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and in the same way, some wrestling recruits were influenced by Sanderson's success at adding another world champ to the practice room. But in order to win team titles, both Hackenberg and Retherford need a strong supporting cast. Some of that responsibility will fall on their classmates, but even more will fall on the next few recruiting classes. Sanderson just signed the best class in the country, inking commitments from Bo Nickal (174/184 pounds), Nick Nevills (285) and Jason Nolf (141-157), all of whom are ranked among the top 10 pound-for-pound recruits in the country. And his staff already has its sights set on the '15 cycle. O'Brien is expected to sign a couple of studs, too, like quarterback Michael O'Connor and tight end Mike Gesicki, both of whom are Class of 2014 four-star prospects. He's also got a few hidden gems in linebacker Troy Reeder and wide receiver Troy Apke. And here's one more thing we can be certain of: O'Brien and his staff have their sights set on the '15 cycle, too. Penn State is competing with Ohio State for such four-star junior recruits as linebacker Ricky DeBerry, receiver Van Jefferson and lineman Sterling Jenkins. So far, the interest appears to be mutual. It's a start, but the I end result is far from certain. Recruiting results will set tone for future Every year is important in recruiting, but you can make a reasonable case that 2014 will be the biggest in about a decade for Penn State. In 2004, the Nittany Lions received commitments from Justin King and Derrick Williams, both of whom had earned five-star rankings from Rivals.com. Those commitments played a major part in pulling the Lions out of their worst stretch under Joe Paterno. The faith that King and Williams had in Paterno and his staff opened the eyes of many prospects across the Mid-Atlantic region. In fact, in the following two recruiting classes, Penn State signed 10 future NFL players, including Evan Royster, Andrew Quarless, Jared Odrick, Devon Still, Stefen Wisniewski, Derek Moye and NaVorro Bowman. Looking back, the classes of 2006 and '07 (which were recruited throughout 2005 and '06) may have been two of Penn State's top classes in recent memory. Fast-forward to the present day, and the circumstances aren't all that different. While the performance on the field has been better, the program is still clearly not as competitive as the fan base expects it to be. And while the factors that have kept Penn State from competing at an elite level the past few years are very different from those the program confronted in the middle of the previous decade, the team's desire to re-establish itself as a major power is much the same. In 2014, the Lions will be pursuing the prospects who will make up the classes of 2015 and '16, and their success will absolutely set the tone for what the program can do in the second half of this decade. "The next two years are extremely important for a school like Penn State," said Adam Friedman, who covers the MidAtlantic region for Rivals.com. "They've already been successful, and now they have a full allotment of scholarships to use. If they can keep up the pace they've already shown, which is landing a few top four-stars and a bunch of solid threestars, they'll consistently be in the top 25 in overall team rankings. "Plus, when you add in the fact that Maryland and Rutgers are about to join the Big Ten, this is Penn State's chance to really put its stamp on who's going to dominate the region over the next few years." We won't know for years whether the Class of 2014 will turn out to be as good as the one that Penn State signed in 2006. But regardless of how things play out, I look at the Class of 2015 as the one that could really set the tone. Until this past September, the staff was under the impression that it would only be able to sign 17 or 18 recruits in February 2014. When the NCAA gave back five scholarships, Penn State was forced to completely revamp its recruiting plan. Changes like that never happen in college football, even when a school makes an early coaching change, which is why I believe the Class of 2014 is not an accurate test of this staff's ability to recruit. But after that class signs its letters of intent a month from now, the shackles come off. Yes, the bowl ban will still be in effect, and yes, the stigma of the Sandusky scandal will continue to shadow the program. But with a full allotment of 25 scholarships to offer in 2015, Bill O'Brien and his assistants will finally get their opportunity to compete on something approaching a level playing field. If what they've done under the toughest of circumstances is any indication of their potential on the recruiting trail, Nittany Lion fans should expect some impressive results in the coming year. I FOLLOW RECRUITING ONLINE Visit bwi.rivals.com for updated news on PSU's scholarship offers and commitments.

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