Blue White Illustrated

that the worst thing I could ever do is be lazy. He always stressed that working when everyone else is relax- ing is how you get better and take things to that next step. He's been helpful in a lot of different ways. He's never pushed me to one school or the other. He always let this be my deci- sion, but at the same time, I know he really likes the decision I made. He stressed that to me after I made the decision to join Penn State. He's also from Pennsylvania. He has family in the Hershey area. Is there anything else you'd like to tell PSU fans about yourself? I'd like to just let them know that I'm excited to be a part of their uni- versity, that I'm going to work hard on the field and off. I'm going to be a team player. I'm really looking for- ward to working with these guys who are part of my class. I'm really excited about Penn State. This is where I want to be, so I'm going to do every- thing I can to appreciate the opportu- nity and take advantage of it. DeMatha RB is first to join Class of 2014 Penn State got a head start on its 2014 recruiting class when junior running back Mark Allen of DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Md., ver- bally committed to the school Oct. 15. The 5-foot-7, 185-pound prospect attended Penn State's camp last sum- mer and committed shortly after re- ceiving an offer. "Penn State has been his favorite school all of his life," DeMatha coach Elijah Brooks said. "That was a big reason for him camping up there this summer. The coaches loved him when he was up there, and that trip just made him love Penn State even more. So far this season, Allen has rushed for more than 700 yards and eight touchdowns, while picking up interest from such programs as Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and North Carolina State. –R.S. Lions looking ahead to 2014 W ith only a few scholarships re- maining in this year's recruit- ing class, Bill O'Brien and his staff are already making it known that the Class of 2014 could go down as one of the most impor- tant in the program's history. Because Penn State is capped at 15 scholarships per season through 2016, next year's class could play a major part in whether or not Penn State will be a contender once the bowl ban is lifted. Because of that, the staff has been very blunt with multiple prospects who have seri- ous interest in the Nittany Lions. "Coach [Larry] Johnson was saying that the 2014 class is going to be the bread and butter of Penn State's fu- ture," said Omar Truit, a cornerback from St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. "They only can take 15 players, and they have to do everything they can to get the top guy they can at every position." Truit currently projects as a three-star prospect when Rivals.com releases its 2014 rank- ings in February, but the staff has him much higher on its board after seeing his skills firsthand at camp this past June. And he's not the only 2014 prospect with whom the staff is looking to make inroads. Excluding the Ohio game, during which Penn State hosted only 11 visitors, many of whom were al- ready verbally committed – the ma- jority of Penn State's visitors up un- til the Northwestern game were jun- iors. Looking ahead to the matchup against Ohio State, it once again looks as though more than half of the projected 50 visitors won't be able to sign their letters of intent until February 2014, giving the staff plenty of time to sell all of the positives Penn State has to offer. "There is so much to like about Penn State still," Truit said. "They have some of the most loyal fans in all of college football, the education there and the way they stress school is unlike most places. Also, just be- cause you can't play in a bowl game doesn't mean the NFL won't be in- terested if you play well, so I don't see why Penn State can't be suc- cessful during those sanctions." Penn State's lack of scholarships will absolutely be a disadvantage down the road, but if the staff is able to target the right prospects early, as it has done so far, it will get an early start with the following recruiting class while other Big Ten teams are scrambling to fill out their final few spots. After seeing what this staff has been able to ac- complish on the recruiting trail these past nine months, and taking into account that major NCAA sanctions never impact a school's recruiting as much as the experts think (see: Miami, USC and Ohio State), there's no reason to believe the coaches can't land at least a few of their top targets. "I've already made it known that this is the offer I want," Truit said. "I understand they have to take their time, making sure they get the right guy, but I'll be here waiting for that Penn State offer."

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