Penn State Sports Magazine
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T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 7 >> class had amassed a five-year record of 38-22. Their best season was in 1999 when they finished 10-3 and defeated Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl. By 2000 and '01, however, many of the best play- ers in the class had begun departing for the NFL, and the team finished with records of 5-7 and 5-6, respectively. Six went on to be drafted, while a few more saw professional action as undrafted free agents. Let's go back through BWI's recruiting bios from that February 1997 print edi- tion with a look at how each ended up at Penn State as high school stars and what they did from there. LaVAR ARRINGTON RECRUITING RECAP Parade Magazine's Player of the Year, Arrington was widely considered the top recruit in the country. The Pittsburgh native rushed for 4,357 career yards at North Hills High while amassing 352 career tackles and nine in- terceptions. Recruited by defensive backs coach Tom Bradley, Arrington committed to Penn State in April of his junior season and didn't take any other official visits. WHAT CAME NEXT A two-time All- America selection in his three years at PSU, he won the Butkus Award as the na- tion's top linebacker and the Chuck Bed- narik Award as the country's top defensive player in 1999. In his final sea- son, he made 72 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, nine sacks and one interception. He also had a forced fumble, two fumble re- coveries (one of which he returned for a TD) and two blocked kicks. The Washing- ton Redskins selected him No. 2 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played there until 2005 before spending one season with the New York Giants. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Arrington finished his pro ca- reer with 357 tackles, 23.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and three interceptions. JASON BISSON RECRUITING RECAP The first player in the history of Upper St. Clair (Pa.) High to start three years at both offensive and defensive tackle, Bisson committed to Penn State in February 1996 without vis- iting any other schools. Recruited by Bradley, Bisson was the first player in his class to verbally commit. WHAT CAME NEXT After spending most of his career as a reserve offensive tackle, Bisson lettered in 2000. During his time at Penn State, he put heavy emphasis on business, technology and his academics. He's now a project manager at an IT con- sulting firm based in New York. TRAVIS BLOMGREN RECRUITING RECAP With 14 career in- terceptions, the standout defensive back from Central Bucks West was the Philadelphia Inquirer's Player of the Year and was an All-State selection on de- fense. Recruited by Fran Ganter, Blom- gren chose Penn State over Florida State and Nebraska. The Chalfont, Pa., native also was a three-year starter at quarter- back, rushing for more than 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 16 scores. WHAT CAME NEXT After a redshirt sea- son, Blomgren saw spot duty at safety and special teams in 1998. Seeking more playing time, he transferred to Delaware but ultimately finished his playing career at West Chester. JAMES BOYD RECRUITING RECAP A standout on both offense and defense, Boyd was a high school All-America selection. He totaled 86 tackles his senior year at Indian River High in Chesapeake, Va. Recruited by of- fensive line coach Bill Kenney, Boyd chose Penn State over Nebraska, North Car- olina, Tennessee and Virginia. WHAT CAME NEXT A four-year letter- man at safety, Boyd was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2000 after record- ing three interceptions, recovering a fum- ble and scoring a touchdown. He was selected in the third round (No. 94 over- all) in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Jack- sonville Jaguars. He spent two seasons in the pros and recorded 14 tackles. BRUCE BRANCH RECRUITING RECAP Named the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation by Parade magazine, Branch concluded his career at Huguenot High with 99 receptions for more than 2,300 yards. In addition to being an All-America selection, he also won first-team All-State honors three years in a row, becoming the first Virginia player to do so. Recruited by Kenney, Branch took one official visit, to Penn State, and chose the Lions over offers from Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee and Virginia. WHAT CAME NEXT After catching five passes for 79 yards as a freshman, Branch switched to defensive back for his final three seasons and recorded three inter- ceptions. He also had 109 career punt re- turns for 1,171 yards and four TDs and is considered one of the better return men in school history. Undrafted, Branch spent two seasons with the Washington Redskins and played in one game. JORDAN CARUSO RECRUITING RECAP A two-way starter his junior and senior seasons at Shawnee High, Caruso was both a tackling ma- chine and an efficient blocker. The Med- ford, N.J., resident was named first-team All-State by the Newark Star-Ledger and was also the recipient of the Brooks-Irvin Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, which was given annually to the top student- athlete in southern New Jersey. Recruited by Kenny Jackson, Caruso took only one visit, to PSU, and did not seriously con- sider any other schools. WHAT CAME NEXT A strong scholar- athlete, Caruso spent his career at Penn State as an offensive lineman, earning four letters and making his first start at guard as a junior. He battled various in- juries late in his career. He is now a senior vice president for Williams Sonoma, ac- cording to his LinkedIn account. SAM CRENSHAW RECRUITING RECAP A resident of Youngstown, Ohio, Crenshaw had origi- nally planned to attend Ohio State, but after signing day he asked assistant coach Jay Paterno to continue recruiting him. A few days later, Crenshaw committed to the Nittany Lions. WHAT CAME NEXT Lettering in 1998, '99 and 2001, Crenshaw began his career at wideout before moving to safety as a sen-