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R E C R U I T I N G Juco lineman commits to PSU, another takes official visit PENN STATE RADIO NETWORK WAEB............. 790-AM....... Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton WVAM............ 1430-AM.......................................Altoona WRKY............. 104.9-FM............... Altoona/Hollidaysburg RYA N   S N Y D E R | BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED WILK.............. 103.1-FM.........................................Avoca WAYC..............1600-AM.......................................Bedford Penn State may have lost to Nebraska on Saturday, but it won big on the recruiting trail the following day when junior college defensive tackle Tarow Barney verbally committed to Bill O'Brien and his staff. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle from Northwest Mississippi Community College said that it took him only a few hours on campus to realize that Penn State was the best fit for him. "First off, the education, that was big with me," Barney said. "Then Coach [Larry] Johnson, he's just a great coach and we be- BARNEY came real close. Everything he's done there, it speaks for itself. I know he'll help me become the best player I can be." Barney took an official visit to Iowa State in early November. He was also in close contact with Alabama. After visiting both schools, he noted that Penn State's atmosphere on game day "just felt right." "Everything was great," he added. "I really loved the game. It's a great atmosphere, I'm excited to play there. Being down on the field before the game, it just felt right. This is a great fit for me. They have a real family feel." Barney will have three years in which to play two and will enroll at Penn State in January. In addition to Iowa State, he also held offers from Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee State, Texas San-Antonio, UAB and UTEP. Barney wasn't the only juco prospect on campus Saturday. Offensive lineman Kareem Are of Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College also took an official visit. The 6-6, 300-pound native of Brooklyn, N.Y., wanted to meet with the coaches, as he's only been talking to Penn State for a little over a month. "Coach Mac [McWhorter] and Coach O'Brien are both real cool," Are said. "I think they're real honest people and N O V E M B E R they're good coaches, too. I enjoyed getting to know them, and Coach Mac had a lot of good things to say about where I fit in. He was basically explaining that I could come in and play at any of the spots that are open for next year. "When we were watching film, he broke it all down and was explaining how, right now, with three out of the five [offensive] linemen graduating, plus with my size, it would allow me to play a lot of different positions. He was saying that if I came there, he would expect me to compete for the starting job at one of the open spots right away." Although the weather wasn't ideal for the game, Are is from the North and emphasized that the wind and snow will have little impact on how he rates the Nittany Lions. Two factors that will impact his decision are the game day experience in Beaver Stadium and the Nittany Lion fans. "The game was wild; that really stood out," he said. "That place is bigger than NFL stadiums, and it gets wild in there. They've got great fans. That really stood out to me. There's really nothing that compares to it. " Are took his first official visit to Florida State the previous weekend. Heading into his trip, the three-star prospect made it clear that Florida State held the early edge, but before he left town, O'Brien, McWhorter and strength coach Craig Fitzgerald each made one last push to sell their program. Were they able to close that gap on the Seminoles? "It's tough right now," Are said. "Honestly, I don't know if it's equal, just because I've known the Florida State coaches for a long time, but my decision definitely got a lot harder. "After hearing everything [Penn State] had to say, my decision really is going to be tough. They brought up a lot of good points about my future, so I've got a really hard decision to make. It's going to be tough." 2 7 , 2 0 1 3 9 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 WH I T E ON L I N E .COM

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