Blue White Illustrated

cellent replacement, someone who's the best around," said Reeder, referring to the prospective linebacker coach. "I have complete faith in them. O'Brien was able to do that with the rest of his staff, so there's no reason for me to believe that won't be the case at linebacker. "I know they're really looking for someone who just fits in with their game plan. They want to do things a bit differently now with the new staff that came in with Coach O'Brien. I know they're looking for something specific. I'm not exactly sure what that is, or who that is, but I know that they're going to [hire] somebody who is really good, and that's all that matters to me. I have complete faith in their ability to do that." Reeder's family visited Penn State as well, and they noted that the conversations with both O'Brien and defensive coordinator John Butler couldn't have gone better regarding the future trajectory of the program. The weekend visit, however, was about much more than just learning about O'Brien's plans for the linebackers. Reeder also got a chance to get to know some of the current recruits and players. He said that might have been his favorite part. Reeder has been a regular at Penn State's recruiting functions over the past year. So he's already become close with many prospects who are currently committed. The official visit offered those prospects an opportunity to strengthen their bonds, and also to talk to prospects who remain undecided. "I hung out with Troy Apke a lot, also Antoine White, Noah Beh, Nick Scott and Alex Bookser," Reeder said. "[Bookser] is currently uncommitted, but we were working on him all weekend. Hopefully he joins us." Reeder is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 31 middle linebacker in the country. He led Salesianum to an 11-1 record and a state title in Delaware's Division I. After falling to Middletown last season (a school that features future Nittany Lion Chris Godwin), they were able to avenge that loss in this year's title game, winning 23-7 on Nov. 30. Johnathan Thomas, a running back from Danvers, Mass., declared for Penn State in October, switching commitD E C E m b E r PENN STATE COMMITMENTS* NAME POS HT WT HOME SCHOOL Marcus Allen Saf. 6-1 187 Upper Marlboro, Md. Wise Mark Allen RB 5-7 185 Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha Troy Apke WR 6-2 175 Mt. Lebanon, Pa. Mt. Lebanon Tarow Barney DL 6-3 285 Senatobia, Miss. NW Mississippi C.C. Noah Beh OL 6-5 250 Scranton, Pa. Scranton Prep Jason Cabinda LB 6-2 220 Flemington, N.J. Hunterdon Central Mike Gesicki TE 6-6 215 Manahawkin, N.J. Southern Regional Chris Godwin WR 6-2 192 Middletown, Del. Middletown Michael O'Connor QB 6-5 223 Bradenton, Fla. IMG Academy Troy Reeder LB 6-3 232 Wilmington, Del. Salesianum School Nick Scott Ath. 5-11 180 Fairfax, Va. Fairfax Johnathan Thomas RB 5-11 215 Danvers, Mass. St. John's Prep De'Andre Thompkins Ath. 6-1 170 Swansboro, N.C. Swansboro Troy Vincent Jr. DB 5-10 181 Baltimore, Md. Gilman Antoine White DT 6-2 267 Millville, N.J. Millville Daquan Worley DB 5-10 175 Coatesville, Pa. Coatesville * As of Dec. 11 **Junior college prospect ments from Maryland to PSU. Along with Reeder, Thomas also took an official visit last week. And like Reeder, he enjoyed his experience. "I had a great time up there this weekend, and it was real fun," Thomas said. "Akeel Lynch was my host, which was good. He pretty much hangs out with everyone on the team, so I met a lot of guys – it felt like everyone. I was with Adam Breneman and Christian Hackenberg a lot, plus a bunch of other guys all weekend. We had a great time. I can't wait to get up there next year. " Thomas became the third running back in Penn State's Class of 2014, joining Nick Scott of Fairfax, Va., and Mark Allen of Hyattsville, Md. Thomas met Allen a few weeks back at PSU's game against Nebraska, but this was the first time that all three spent time together for an extended period. "I had a lot of fun with those two, said " Thomas. "I met Mark before, when we were at the Nebraska game, but this was the first time I met Nick. I actually learned that I already have a connection with Nick. One of the guys I really look up to – someone who's like a big brother to me – has a roommate at Holy Cross who is Nick's brother. They both play football there. 1 1 , 2 0 1 3 2 "But Nick is a real cool guy, great guy. It's going to be a lot of fun having him and Mark as my teammates. We already clicked. " Thomas tore his anterior cruciate ligament during his senior season. He has already had surgery, so where does he currently stand in his rehabilitation? "You honestly wouldn't even know that I tore my ACL, if you just met me for the first time, Thomas said. "I'm still taking " it slow, not pushing anything, but my doctors have said that I'm progressing well. I have all my motion back, no pain or anything. So far, so good. " During his official visit, one of O'Brien's team doctors examined the injury. Said Thomas, "The doctor at Penn State actually checked me out this weekend. He said I'm looking great and to just continue what I'm doing. " Thomas is projected to begin jogging in four to six weeks. Before the injury, he racked up roughly 800 yards rushing in four games, but his season's top highlight came on defense. In a 40-21 win over Central Catholic Sept. 21, Thomas returned an interception 107 yards for a touchdown, earning the No. 1 spot on ESPN's SportsCenter top 10 plays that weekend. b L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O m

• Cover