A
WHERE HE VISITED Scott was one of the er (Boston
College), but a number of other programs,
including Alabama, Maryland, Tennessee,
Virginia Tech, Washington and West Vir-
ginia, were trying to get him on campus.
WHO
OPENED THE DOOR
Former recruiting co-
ordinator/running backs coach Charles
London was in charge of Scott's recruitment,
but this is also another example of the
school selling itself. Scott made it clear
from the very beginning that PSU was a
school he grew up wanting to play for.
QUOTABLE Scott: "Honestly, Penn State
has just been part of who I was since I
was young. Me and my brother grew up
playing with Penn State on Xbox. We
would create ourselves, make a guy who
plays on Penn State. It really was kind of
a dream of mine growing up. These guys
are recent, but Darryl Clark, Evan Royster,
Derrick Williams, a bunch of other guys
– those were the guys I grew up watching.
I always wanted to be in their position.
To play at that level, to rep Penn State, a
school I loved growing up, and still love –
that's as good as it's going to get."
PHIL'S TAKE Scott is another recruit who
is capable of playing on either side of the
ball. A three-year starter on both o>ense
and defense at Fairensive tackle, Sorrell spent his
high school career as a tight end. He ers from and visited Boston College,
Cincinnati, Indiana and West Virginia,
among others. But long before any of those
uno?cial visits took place, Sorrell checked
out Penn State as a basketball recruit. A
standout on the hardwood, he paid a visit
to University Park in October 2009, watch-
ing a basketball practice session and later
attending the Nittany Lions' football game
against Iowa. "It was incredible walking
into that stadium and seeing that atmos-
phere," he recalled. That was the ensive line coach Herb
Hand. When Franklin took the Penn State
job, Sorrell was the second recruit to
follow, announcing his decision just a few
hours a@er the new coach's introductory
news conference.
QUOTABLE Sorrell on Franklin's pitch to
him a@er leaving for Penn State: "He
talked about the situation with the depth
chart and he said that they would like to
redshirt me to get me prepared to play.
But he said I have the opportunity to play
early and, of course, that's really appealing
to me. But just getting to go with Coach
Franklin was a blessing."
PHIL'S TAKE Sorrell is another tall o>ensive
line prospect with the potential to add 25
to 30 pounds. He appears capable of playing
either guard or tackle at Penn State and is
also an outstanding student with a 3.8
GPA. Like most o>ensive linemen, Sorrell
will probably redshirt as a true freshman.
JOHNATHAN
THOMAS
RB, 5-11, 220
Danvers, Mass.
St. John's Prep
WHAT HE DID As a junior, Thomas rushed
for 1,812 yards and 20 touchdowns. He
was on a pace to equal or better those
numbers as a senior, totaling just over
600 yards in three and a half games. But
in a game against Everett High on Sept.
28, he su>ered an ACL tear and was forced
to miss the rest of the season. He's expected
to be fully recovered by the time he enrolls
at Penn State in June.
WHAT
HE WON
Rivals.com gave him a three-
star rating and ranked him the 39th-best
running back in the nation and the sec-
ond-best prospect in Massachusetts.
WHERE HE VISITED Thomas committed to
Maryland in May and at that point ap-
peared destined to become a Terrapin.
But in mid-September, Bill O'Brien ex-
tended a scholarship o>er at about the
same time the Nittany Lions learned the
NCAA was reducing their scholarship
penalties. On Oct. 20, Thomas announced
he would be attending Penn State.
WHO OPENED THE DOOR O'Brien graduated
from St. John's Prep years ago, so the
Lions' former head coach clearly had a
solid connection to the school. But even
if that hadn't been the case, Thomas might
still have ended up at Penn State. He made
it clear throughout his recruitment that
Penn State was at the top of his list.
QUOTABLE Thomas, in a December inter-
view, discussing his recovery from knee
surgery: "You honestly wouldn't even
know that I tore my ACL if you just met
me for the a knee injury, he will
most likely redshirt this fall.
De'ANDRE
THOMPKINS
Ath., 6-0, 175
Swansboro, N.C.
Swansboro HS
WHAT HE DID Thompkins rushed for 1,359
yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior, av-
eraging 7.8 yards per carry. He moved to
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