Blue White Illustrated

NAME RECIPIENTS OF VERBAL OFFERS POS HT WT HOME Jonathan Allen Jarred Alwan Alex Anzalone Kenny Bigelow Tashawn Bower Tyler Boyd Buddy Brown Greg Bryant Ryan Burns Devin Butler Reggie Davis Michael Deeb DaJaun Drennon Robert Foster Kendall Fuller Kirk Garner Ben Gedeon Jermain Grace Derrick Green Chris Hawkins James Hearns Darian Hicks Ty Isaac Zayd Issah Dorian Johnson Trey Johnson Shane Jones Tim Kimbrough Micah Kiser Patrick Kugler Kyle LaPorte Brian Lemelle E.J. Levenberry Brendan Mahon Mike McGlinchey Donovan Munger Henry Poggi Jamari Smith Tracy Sprinkle Ryan Switzer Wyatt Teller David Williams DE 6-3 225 Ashburn, Va. LB 6-2 230 Cherry Hill, N.J. LB 6-3 220 Wyomissing, Pa. DE 6-3 280 Bear, Del. DE 6-5 230 Somerville, N.J. WR 6-1 168 Clairton, Pa. LB 6-2 205 Williamston, N.J. RB 5-11 200 Delray Beach, Fla. QB 6-5 218 Ashburn, Va. DB 6-1 170 Washington, D.C. WR 6-1 170 Tallahassee, Fla. LB 6-3 229 Plantation, Fla. DE 6-3 225 Sicklerville, N.J. WR 6-3 170 Monaca, Pa. DB 6-0 185 Olney, Md. DB 5-11 180 Olney, Md. LB 6-3 215 Hudson, Ohio LB 6-2 215 Miramar, Fla. RB 6-0 215 Richmond, Va. Vernon Hargreaves DB 5-10 177 Tampa, Fla. Paul Harris WR 6-4 185 Upper Marlboro, Md. DB 6-0 170 Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. LB 6-3 230 Tallahassee, Fla. DB 6-0 175 Solon, Ohio RB 6-3 215 Joliet, Ill. LB 6-3 205 Harrisburg, Pa. OL 6-6 280 Belle Vernon, Pa. LB 6-1 220 Lawrenceville, Ga. LB 6-1 220 Cincinnati, Ohio LB 6-1 226 Indianapolis, Ind. LB 6-1 215 Baltimore, Md. OL 6-5 265 Wexford, Pa. Ath. 5-10 175 Piscataway, N.J. WR 5-11 170 Harrisburg, Pa. LB 6-3 226 Woodbridge, Va. OL 6-5 302 Randolph, N.J. OL 6-9 280 Philadelphia, Pa. DT 6-3 278 Shaker Heights, Ohio DT 6-3 250 Baltimore, Md. De'Asian Richardson DE 6-4 270 Orange Park, Fla. Matt Rolin LB 6-4 205 Ashburn, Va. RB 6-0 200 Neptune Beach, Fla. DE 6-4 245 Elyria, Ohio Ath. 5-10 170 Charleston, W.Va. DE 6-5 250 Bealton, Va. Eddie Vanderdoes DE 6-4 285 Placer, Calif. Greg Webb DT 6-2 290 Sicklerville, N.J. RB 6-0 188 Philadelphia, Pa. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M mitted prospects in last year's class decided to back out before signing day, more than a few fans expressed concerns that Bill O'Brien and his staff were going to have difficulty competing against the Big Ten's elite schools. And following Penn State's first P Junior Day, the situation wasn't looking much better. Michigan and Ohio State had amassed a combined 19 verbal commitments, 17 of them from four-star prospects or better. The Nittany Lions didn't have any commit- ments, and there was talk that Penn State could hope to finish no better than third in the Big Ten recruiting derby. What a difference a few weeks can make. O'Brien and his staff have essentially won over any remaining doubters. After spending two months work- ing hard to restore Penn State's credibility on the recruiting trail, O'Brien and his staff are beginning to reap the benefits of all that over- time. Looking at what has taken place lately, O'Brien deserves tremen- dous credit. He understood what needed to be done, came in with a plan for success and followed it diligently. From the hiring of his staff, to the effort he's put forth to meet with some of the Mid-Atlantic region's top high school coaches, O'Brien has spearheaded an effort that has put Penn State in a strong position. That said, it is his assistants who have carried out his message, and two coaches in particular have really stood out to recruits so far. RYAN SNYDER O N R E C R U I T I N G New staff making a good first impression on prospects enn State's fast start in recruiting has been a pleasant surprise to many in Nittany Nation. When a number of verbally com- Defensive backs coach John But- ler and tight ends coach John Strollo have truly been making a big impression throughout the region. For starters, both have been making serious connections in the northern parts of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as central and southern Ohio. They're doing it the old-fashioned way: by being honest and up front with the prospects and their coaches. That's the way Joe Pater- no did it. Butler in particular has been praised by a number of prospects. He headed up the recruitment of defensive back Ross Douglas of Avon, Ohio, convincing the four- star prospect to give the Nittany Lions a verbal commitment. And he's put Penn State in a good posi- tion with guys like linebacker Alex Anzalone of Wyomissing, Pa., and athlete Ryan Switzer of Charleston, W.Va. "I love Coach Butler a lot," Dou- glas said. "Just talking to him over the past month, he's definitely one of my favorite DB coaches to talk to. He's a young coach, a real fiery guy." In addition, the Nittany Lions have gotten a recruiting boost from the hiring of new strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald. I've spoken to many 2013 prospects, and of those who were at least somewhat familiar with Penn State's previous train- ing program, most were adamant that Fitzgerald is going to make a big difference in the team's prepa- rations. Tight end Adam Brene- man called the new program "a big improvement." Douglas said, "I know all about Coach Fitzgerald, and I can't wait." One additional factor that should help the Nittany Lions in the months ahead is the enthusiasm of the recruits they've already lined A P R I L 1 1 , 2 0 1 2 13 up. It's no secret that quarterback Christian Hackenberg played a key role in getting Breneman to commit early. Look for more of that in the future. If there's one thing I've learned over the past two years, it's that verbally committed prospects are some of the top recruiters in the game. Looking ahead, if they can land two prospects who appear to be leaning their way – Switzer and Philadelphia offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey – the Nittany Lions should have at least seven committed prospects heading into the summer, all of whom have four-star ratings. As we all learned last year, any- thing can happen. But so far, O'Brien has shown that he is deter- mined to leave no stone unturned. His tenacity is beginning to make people believe that Penn State could possibly assemble a top-15 class.

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