... Somerset WTIV.............. 1230-AM..................................... Titusville WHGL.............100.3-FM...............................Troy/Canton WTRN.............1340-AM.........................................Tyrone WTRN.............100.7-FM........................................ Tyrone WNBT.............104.5-FM...................................Wellsboro WNBQ............92.3-FM....................Wellsboro/Mansfield WILK.............. 980-AM..................................Wilkes-Barre WKSB.............102.7-FM.............................. Williamsport WSBA.............910-AM.............................................. York WJST.............. 1280-AM........................Youngstown, Ohio B LUE W HI T EON L I N E. COM

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