TAROW
BARNEY
DL, 6-2, 300
Bainbridge, Ga.
Northwest Mississippi CC
WHAT HE DID A?er playing for Bainbridge
High in his native Georgia, Barney enrolled
at Northwest Mississippi Community
College. He struggled as a freshman, but
a?er improving his physical conditioning
as a sophomore, he enjoyed a breakthrough
season, cial
visit to Iowa State in early November, and
later traveled to University Park for the
Nittany Lions' game against Nebraska.
Impressed with what he saw at Penn State,
he committed to Bill O'Brien the morning
a?er the game against the Cornhuskers.
Barney turned down o=ers from Illinois,
Iowa State, Colorado, Miami (Ohio), Mid-
dle Tennessee State, Texas-San Antonio,
UAB and UTEP. He was also in contact
with Alabama and even paid a visit to
Tuscaloosa, but the coaching sta= never
extended a formal scholarship o=er, so
he chose Penn State rather than walking
on with the Crimson Tide.
WHO OPENED THE DOOR Former defensive line
coach Larry Johnson played a critical role
in Barney's decision to attend Penn State.
QUOTABLE Barney on his o>cial visit to PSU
in November for the Nebraska game:
"Everything was great. I really loved the
game. It's a great atmosphere, I'm excited
to play there. Being down on the cial visit
to Penn State in December, but he had
long since made up his mind. He com-
mitted to the Nittany Lions while attending
the school's advanced skills camp last
June, choosing Penn State over Boston
College. He also received o=ers from Con-
necticut, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse and
Temple, among others.
WHO OPENED THE DOOR Then-o=ensive line
coach Mac McWhorter spearheaded Beh's
recruitment.
QUOTABLE Jim Beh, Noah's father: "The
one thing that really always stood out to
me is the character of the players who will
be surrounding him. When these players
all rallied behind their seniors and coaches
[in 2012], it spoke so highly of the kind of
guys that my son will be playing with.
That's so important to me, and it's a big
reason why I want Noah to play here."
PHIL'S TAKE Several players in this class
are capable of playing on either o=ense
or defense at Penn State. Beh is one of
those players. I expect him to redshirt as
a freshman and begin his career at the
le? tackle position on the o=ensive line.
He has a tall frame that appears capable
of handling more than 300 pounds. If the
team's needs change, he could also develop
into a defensive tackle.
SAEED
BLACKNALL
WR, 6-2, 210
Manalapan, N.J.
Manalapan HS
WHAT HE DID Arguably the best all-around
receiver in New Jersey last fall, Blacknall
faced a succession of defenses that were
designed speci
