Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/215616
CLASS OF 2015 HOT LIST NAME POS HT WT HOME SCHOOL Josh Adams RB 6-2 200 Warrington, Pa. Central Bucks South Kareem Ali DB 5-11 170 Sicklerville, N.J. Timber Creek Jerome Baker Ath. 6-1 202 Cleveland, Ohio Benedictine Saquon Barkley RB 5-11 190 Whitehall, Pa. Whitehall Ryan Bates OL 6-5 285 Warminster, Pa. Archbishop Wood Austin Clark OL 6-6 285 Lexington, Va. Rockbridge Jashon Cornell DE 6-3 238 Saint Paul, Minn. Cretin-Derham Hall Rick DeBerry LB 6-2 237 Richmond, Va. St. Christopher's Clelin Ferrell DE 6-5 220 Richmond, Va. Benedictine School Minkah Fitzpatrick DB 6-0 183 Jersey City, N.J. St. Peter's Prep Darius Fullwood DE 6-5 245 Olney, Md. Good Counsel Chris Green LB 6-0 226 Toledo, Ohio Central Catholic Justin Hilliard LB 6-2 225 Cincinnati, Ohio St. Xavier Tristen Hoge OL 6-4 285 Pocatello, Idaho Highland Van Jefferson WR 6-1 166 Brentwood, Tenn. Ravenwood Sterling Jenkins OL 6-8 296 Pittsburgh, Pa. Baldwin Harry Lewis DT 6-0 250 Hampton, Va. Phoebus Bryce Love RB 5-9 179 Wake Forest, N.C. Wake Forest - Rolesville Adam McLean DE 6-2 275 North Potomac, Md. Quince Orchard Grant Newsome OL 6-7 280 Lawrenceville, N.J. Lawrenceville Richie Petitbon OL 6-4 290 Washington D.C. Gonzaga John Reid DB 5-10 175 Philadelphia, Pa. St. Joseph's Drew Richmond OL 6-6 313 Memphis, Tenn. Memphis Unversity School Andre Robinson RB 5-10 190 Harrisburg, Pa. Bishop McDevitt Tim Settle DT 6-2 307 Manassas, Va. Stonewall Jackson Tyrone Wheatley DE 6-6 245 Buffalo, N.Y. Canisius Jordan Whitehead DB 5-10 165 Monaca, Pa. Central Valley Christian Wilkins DE 6-4 295 Suffield, Conn. Suffield Academy Brandon Wimbush QB 6-2 208 Jersey City, N.J. St. Peter's Prep are claiming they have received verbal scholarship offers from Penn State. It appears that O'Brien has been very proactive in identifying the team's primary needs and pursuing the players who can help address those needs. For example, with the offensive line ranking as one of Penn State's biggest concerns, seven offensive line prospects in the Class of 2015 are claiming verbal scholarship offers from Penn State, almost all of whom have received four stars from Rivals. Among those prospects are Ryan Bates of Warminster, Pa., Sterling Jenkins of Pittsburgh and Richie Petitbon of Washington, D.C. All three have the potential to be ranked by Rivals among the top 10 players at their respective positions. What follows is part one of a two-part series detailing Penn State's plans to address its most pressing needs. We'll break down the Nittany Lions' roster position by position, listing both current scholarship players and 2014 recruits whose eligibility extends through the 2015 season. We will estimate the number of players Penn State will recruit at each position in the Class of 2015, and BWI recruiting reporter Ryan Snyder will look at where the Lions stand with the prospects they are recruiting at each position group. Part one will focus on the offense. Our breakdown of the defense will appear in the next edition of Blue White Illustrated. QUARTERBACK RETURNING PLAYERS Christian Hackenberg (So.), Tyler Ferguson (Jr.), Michael O'Connor (Fr.) OUTLOOK With Penn State permitted to offer a full allotment of 25 scholarships starting in 2015, it's likely that the coaching staff will sign a quarterback in each recruiting class. 2015 OFFER Brandon Wimbush, Jersey City, N.J. RYAN'S TAKE The staff has identified a few potential quarterbacks, but only Wimbush has earned an offer so far. After camping EDITOR'S NOTE Class status notations reflect returning players' eligibility in the 2014 football season.