DC Metro Sports - Penn State Recruits Sign

Now that the Super Bowl is over and the NFL draft is months away, many football fans turned to college football’s version of the draft Wednesday for their football fix.

Their fix, National Signing Day, represents the day when the top high school recruits from around the country will finally give the schools to which they are matriculating a signature, and some relief.

The most anticipated decision is that of Terrelle Pryor, a 6-foot-6, 220 pound quarterback from Jeannette, Pa., ranked the number one high school player on almost every list. Pryor, who is also one of the best basketball players in Pennsylvania, has narrowed his list to include three schools: Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.

He was originally scheduled to decide Wednesday, but after pressure from his father, decided that he hasn’t decided yet. No need to rush the decision, only the fates of three Big Ten football programs and the career of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez rest on it.

Whether or not Joe Paterno and Penn State pull the upset and land Pryor, they should be in good shape at quarterback for next season with Darryl Clark and Pat Devlin both returning.

The departure of Rodney Kinlaw leaves an opening at running back behind redshirt sophomore Evan Royster. The Nittany Lions were hoping that Michael Shaw, the seventh ranked running back on Rivals.com, would sign on Wednesday and potentially fill the opening, but Shaw instead bolted to Michigan and increased concerns over the future of the position.

Another area of need for Penn State is the offensive line, particularly tackle. Although they did receive a number of quality commitments from lineman this year, the Nittany Lions were again disappointed when one of their top prospects, East Stroudsburg’s Corey Lewis, chose to attend Illinois.

Despite the losses, Penn State did manage to put together a small, yet solid recruiting class for 2008:

Brandon Beachum	LB/RB	5-11	216	Youngstown, OH	Cardinal Mooney High School
Jack Crawford	DE	6-6	255	Richland, NJ	St. Augustine Prep
Mike Ferrell	OL	6-5	285	Pittsburgh, PA	Shady Side Academy
D'Anton Lynn	DB	6-1	177	Celina, TX	Celina High School
Pete Massaro	DE	6-4	240	Newtown Square, PA	Marple Newton High School
Michael Mauti	LB	6-2	215	Mandeville, LA	Mandeville High School
Deon'tae Pannell	OL	6-5	300	Birmingham, MI	Groves High School
A.J. Price	WR	6-4	175	Reston, Va	South Lakes High School
Mike Stankiewitch	OL	6-4	295	Schuylkill Haven, PA	Blue Mountain High School
James Terry	DT	6-3	310	Brandywine, DE	Brandywine High School
Brandon Ware	DT	6-4	358	Harrisonburg, PA	Harrisonburg High School
Mark Wedderburn	TE	6-6	235	Springfield, PA	Cardinal O' Hara High School
Mike Yancich	LB	6-1	216	Washington, PA	Trinity High School
Mike Yordich	LB	6-1	220	Youngstown, OH	Cardinal Mooney High School

Looking at this list of recruits, three things jump out. The first is the commitment to solidifying the offensive line. With the exception of Matt Stankiewitch, (ranked sixth offensive guard on Rivals.com) there are not a lot of highly ranked or flashy guys here, but in the Big Ten that does not always matter. They are hard-nosed and hard-working players who will have no problem competing against the athletes of the Big Ten.

The next thing that is apparent is this group of linebackers. The nickname “Linebacker U” apparently resonates with recruits, because this group ranks among the best in the country. Michael Mauti, whose brother and father both played for Joe Paterno, and Mike Yancich, described as a “freak athlete” by his high school coach, are the closest physically to seeing the field as freshmen.

The third and most glaring thing about this list is the lack of playmakers. Penn State understandably has made a commitment to the defense and the offensive line, but to compete with Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten, they simply need to add speed and athleticism. When Joe Paterno made an exception to his policy in 2005 and gave freshmen Jordan Norwood, Derrick Williams, and Deion Butler significant playing time, the Nittany Lions won the Orange Bowl. Those three will not be there forever, and as some have said about Paterno himself, there must be a replacement plan. The good news is that one player in this class, receiver A.J. Price, could turn out to be pleasant surprise as a tall alternative to the undersized Penn State receivers.

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