Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465739
1,531 yards and 17 touchdowns this past fall, but that's because he missed much of the season with a bruised kneecap. Robinson is the best running back to emerge from Bishop McDevitt since LeSean McCoy. Mike Weber of Detroit is the Big Ten's top-rated running back prospect. We- ber, who signed with Ohio State, is rated by Rivals as the seventh-best running back in the country. Other four-star running backs who signed with Big Ten schools are Larry Scott of Hubbard, Ohio (Michigan State); Bradrick Shaw of Hoover, Ala. (Wisconsin); Jordan Stevenson of Dallas (Wisconsin); and Ke'Shawn Vaughn of Nashville (Illinois). In most people's eyes, Wisconsin probably recruited the Big Ten's best running back class by landing Shaw and Stevenson. RECEIVER/TIGHT END SIGNEES Nick Bowers, Irvin Charles, Jonathan Holland, Juwan Johnson, Brandon Polk OUTLOOK If you had asked me whether Penn State would be able to re- cruit a top group of wide receivers and tight ends this year, I would have said no. There were simply too many talented young prospects already on campus. But that is exactly what Franklin did. Penn State recruited the No. 3 wide receiver class in the country according to Rivals. In Johnson, the Nittany Lions landed the 16th-best wide receiver in the coun- try. In addition, Charles received four stars, while Polk was given a 5.7 three- star ranking. The Lions also did very well at tight end. While Wisconsin landed Rivals' fifth-ranked player at the position, Kyle Pennington of Santa Ana, Calif., Penn State signed Bowens and Holland, both of whom have solid three-star status. Penn State had done a very impressive job of stockpiling talent here in its past three classes. In the Class of 2013, it re- cruited the No. 2 tight end in the coun- try in Breneman, and the following year it landed Mike Gesicki, who was rated by several recruiting services as the na- tion's No. 1 tight end. OFFENSIVE LINE SIGNEES Ryan Bates, Steven Gonza- lez, Sterling Jenkins, Paris Palmer, Kevin Reihner OUTLOOK The big surprise here was Reihner's verbal commitment to Penn State as a graduate transfer from Stan- ford. Although PSU does not list him as a recruit – he's simply a transfer student – Reihner could prove to be one of the team's most signi8cant newcomers this fall, as he will compete for the starting job at center in preseason practice. Ohio State, with seven signees, re- cruited the best o9ensive line class in the Big Ten. Atop that list is Isaiah Prince of Greenbelt, Md., the No. 5 of- fensive tackle in the country according to Rivals. The Buckeyes' other four-star o9ensive line recruits are tackles Kevin Feder of Ramsey, N.J., and Grant Schmidt of Sioux Falls, S.D., and guard Matt Burrell Jr. of Woodbridge, Va. Palmer and Reihner will have the biggest impact this fall, but the player who intrigues me the most is Bates. He'll start out at center, but Penn State be- lieves he can play all three positions on the line. I believe he will probably be redshirted, but not before the coaching sta9 takes a long look to see whether he could potentially contribute right away. DEFENSIVE END SIGNEES Ryan Buchholz, Kamonte Carter, Shareef Miller, Kevin Givens OUTLOOK Depending on what takes place with Carter, who weighed 257 pounds in January when he took an o:- cial visit, Penn State could have three or four defensive ends in its Class of 2015. Carter, who has added 27 pounds since he verbally committed in February 2014, could end up as a three-technique de- fensive tackle. Surprisingly, Rutgers landed the Big Ten's highest-ranked weakside defen- sive end in Marques Ford of Gibsonton, Fla. Ford was Rivals' eighth-ranked SEE CORNER PAGE 64