Top 25

Week 6

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. Virginia Tech
7. Auburn
8. Boise State
9. Cincinnati
10. USC
11. Ohio State
12. Iowa
13. Penn State
14. Georgia Tech
15. Oklahoma
16. Kansas
17. Wisconsin
18. South Florida
19. Ole Miss
20. Oregon
21. Michigan
22. Oklahoma State
23. Notre Dame
24. Nebraska
25. BYU

Lots of football yet to be played. Despite the two losses I really think that Oklahoma will mow through the Big XII with an undefeated conference record and by doing so eliminating the Big XII from national title contention. At this point it's still the Alabama-Florida winner in the SEC title game vs. who for the national championship? It should be fun to say the least.

Penn State Football

I'd like to go ahead and take a look at what's really good with Penn State football after two games.

What I learned:

1) One and 0 and Derek Moye's a weapon. By halftime of the Akron game I knew, I knew that redshirt sophomore Derek Moye was a weapon at wide receiver for Penn State. Moye's tall (6'5") and has elite speed. He's quickly becoming quite the wideout as well.

2) Two and 0 and we need to find a way to run the ball. Penn State's inability to run the football has to get corrected if this team wants to find itself in another BCS bowl game come January. The problem here is the offensive line. Let's take a look at it.

LT Dennis Landolt
LG Matt Stankiewitch
C Stefen Wisniewski
RG Lou Eliades
RT DeOn'tae Pannell

More specifically, the issue is with the interior of the line. The coaching staff isn't sold on the starting guards. Johnnie Troutman and Quinn Barham are battling it out with the starters to see if they can shake up the depth chart.

It's not going to happen but I'd move Wisniewski over to guard and start junior Doug Klopacz at center. Klopacz is a pretty good center and that would allow us to pick the best one of four potential starting guards instead of the top two out of the four.

In all fairness, last season we had outstanding blocking wide receivers. I'm not saying our current receivers don't block, but if they could step it up a notch I believe that would also improve our rushing production.

3) I find it interesting and very clear cut how the Big Ten is unfolding. It is obvious to my now that our three toughest games are going to lie in the late-middle of the schedule, and in a row. I'm talking about week 8 (October 24) at Michigan, week 9 at Northwestern, and week 10 at home against Ohio State. Those are the three games we have any shot of losing on our schedule and all three will test our squad.

I look forward to the remainder of the season and without a doubt this Saturday against Temple. I want to see how we run the ball. Battling a groin injury, I want to see if Navorro Bowman plays. Remember, Bowman was our best player last season. I want to see if junior walk on kicker Colin Waggner loses his job to true freshman Anthony Fera.

Recruiting Update:

Penn State added #16 to their 2010 class this week as Maryland fullback Zach Zwinak announced for the Lions. Zwinak is rated as the nation's top fullback by both scout and rivals.com. Zwinak chose Penn State over Virginia Tech. Zwinak is described as a battling ram with the ball and an elite lead blocker as well. Zwinak will be another weapon for our offense and should be the best fullback we've had here since Aaron Harris. This is a huge get for an already impressive class. What an outstanding recruiting class this is shaping out to be.

Top 25

Here is my Top 25 after two weeks of this young college football season.

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. USC
4. Texas
5. Penn State
6. Cal
7. Ole Miss
8. Boise State
9. LSU
10. BYU
11. Oklahoma
12. Virginia Tech
13. Ohio State
14. Georgia
15. Cincinnati
16. Miami
17. Houston
18. Oklahoma State
19. Kansas
20. Georgia Tech
21. Tulsa
22. Auburn
23. Nebraska
24. UCLA
25. Michigan

As far as big time matchups and dramatic story lines, this week sets up to be a lackluster one. What makes it worse is that some of the better matchups lose their shine as well with Michigan State losing last week to Central Michigan and Tennessee losing last week to UCLA. Add to that Florida State almost getting upset by Jacksonville State and this week's top games aren't exactly shaping up to be epic. On the other hand, nobody thought Ohio State would give USC a game so we won't know until we watch.

The top games:

20 Georgia Tech at 16 Miami (Thursday night)
I believe Miami will win this game, bring back Da U swagger, and show up in the Top 10 sooner than later. Georgia Tech is a good football team but look for Miami to look like a really good football team starting tonight.

21 Tulsa at 11 Oklahoma
Here is my big upset pick. I'll take Tulsa led by quarterback G.J. Kinne over Oklahoma and their new starter Landry Jones. This would be a huge upset even without Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford taking the snaps for OU and I think we might just see it happen.

23 Nebraska at 12 Virginia Tech
I'll take Virginia Tech in this one. I like Tech's rushing attack, led by redshirt freshman Ryan Williams who runs hard. I'm interested to see just how good Nebraska is.

Michigan State at Notre Dame
If you talked to me this time last week I would have laughed and said Michigan State. Now I'm not so sure. MSU losing to Central Michigan last week really throws a wrench in this one for me. I'm going to act like it didn't happen and pick Michigan State anyways.

14 Georgia at Arkansas
If you know me you know I'm picking Georgia. I'll pass. I'm not convinced that Joe Cox is the answer at quarterback for the Bulldogs. I'm going to roll the dice and take Arkansas in this one.

Texas Tech at 4 Texas
I think Texas is overrated, as I have them ranked 4th. I'd love to pick Texas Tech in this game but I'm not dumb. Texas wins but it will likely but ugly. It will be interesting to see if they slip in the polls a bit after this week.

Florida State at 10 BYU
I don't think Florida State is a very good team and it will take a very good team to walk into Edwards Stadium and walk out with a win over the BYU Cougars. BYU and it won't be close.

West Virginia at 22 Auburn
I like the numbers that Auburn's power running game is putting up out of the spread. I like SEC teams at home. I'm not feeling Big East teams not named Cincinnati in 2009. Auburn by 10.

Tennessee at 1 Florida
I like to see someone who runs their mouth back it up. I want to see Lane Kiffin roll into the SEC and roll into The Swamp and roll through Urban Meyer and the Gators. Tennessee lost at home last week to UCLA, there's no way it's even close this week at Florida. Meyer will run up the score and the coaches will be seen scowling at each other from the sidelines.

15 Cincinnati at Oregon State
It took one game and Cincinnati's already, at least to me, cemented themselves as the best team in the Big East for the third year in a row. The job that head coach Brian Kelly has done has been amazing. I sometimes get in trouble for saying this but it's my lock of the week.

Mailbag!

SickOLBs,
What do you think the Big Ten will look like at the end of this year? PSU on top? And how do you see us fairing this season? Another possible close to undefeated season?
Justin from Los Angeles

Justin,

Here is my tiered breakdown of how I think the conference will perform this season:

Tier 1:
Ohio State
Penn State

Tier 2a:
Illinois
Michigan State
Northwestern

Tier 2b:
Iowa
Minnesota

Tier 3a:
Michigan
Wisconsin

Tier 3b:
Indiana
Purdue

I think we have a shot of going undefeated. I think our toughest games are @Illinois, @Northwestern, and the home showdown with Ohio State. We could lose any one of those three games. Plus, @Michigan isn't a given. Also, if we go into our season finale @Michigan State with more than a couple losses under our belt we'll lose that game. If we head into the Michigan State game with something big to play for we'll leave with a win. The national media wants to point to our game against Iowa as a big time match up but I feel as though there is no chance we lose that game.

I have the winner of the Penn State - Ohio State game as the Big Ten champs. If Ohio State beats USC in week two then the Big Ten champ, if undefeated, will go to the national championship game. If not then not.

SickOLBs,
Who do you got on opening night?
Mike from Dallas

Mike,

I assume you're referring to the two games on ESPN Thursday night. In the opener I'll take North Carolina State over South Carolina. This is a match up of two teams headed in different directions. NC State is on the upswing and I think the Wolfpack will bite USC on their way up. Personally, I think USC is in trouble in the opener, this season, and as a program moving forward.

The nightcap which sees Oregon go to Boise is the ultimate toss up. I'm a decisive guy and so I'm going to make the call...Oregon. I like Oregon running back LaGarrette Blount. In fact, despite the return of Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy, I think Blount has a puncher's chance of winning this year's Heisman.

SickOLBs,
Are you like me and have Virginia Tech coming away with a big win over Alabama week one in Atlanta?
Jamaal from Virginia

Jamaal,

Absolutely not. Not only do I think VaTech will lose, I think they're going to get rolled by Alabama. I think Virginia Tech is painfully overrated and I'm glad I won't have to wait long to see them get exposed. This is not the game of the week, Georgia at Oklahoma State is.

Very Bad News

This past week was the first week of fall practice, practice that saw Sean Lee back in action. The question wasn't if Lee would play but rather, where? Lee played all week at the outside position alongside Navorro Bowman. The good news is that it gives us two sick OLBs. The middle position was supposed to be a battle between fifth-year senior Josh Hull and true sophomore Michael Mauti. Mauti's the better player but it was looking like Hull would be given every opportunity to begin the season as the starter and then tragic news broke tonight. Mauti, affectionately called the Cajun Connor by his teammates, tore his ACL during Saturday's scrimmage. This news effectively puts an end to any debate regarding who will be starting at linebacker at Linebacker U this season. It is in my opinion that Mauti is certainly one of the very best players on the team and this is quite the blow for our squad. Though tough to find, there is a silver lining in this dark cloud. Being that Mauti's a true sophomore, when he redshirts this season he will not lose a year of eligibility. Also, we are pretty deep at linebacker so it's not the end of the world in that regard. His loss will be felt though in both the linebacker rotation and on special teams.

Big Winner:
Josh Hull. Hull probably would have started anyways and instead of splitting some time with Mauti, the job is all his. Also, instead of being criticized every step of the way by the media (and myself), we can all focus on the positives that Hull brings to the table. Sure he's not the greatest linebacker on the squad but he's a very strong player with experience.

Big Loser:
The fans. Michael Mauti is an absolutely electric athlete and a pure joy to watch play.

We all knew our secondary was thin coming into 2009 but between the loss of Abe Karoma (DT) and now Mauti (LB), our entire defense currently falls under the category of thin. This team cannot sustain any more injuries or off the field problems if it intends to compete for the Big Ten title.

An interesting side note:
My blind speculation called for true junior middle linebacker Chris Colasanti to redshirt this season and earlier this week I heard that that is in fact the plan. Now that Mauti won't be available I expect to see Colasanti on the field this season as not only a special teamer but also #2 on the depth chart at MLB.

Mailbag!

Time for another mailbag. As always, if you have questions email me, SickOLBs at der164@psu.edu. Now let's get to it.

SickOLBs,
What's your take on the Michael Crabtree situation and how do you see it playing out?
Shitty from D.C.

Shitty,

That's an interesting name, is it French? So the Crabtree situation for anyone who doesn't know, Michael Crabtree was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in April's draft. Despite being drafted 10th overall, Crabtree wants "top three money" and is threatening to hold out all season and re-enter the draft in 2010 if he doesn't receive it. This is nonsense. Though 2010's draft won't be as loaded at the wide receiver position it will certainly be better overall with loads more elite prospects. If Crabtree couldn't crack the top nine in 2009 there's no chance he will in 2010 and absolutely no chance at all of receiving top three money. Add to that this current situation and he's not even a lock to go until maybe later in the first round. Crabtree's a great talent but he's making a mistake. I don't see him following through on this threat and if he does, it will cost him money not earn him some.

SickOLBs,
Everyone knows about your amazing pragnastimation skills so tell me, how are my Michigan Wolverines going to do this year?
Mary from Ann Arbor, MI

Mary,

It's prognostication, sweetheart. This is a good question as I can see Michigan's season going either way and it all hinges on their week two game when they host Notre Dame. If Michigan beats Notre Dame I can see them winning nine and going to a good bowl game. If Michigan loses I can see them finishing with five or six wins and struggling to make a bowl. This is what I like to call a hinge game as the success of a team's season and sometimes the program going forward literally hinges on one game. Interesting enough, another big hinge game this season also involves Notre Dame and takes place a week earlier on September 5 when Notre Dame hosts Nevada led by their dangerous quarterback Colin Kaepernick. If Notre Dame falls to Nevada (which could happen) then their dream season is over before it began and Charlie Weiss will be looking for a new job.

SickOLBs,
What's wrong with you? Where's the update on Givens?
Joe from Mechanicsburg

Joe,

Darrell Givens is going to Rutgers.

SickOLBs,
Coaches poll is out but I want to know what you think. What does your preseason top ten look like?
Matt from Florence, SC

Matt,

1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. USC
4. Texas
5. Alabama
6. Penn State
7. LSU
8. Ohio State
9. Ole Miss
10. Georgia

Too many polls are based on schedule and how people thing that a team will navigate that schedule. I look at how good the teams are. Georgia would be favored in their week one match up with Oklahoma State if that game were Between the Hedges so why rank OK State higher because they get them at home? And after Alabama blows the doors off of Virginia Tech in week one it will be easy to see why Tech doesn't belong in the top ten.

Not the greatest day

Like fellow senior James McDonald, reserve offensive lineman Ako Poti picked up a DUI last week. Unlike McDonald, Poti hasn't been kicked off the team. The coaching staff is saying that it's his first offense and there's no need to boot him. Regardless, he's a senior and he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of sniffing the starting lineup.


True freshman linebacker Glenn Carson's bad back has stopped him from participating in drills since arriving on campus this summer. However, Carson's back has not stopped him from picking up an underage over the weekend. And I thought we were recruiting smarter players?


Recruiting smarter players? Apparently not. As I reported a few weeks ago star cornerback Darrell Givens and athlete Derrick Thomas were the only members of Penn State's 2009 class not to report to campus on time due to some high school summer classes that they needed to finish up. Word today is that Givens didn't make the grade and was not admitted into Penn State. Typically in a situation like this the student-athlete would go to prep school for a year (Darryl Clark did it, Curtis Enis did it) and then report to Penn State. Givens isn't interested in doing that and because he wasn't admitted his signed letter of intent is null and void. Instead of going to prep school or a junior college Givens has opened his recruitment back up. Look for Givens to end up at a school like West Virginia or Rutgers.

This is potentially devastating news for Nittany Nation as Givens was a lock to start in 2010 and 2011. We are extremely thin at cornerback as it is and that's not counting the fact that A.J. Wallace, Knowledge Timmons, and Devin Fentress are all seniors this year.


Penn State picked up commitment #15 for their 2010 class today in Manheim DE/OLB Dakota Royer. Royer picked Penn State over Notre Dame and Pitt. Royer wants to play defensive end but the Penn State coaches want him as a linebacker. Optimistic fans like to refer to Royer as the next Aaron Maybin. I'll be more realistic and call him a poor man's Maybin. Either way, Royer doesn't have any sort of chance at playing meaningful minutes at linebacker for at least 3 years here and if they want him on the field it's going to be at DE.

I'd be shocked if we get any more verbal commitments before the season begins. Now we're at a point where we just sit back and allow high end prospects to fill the remaining few spots.


We've all heard it, Tim Tebow wears Terrelle Pryor pajamas and all that good stuff but did you hear the latest? According to this article, Pryor can drive a golf ball 335 yards, into the wind! All of this nonsense is cute. It's also cute how Terrell Pryor got Preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year at Big Ten Media Days this week. Ohio State fans, keep it in your pants, all I know is Terrelle Pryor is 0-1 against Penn State.

Big Ten Media Days - Day 1

Today was the first day of Big Ten Media Days. Today each coach stood up under a bright light and behind a podium and spoke for 15 minutes. Each coach did about the same thing, spoke for a minute or two then took questions.

Some thoughts:

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is a very impressive guy. He's very intense and says all the right things. He's not a prick like Les Miles (LSU), he's actually a real class act. He even made a couple jokes without cracking a smile at all, I've never seen that before. In fact, he convinced me that despite losing their quarterback, running back, and top three receivers, Northwestern will be very good this year. Now I'm worried about our game at Northwestern, thanks coach.

New Purdue head coach Danny Hope struck me as kind of weird. He's the old school type of coach who feels like through hard work and enough patience he can bring success to West Lafayette. While I'm sure he's a good coach, I'm not convinced he has the required charisma to be an effective recruiter. Hope is extremely serious, he looked like not only did he not want to be there today, but that it was the worst part of his job. I can't see Hope being there as long as his predecessor, Joe Tiller.

Speaking of getting fired, this is your last season Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema is the guy who took the program Barry Alvarez built on making the most out of second tier talent and put it in the toilet. Bielema is also the clown who called a couple onsides kicks to end the first half against Penn State a few years ago. The irony is that Alvarez is now the athletic director at Wisconsin so it'll be his job to fire Bielema, the guy he chose to succeed him. Wisconsin will win six games and be looking for a new coach in the offseason.

Joe Paterno was great today. Someone asked about Clark and here was his response: "He hadn't played a lot of football before last year, and that probably was my fault. Jay Paterno, who coached the quarterbacks two years ago, wanted to play Clark more, and I thought it would discourage the kid that we were using, and I thought the kid we were using had the potential to be a good quarterback, and I blew that one. Notice Joepa taking a shot at Morelli here.

Other notes:

Fifth-year senior wide receiver James McDonald has been kicked off the team due to the DUI he received last week.

It looks like A.J. Wallace will not be kicked off the team but he's about as deep in the dog house as one can be after cutting classes.

It's also looking like defensive tackle Abe Koroma will be kicked off the team with an option to return in 2010. Big blow here as he's 1/3 of our powerhouse DT rotation.

As expected we received a verbal commitment today from New Jersey tight end Kevin Haplea. We're absolutely stacked at tight end moving forward.

Also, this weekend stud defensive line prospect Dominique Easley from New York tried to verbal to scumbag Urban Meyer on his visit to Florida but Meyer told him thanks but no thanks. Meyer extends kids scholarship offers then if he has someone higher on his board at their position and they try to commit he tells them to wait a few months to see how things shake up. Easley wants to head south but I'm hearing Penn State could be a major player for him. The favorite at this point is probably Miami. Florida was recruiting Easley as a DT while Penn State is looking at him at defensive end.

Two More Commits

It was another good weekend for Penn State. On Friday, Penn State received a verbal commitment from Michigan quarterback Robert Bolden. Officially, Bolden picked us over Oregon and Louisville but in reality it was a two team race between us and Michigan State. This one was over when Michigan quarterback Joe Boisture changed his commitment from Boston College to Michigan State two weeks ago.

When Darryl Clark leaves, it will be a three man competition between Kevin Newsome, Paul Jones, and Robert Bolden. Each one brings something different to the table. Newsome is currently the best runner of the bunch but the worst passer, Jones is the best passer of the bunch but the worst runner, and Bolden is the second best on both fronts. The only way I see one of our two quarterback commitments backing out and looking elsewhere is if Clark gets hurt this season and Newsome really lights it up. That said, look for Newsome to do very little throwing in the garbage time he plays this season. When it's all said and done look for one of the three to be the starter, one to be the backup, and one to transfer. This is what happens at elite programs.

This morning the worst kept secret in college football came to fruition as State College wide receiver Alex Kenney made it official by committing to the Nittany Lions. Kenney is generally regarded as the fastest rising senior in the state and he also has good size (6'0", 190 lbs). What Kenney lacks in wiggle, he makes up for with blazing straight ahead speed and a lot of toughness for a guy his size. Look for Kenney to be utilized in the slot and on returns. He's another Derrick Williams/Chaz Powell/Curtis Drake type, and if you've been watching a lot of college football in recent years you know that you can't have too many of those lying around.

With 13 verbal commitments, I look for this class to finish with 20. Here is my best guess list at the remainder:

14) Dakota Royer - this outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid is all blue and white as I would be shocked of Royer picks anyone else. I think Royer ends up playing stand up DE here much like Tim Shaw did his senior year and what Jerome Hayes is doing now. This one becomes official before the season starts.

15) Kevin Haplea - this fundamentally sound tight end has quite the impressive offer sheet. While Haplea isn't a Penn State lock, he is thought to be a heavy lean. Look for Haplea to join the fold before the start of the season as well.

16) Khairi Fortt - this elite linebacker is the total package. Fortt's so good I'd go as far as saying he's a SickOLB! Fortt wants to take a few official visits during the season but don't let that fool you, he will be a Lion in the end. Look for Fortt to visit a couple other schools and then commit to Penn State during the season.

17) C.J. Olaniyan - we need a pure defensive end in this class and hopefully Olaniyan is it. It's not looking good for us right now with fellow DE Dominique Easley (Staten Island, NY) who seems to be headed to Florida. Olaniyan would be a huge pick up for us and another great get out of the state of Michigan. Right now it seems to be a two horse race between us and Michigan State. MSU already has an elite DE in the fold in William Gholston (Vernon's cousin). Let's hope MSU doesn't double up so we can grab C.J. This one won't be decided anytime soon and maybe our regular season finale against the Spartans will be for more than just the Land Grant Trophy.

18) Sharrif Floyd - this elite defensive tackle from Philly is the type of player who you don't redshirt. Between Floyd's raw talent and Larry Johnson Sr.'s ability to coach, if Floyd chose Penn State the sky would literally be the limit for this young man. Floyd had never been a college football fan growing up and has said his relationship with his position coach is critical. Good thing we have arguably the best defensive line coach in the country in Johnson. Though Floyd is far from a lock and has offers from some of the nation's best, I'd be surprised if he wasn't a Nittany Lion on signing day. Look for Floyd to make his announcement at the U.S. Army All-American Game in January.

19) Sean Parker - elite safeties are what separate good teams from great ones and not only is Parker an elite safety, he's a true ballhawk. Despite being all the way in California, Parker recently commented that the two schools pursuing him hardest right now are Penn State and Notre Dame. When I say this kid has choices, he has CHOICES as evidenced from his offer list which includes Florida, USC, Georgia, and Oklahoma. With the type of class we're bringing in and will another 11 win season, if we can get Parker on campus for a visit, we have a shot.

20) Marcus Lattimore - rated as the #1 running back in the country by scout.com (#2 player overall), Lattimore leads what many consider to be the nation's top high school team for the upcoming year (Byrnes High School, Duncan, SC). Lattimore is a complete back who excels at running between the tackles and catching the ball out of the backfield. He's also an excellent pass blocker at this point in his career. Lattimore's size makes him an ideal fit in the Big Ten. Don't worry, he has speed too (you can't be the nation's top running back without speed). I feel like we have a legit shot at Lattimore and I think this one ends up being a battle between Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Penn State.

Recruiting Update

Not last weekend but the weekend before, Penn State had a big recruiting weekend that ended with three public verbals. I say public verbals because it is thought that at least one other prospect ended his recruitment that weekend in a silent verbal.

The three:

Evan Hailes - a big defensive tackle from Virginia who chose Penn State over many offers including Virginia Tech, Tennessee and LSU.

DaQuan Jones - a big defensive tackle from New York who chose Penn State over many offers including Boston College, Maryland and NC State.

Levi Norwood - a skinny wide receiver from Texas, Levi is Jordan Norwood's younger brother. (The Norwoods moved to Texas a year ago when Brian Norwood took the job of defensive coordinator at Baylor after being safeties coach for Penn State.) Despite not playing football his junior year of high school, Levi earned an offer by catching the ball well while camping at Penn State. Levi is taller (6'2") than brother Jordan and I believe he could be a similar type of player on the field and an asset to the program off the field.

Hailes and Jones are both big and powerful football players. The consensus among experts seems to be that Jones may be a shade better than Hailes despite not having as impressive of an offer list. This is due to the fact that Hailes hails from talent-rich Virginia while Jones is from New York. Despite Penn State bringing in two big time defensive tackles, Penn State is still very much in it for the big fish in Philadelphia's Sharrif Floyd. Floyd is one of the nation's elite defensive tackles as evidenced from his receiving five stars from all of the recruiting websites. Don't expect Floyd to make a college decision any time soon.

Speaking of soon, Penn State could very well have another huge recruiting weekend this coming weekend. Friday is the annual Lift for Life and many top prospects are scheduled to be there and rumored to be making a public announcement. Look for possible verbal commitments to Penn State from Michigan quarterback Robert Bolden, State College wide receiver Alex Kenney, New Jersey tight end Kevin Haplea, Manheim defensive end/outside linebacker Dakota Royer, and Connecticut outside linebacker Khairi Fortt (a truly elite prospect).

Rebuilding in 2009?

I'm at a loss for words sometimes when I read what national sports writers have to say about college football. Not all but some have pinpointed 2009 as a rebuilding season for Penn State. I know we had a good season last year and I know we don't recruit like USC, but are you kidding? To those who think Penn State takes a major step back in 2009 the only question I have for you is what drugs are you on? Let's look at the facts and break it down. Historically, Penn State is at its best when it has a team full of quality seniors and non-returning juniors. The schedule also has to be taken into consideration. I believe 2009 will be as good or better of a year for Penn State football as 2008 was. I also believe that we will be taking a step back in 2010.

I am going to list the players who will be playing their final season for each of those seasons. To do this I have to make a few assumptions. I am assuming that Navorro Bowman will leave early for the NFL Draft which is a near lock at this point. I am also assuming that Evan Royster will do the same thing. Though it is a mere toss-up at this point, I assume that with the injuries to Stephfon Green and Brent Carter, Royster will receive enough carries and gain enough yards that he will impress and be a first day pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. I am assuming that Stefen Wisniewski stays for his senior year. Wiz is going to be switching from guard to center in 2009 and I feel like he will want two seasons under his belt at center before taking that step up. I am going to assume that Chris Colasanti redshirts in 2009. Colasanti will be behind two seniors at middle linebacker in Sean Lee and Josh Hull and the staff has yet to use Colasanti's redshirt; I think it happens this season. I am also assuming that Jerome Hayes will not be granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. While I'd love to see the Bayonne Bomber back to wreak havoc off the edge, I don't see it happening as the NCAA only typically grants such a request in cases when one specific injury keeps a player out for multiple seasons which is not the situation Hayes finds himself in.

Here are the players who will be playing their final season and also the two toughest road games on the schedule for each year:

2009

Darryl Clark
Evan Royster
James McDonald
Mickey Shuler
Andrew Quarless
Dennis Landolt
Nerraw McCormack
Ako Poti
Jared Odrick
Jerome Hayes
Sean Lee
Navorro Bowman
Josh Hull
A.J. Wallace
Knowledge Timmons
Devin Fentress
Jeremy Boone

at Illinois
at Michigan State


2010

Brent Carter
Brett Brackett
Graham Zug
Stefen Wisniewski
Lou Eliades
Doug Klopacz
Abe Koroma
Ollie Ogbu
Tom McEowen
Bani Gbadyu
Cedric Jeffries

at Alabama
at Ohio State


Look at those lists. It's not even close. Just look at the bolded players names from the 2009 list. And as far as the schedules go, Illinois and Michigan State compared to Alabama and Ohio State!?! Another significant discrepancy. Penn State fans gear up because THIS year is going to be a big one. WE ARE!

O Line Recruiting

Here's the breakdown for offensive line recruiting for Penn State's 2010 class:

Seth Betancourt - when Mark Arcidiacono committed to Penn State this time last year the thinking was that it was nice but the big catch would be Arcidiacono's teammate and 2010 recruit Seth Betancourt. Whatever the reason, Betancourt never received the top offers from Penn State, Ohio State, or Notre Dame that it was assumed he would receive and without seeing any of them on the horizon Betancourt committed to Boston College. As recently as January, Betancourt was thought to be in the running for top player in the state of Pennsylvania among the 2010 kids. Though no games have been played since then, somehow his stock has plummeted. With Penn State's success recruiting offensive line in this class, it is safe to say that Betancourt will not be receiving an offer no matter how late in the game it gets.

Luke Graham - this future guard hails from outside of Pittsburgh. Graham was Penn State's first offensive line commitment for their 2010 class. Graham is an extremely athletic big man but desperately needs to put on size. While not an elite prospect, Graham has the potential to be a very good guard but Penn State fans are going to have to wait at least three years for that to happen as Graham is nowhere near ready to play college football. Pitt fans were disappointed to see Graham commit to Penn State as they thought they had a good shot at landing this prospect.

Tom Ricketts - this Pittsburgh product has the ideal size (6'6" with long arms) to play offensive tackle at the next level. Like Graham, Ricketts will not be seeing the field anytime soon at Penn State and needs to add weight, but Ricketts has the potential to really be special down the road. Pitt fans were on the ledge when they heard of his commitment to Penn State as Rickett's father, Tom Sr., played football at Pitt and later in the NFL.

Miles Dieffenbach - also hailing from Pittsburgh, Dieffenbach is more suited to play center or guard. Dieffenbach is an extremely smart football player with excellent footwork. Like Ricketts, Dieffenbach has a high ceiling and also like Ricketts, Dieffenbach also had a Florida State offer in hand when committing to the Nittany Lions. The Pitt fans who were on the ledge because of Ricketts jumped off said ledge when they heard about Dieffenbach commitment. Why? Dieffenbach's father, George, is the current and long-time women's tennis coach at Pitt. Dieffenbach has what it takes both physically and mentally to be a multi-year starter at center for Penn State.

Robby Havenstein - even though he holds an offer from Penn State, I believe this mammoth offensive tackle's ship has sailed regarding his place in the Nittany Lions 2010 class. This will be a small class with no more than 20 signees and between the three offensive line verbals from this class and the seven we took last year, we are just about done on the offensive line until the 2011 class comes around.

Arie Kouandjio - is Kouandjio better than Havenstein? Probably not, but there is a reason we would still welcome a commitment from this Maryland offensive tackle even though we are basically full on the offensive line at this point. Arie's brother Cyrus. Cyrus Kouandjio is a year behind brother Arie and plays the same position (OT) but instead of being a nice prospect like his brother, Cyrus is a future can't-miss-five-star-stud! It's only June but I will be keeping an eye on this one as it will be no doubt interesting to see how it all plays out.

Penn State Football

Lots going on with Penn State football and it's all very recent. I hope I don't forget anything.


Sean Lee and Darryl Clark were named captains for the 2009 season. Looks like we're only going to have two and they're excellent choices in my opinion. Outstanding.


The more I think about the move of the start time of the Penn State - Ohio State game the more it grinds my gears. The November 7 scheduled 8:00 pm kickoff has been moved up because of a new Big Ten rule stating that there will be no outdoor night games in November. Digging deeper I found out that their reasoning being rowdy fan behavior coupled with late season weather is too much for local law enforcement to handle at night. I say bullshit! The conference doesn't want their sweetheart Buckeyes to leave State College with another loss thus tempering enthusiasm for the annual conference game of the year: The Ohio State - Michigan Game. Wake up Big Ten, the game of the year is Penn State - Ohio State and it will continue to be Penn State - Ohio State.


Quarterback recruiting

Paul Jones - this Pittsburgh product has reaffirmed his commitment to Penn State and as of now plans on enrolling early next January. While Jones has the ability to scramble, he much prefers to do all of his damage from the pocket or throwing on the run.

Robert Bolden - this dual-threat quarterback from Michigan is still considering Penn State but does not plan on making a decision anytime soon. While not the scrambler that Barry Brunetti is (see below), he can move better than Jones. I'm hearing this one's become a Penn State - Michigan State battle.

Barry Brunetti - hailing from Tennessee, Brunetti was a relative unknown until recently. This dual-threat quarterback is a shorter Terrelle Pryor without the attitude or hype. Brunetti recently picked up offers from both Penn State, Ohio State and West Virginia. I honestly cannot remember the last time we received a commitment from a Tennesssee player, let's keep our fingers crossed because Brunetti is a good one.


Running Back recruiting

Silas Redd - this Connecticut product brings speed to the table. A solid verbal commitment to Penn State, Redd was the fourth player to commit to the 2010 class. Despite his slender physique, Redd is said to be very muscular up top. The general thought at this point is that if we bring in another running back that Redd then moves over to defense and if we don't then he won't. Whether we get another running back or not, I like Redd at corner way more than I like him at running back. Quite frankly, I don't think Redd cuts it at running back for Penn State with backs like Curtis Dukes that are most definitely going to be ahead of him on the depth chart. I see Silas Redd as a faster Lydell Sargeant. Redd is NOT as fast as current Nittany Lion running back Stephfon Green.

Marcus Lattimore - this South Carolina running back is considered by some as the nation's top running back and those who do not have him at number one certainly have him at number two. Either way, this is a national top five recruit. Lattimore has genuine interest in Penn State. If we can get him on campus for an official visit to witness gameday in Happy Valley then we have a chance. As for his running style, he's the total package. Speed, power, vision, Marcus Lattimore has it all.

Corey Brown - hailing from the same high school as redshirt freshman tight end Mark Wedderburn (Cardinal O'Hara in Sprinfield), Brown is being looked at as more of an athlete than a pure running back. Many questions surround Brown and his recruitment. It is thought that he has more interest in Ohio State than in-state power PSU. Brown is a speed back who is even smaller than Redd and even though he has good speed, Brown does not possess elite speed. Brown missed most of his junior year due to injury so how he performs his senior season will say a lot about this prospect. Brown is set to narrow down his list in the near future. I see Penn State making the cut but at this point I would be more than surprised if University Park is Corey Brown's ultimate destination.

Zach Zwinak - before Zwinak Penn State hadn't recruited a fullback to play fullback since they brought in Matt Hahn and Dan Lawlor as part of their 2004 class. Zwinak is a devastating blocker and oh boy can he run. The Mike Alstott comparisons have already started. The nation's top fullback, Zwinak has the option to play for any program willing to take a fullback in their class. Being a prospect from Maryland, Penn State could very well be the option that Zwinak selects.


Wide Receiver recruiting

Adrian Coxson - this Baltimore receiver is the real deal. Unlike most high end receivers, this kid is humble and a team first sort of guy. Coxson is plenty fast and if you watch his film you would swear you're watching Michael Crabtree rip up inferior competition. Strong hands and a strong will to win are what make Coxson special. He could improve his route running skills but that will come with time. Adrian Coxson is the player I am most excited about so far in Penn State's 2010 recruiting class.

Kyle Prater - arguably the nation's top receiver, this Illinois product has officially eliminated Penn State this week from the running for his services.

Shakim Phillips - another very good receiver, this one is from New Jersey. At this point I am under the impression that Phillips has very little interest in Penn State. I have no idea how much interest Penn State has in Phillips. I don't think Phillips is anywhere near making a decision. I think we'll hear more about Phillips regarding Penn State after the season starts.

Kenny Stills - the story with this California receiver is pretty cut and dry. Stills' dream school is USC. The general consensus regarding this recruitment is that if USC were to offer Stills then Stills would go to USC and if not then Stills would very likely go to Penn State. Last week USC offered Stills. Don't be fooled by anything you read or hear, this one's over. Kenny Stills will not pull the trigger until he absolutely has to but I'm calling it now, Stills to USC.

Alex Kenney - Kenney is State College High's biggest star since Larry Johnson. He is the definition of the word athlete as he is able to play offense, defense, or special teams at the next level. I like Kenney as a WR/RB in the Derrick Williams role. Kenney is bigger than Corey Brown and would absolutely smoke Brown on a track. Kenney is the favorite to win state titles in every track event he competes in this season as a junior. Kenney has game breaker speed and tons of offers but for some unknown reason is not getting the national media attention he deserves. Penn State is definitely in this one; in fact, I expect Kenney to stay home and be a Nittany Lion.

Basketball

People argue about who exactly is the top recruit for 2009 and how the order goes but nobody really is arguing about who are or are not at the top (the top nine are basically the top nine for the most part wherever you look). Point guard John Wall has made his decision and now it's time to break it all down. Here are the top nine players (in alphabetical order).

Avery Bradley - Texas - This shooting guard just keeps on rising up the charts. Bradley is the only one on my list that you would not have seen on this list a year ago and now is all the way up to #1 on ESPN's list. If you watch his film you have to question why he is on this list but the thing you would be missing is that highlight films do not take into account defense. He is an elite defender who can also score. One word: defense.

DeMarcus Cousins - Kentucky - This big man excels on the offensive side of the ball. He has a variety of post moves that he uses well to score the basketball. Not as athletic as Favors and not as naturally gifted as Sidney, at this point Cousins may be better than both of them. One word: balanced.

Derrick Favors - Georgia Tech - This big man is extremely athletic and can do things other big men only wish. With his speed and leaping ability he has the potential to be dominant both in college and in the pros. One word: athletic.

Jordan Hamilton - Texas - This wing is a big time scorer. Hamilton can score, and score in a variety of ways. While Bradley is the gem of Texas' incoming class, there is little doubt that Hamilton will be the Longhorns leading scorer next season. One word: versatility.

Xavier Henry - Kansas - While Henry is not the only wing on this list (Stephenson, Hamilton), he is the best wing on this list. Henry decommited from Memphis to select Kansas. I would love to ask John Calipari if it was Henry or Wall that he was hoping to build his Memphis class around before leaving for Kentucky. Henry is a left-handed Kobe Bryant who is a step slower than Kobe is. He needs to work on his handle as well. If he could learn to play a little quicker he would be absolutely unstoppable on the offensive end as he is a great finisher and also has range. One word: NBA body.

John Henson - North Carolina - This 6'10" forward prefers to play his game on the perimeter. In a couple of years if Henson can work hard in the weight room you might hear comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki. I think at this point many Carolina fans are expecting too much from Henson. One word: upside.

Renardo Sidney - Mississippi State - This big man has elite size to go along with elite talent. Unlike Cousins and Favors who stand at 6'9", Sidney is a full 6"11" and has recently filled out that frame. With more talent and natural ability than the rest of the big men on this list, Sidney's problems are all above the shoulders. Despite being an LA product, neither UCLA or USC would touch Sidney with a 10-foot pole (and that's saying a lot considering USC's blatant disregard for recruiting violations). Questions still surround this prospect's eligibility as there are tons of rumors regarding Sidney's contact with agents, etc. One word: talent.

Lance Stephenson - undecided - This Coney Island sensation makes Jesus Shuttlesworth look humble. This wing has college coaches thinking twice about whether they want him on their team or not. With Sidney it was a no-brainer no thank you but "Born Ready" is a different situation altogether. Stephenson's eligibility is not in question but his me-me-me attitude is. Despite only being 210 pounds, Born Ready's game is eerily similar to that of LeBron James. I'm hearing the only person with a bigger ego than Lance Stephenson is his father who also happens to be his personal manager. Ready to commit to Kansas a couple of months ago, Kansas head coach Bill Self told Stephenson to hold off when he heard Henry was back on the market. While I'd love to see Born Ready play college ball my guess is that he will play a year in Europe before becoming some NBA GM's headache. One word: confidence.

John Wall - Kentucky - This point guard is THE point guard of the 2009 class. Incredible speed and able to finish at the rim, Wall was the point guard every college coach was going after. While I think he is a top 2 or 3 player in the country, the hype surrounding Wall is just not warranted. People are making him out to be the top point guard coming out of high school in the last 20 years and that is simply not the case. One word: speed.


I want to give a top five for next season but I can't as I only see four teams with a legitimate shot to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. Here they are in order.

1) Kansas - Not only do the Jayhawks return their entire team intact, they bring in some more pieces as well. The only losses were two transfers who averaged less than a minute a game last season. Kansas brings in an excellent recruiting class that was big on filling needs. Highlighted by Xavier Henry, the Kansas class also includes a big-time rebounded in Thomas Robinson and a very athletic point guard in Elijah Johnson to back up Sherron Collins. Most casual fans think the strength of this Kansas squad will be in the star power of Collins, Henry, and the nation's top returning center Cole Aldrich, and it might but it might also be in the ridiculous depth the Jayhawks will boast. The Jayhawks will be so deep that Bill Self might have to consider redshirting a player.

2) Villanova - Yeah they lose Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson and Scottie Reynolds may stay in the draft but the real talent on the team remains (Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, and Reggie Redding). Add to it an elite recruiting class (four top 50 players with Dominic Cheek and Mouphtauo Yarou barely missed the top nine cut) and the best head coach in the country in Jay Wright and you have my pre-preseason #2 team in the country. I also have a feeling Scottie Reynolds changes his mind and returns.

3) Kentucky - Pat Patterson said he's coming back, and now it's time for Jodie Meeks to join him. John Calipari almost pulled the impossible by bringing in every player he wanted; the only one that got away was Xavier Henry. What Calipari did bring in was John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and four others who amount to be what the media is billing as quite possibly the greatest recruiting class ever assembled. While that most definitely is a stretch, what is not is Calipari's ability to coach and motivate. With Meeks this team will be very good from the beginning of the season. Without Meeks this team will struggle but should pull it together and be very dangerous by tournament time.

4) Texas - Yes Texas will miss seniors A.J. Abrams and Connor Atchley and yes I believe Damion James will stay in the draft but Texas is also bringing in a top recruiting class to add to the talent returning to Austin. Texas head coach Rick Barnes has been quoted as saying he believes Dexter Pittman will be a lottery pick following next season and I believe that Dogus Balbay will be the nation's most improved player and a household name by season's end. Balbay showed flashes of greatness last season and an extreme lack of consistency. Imagine a point guard version of Manu Ginobili and that is Balbay's game. While I don't think either Avery Bradley or Jordan Hamilton is a top five player they both reside on the consensus top nine list and I think they will both be impact freshmen. Joining Bradley and Hamilton in this class is another wing in 3-point specialist Shawn Williams who chose Texas over offers from powers Kentucky, Louisville, and Illinois among others.

BLUE WHITE

BLUE WHITE GAME

• As expected both Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman did not play.

• Stephfon Green and Brent Carter are still hurt so we got to see Evan Royster, Joe Suhey, Brandon Beachum and walk-on former linebacker Shaine Thompson. They all looked solid. What stood out to me is that Beachum is not fast at all. He makes Royster look like a burner which I think will stop him from ever being the feature back here.

• Both Royster and Darryl Clark looked to be in midseason form. They looked real good.

• It's difficult to judge the lines in these games because the defensive front keeps it basic. That said we are set at DT and in trouble at DE.

• Both Kevin Newsome and redshirt freshman walk-on Matt McGloin looked good. McGloin surprised me with just how good he looked. Though Newsome still isn't the most accurate guy he looked absolutely DYNAMIC. Newsome makes Clark look like a statue and we all know he is not. If the staff picked Clark over Devlin I now can definitely see them picking Newsome over Jones for 2010 as Newsome is by far the better athlete.

• Speaking of Paul Jones, he was there and reaffirmed his commitment to Penn State. He's now back to being a solid verbal.

• WR Derek Moye looked outstanding. I think he's ready to step up and be our #1 receiver THIS season.

• They threw to the tight ends a lot, especially Quarless. I'm going to hold off for now on my criticisms regarding these developments.

• We are absolutely loaded at both linebacker and DT.

• Jon Ditto surprisingly looked good at LB after spending his whole career at TE.

• Michael Zordich looked good at LB and I believe led the team in tackes for the game after spending last year playing fullback on the scout team.

• Another redshirt freshman LB, Mike Yancich, looked like an absolute bullet out there. He could be faster than even Bowman.

• I never thought I'd say this but Josh Hull looked real good. Hull looked aggressive and very strong. I want to say Maualuga-like but that may be pushing it.

• Gerald Hodges looked absolutely amazing. Despite currently running third team I expect him to start alongside Drew Astorino at safety this year. He's a headhunter with a fast, aggressive game.

• We are absolutely in trouble at cornerback. A. J. Wallace looked horrible. Knowledge Timmons looked good but he can't seem to keep his mouth shut. I've never seen anyone jaw like he does. D'Anton Lynn also looked ho-hum.

• The only question is what is worse our situation at corner or at DE? It's a toss up. It wasn't enough to lose Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans, and Josh Gaines, Eric Latimore has had shoulder issues all spring (and the previous two years), and during the Blue White game redshirt freshman DE Pete Massaro tore his ACL. Time to move both Mark Wedderburn from TE and Nate Stupar from LB to DE. Jared Odrick played DE in the Blue White game but that is not the solution in my opinion even though I think the coaching staff might see it as being the solution.

• Overall, the team looked very sloppy. This looked like the second practice of the spring, not the 15th. We have the talent, we just need to have a real good summer and a real good fall. It's nice that we have those cupcakes to start the year, our offensive line and pass defense will need the work.

• We typically pass a lot more in the Blue White game than run the ball and this year was no exception. The passing game looked good no matter who was at quarterback. I think that is more of a reflection of our piss poor pass defense. If I was an opposing coach playing Penn State in 2009 I literally would not run the ball at all.

Nobody can argue that the 2008 Big Ten Champion Nittany Lions were as exciting to watch as the 2005 Big Ten Champion Nittany Lions were. We are not as balanced and we may or may not be as good as we were last season but there is no doubt in my mind that we will be more exciting to watch. Expect a lot of high fives and also plenty of screaming at the TV this season. Despite the pathetic schedule, it should be a rollercoaster ride.



In addition to securing Jones' verbal, Penn State picked up it's third commit for this class in Baltimore wide receiver Adrian Coxson. Coxson selected Penn State over offers from Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Pitt among numerous others.



I have something for all of you to make up for me being late putting up my thoughts on the game. Two quick clips that you will be glad you watched. Watch the first one then immediately watch the second one. Enjoy.
First clip.
Second clip.

A Few Updates

Chaz Powell has a rolled ankle, not great but he should be fine when the season starts.

Josh Hull in a conference call today said he fully expects to start this season but he's not sure at which linebacker spot. Hull also claimed that he was one of the best three linebackers on the team. Sorry Josh, you're not.

Speaking of linebackers better than Josh Hull, Navorro Bowman went to court today to find out the repercussions of his violating of his probation. Bowman was placed on another year of probation and if he fails a urine test or even enters a bar within that year he will go straight to jail for six months. It looks like there will be no major suspension. We need Bowman, this is good news, it could have been a lot worse.

With Paul Jones on the fence between Pitt and Penn State and Devin Gardner choosing Michigan, Penn State has been all over dual-threat QB Robert Bolden also from Michigan. Both Bolden and Jones were on campus this past weekend. Penn State wants both and the way it's looking right now, that might not necessarily be 100% out of the question.

Switching to the saga that is basketball recruiting, it looks like Xavier Henry is about ready to make a decision. I am hearing that Henry, who in my mind is a left-handed Kobe Bryant on film, will be selecting the Kansas Jayhawks tomorrow. Accompanying him will be his older brother C.J. How I understand it is that despite transferring, C.J. Henry would be immediately eligible due to the fact that he is not on scholarship. (The New York Yankees are paying his tuition.) Henry to Kansas plus Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich not going pro early means that Born Ready will in all likelihood not be a Jayhawk. Look for Born Ready to either decide between his other two finalists, St. John's and Maryland, or open his recruitment back up. After Henry makes it official and Stephenson (Born Ready) decides what he wants to do, John Wall will be the last of the remaining elite prospects yet to decide on a destination.

A Couple Quick Notes

Paul Jones says he remains committed to Penn State even though he really isn't. It will be Pitt or Penn State for PJ. The best thing that could have possibly happened did, he went to the Pitt spring game and was one of 6000 people there. There should be over ten times that many in attendance for the Blue White game including PJ himself. It looks like this one is turning back in our favor but when the hometown team is involved you just never know.

Now for the bad news:

This year's Penn State - Ohio State clash at Beaver Stadium will no longer be a night game. Last week the Big Ten came up with a new rule stating that there will be no more night games in November unless they're played in a dome. There goes our advantage. Yes we should have a better offense than Ohio State, yes we should have a better defense than Ohio State, but Ohio State has a far superior head coach than Penn State does and without the energy that comes with a night game we might lose this one.

Chaz Powell has injured his ankle. Powell comes into the season as arguably our best wide receiver.

A.J. Wallace has injured his hamstring. Wallace comes into the season as arguably the best player in our entire secondary and easily the one with the most experience.

It's still early but from what I'm hearing Gerald Hodges is just not making the progress that I had expected from him. Hodges beating out Andrew Dailey for a starting spot entering Big Ten play looks like a long shot at best at this point.

It looks like our secondary could really be in trouble which further adds to my thought that Tom Bradley is overrated as a coach and I do NOT want him to succeed Joe Paterno as our next head coach. We have the best defensive line coach in the country, the best linebacker coach in the country, but our secondary continues to suffer. It was trash last year with four senior starters and as much as it pains me to say it, it may be even worse this year. Add to that we lose Maybin, Evans, and Gaines at DE and our secondary will be giving up yards in bunches this year. At what point do we point the finger at the architect of our defense, the defensive coordinator?

Basketball recruiting update

John Wall is still undecided. I'm calling this one to be between North Carolina, Duke, Baylor, and Kentucky. This should go down to signing day.

I'm hearing that Kansas head coach Bill Self is asking Lance Stephenson, aka Born Ready, to hold off on committing to Kansas because Self is waiting to see what Xavier Henry does. Xavier Henry, who already turned Kansas down to commit to Memphis, recently announced that he will be making his decision in about three weeks from now. Henry wants to play college ball with his older brother, C.J. who is currently on the Memphis basketball team. Self's move of telling Stephenson to wait could ultimately backfire if Henry chooses to go elsewhere and Stephenson feels slighted and chooses to go elsewhere as well. Henry has gone back on what he said two weeks ago and now has a final three of Kansas, Kentucky, and Memphis. Based on what they've been saying, it is a must that both Henry's go to the same school.

If you're interested in learning more about Born Ready you can check out his controversial website. If you look at his website it is almost unfathomable to believe that someone like Born Ready could wait a month for Henry to decide and if Henry does not select Kansas to stay with his intent on going there. I hope Self knows what he's doing.

Recruting updates

It's now looking like I may have been wrong when I said that barring injury, Kevin Newsome will not start a game at Penn State as Paul Jones has decided to look around. Penn State fans, enjoy holding your breath for the next ten months.

We all know that Penn State won the NIT, but what did they get for winning? How about landing the biggest recruit in Penn State men's basketball history. Guard Taran Buie, half brother of Nittany Lion star Talor Battle, became Penn State's first commitment for their 2010 class after watching the NIT tournament conclude at Madison Square Garden. Buie selected Penn State over Georgia Tech, Maryland, Notre Dame, and Syracuse, among many other offers.

The big story:

This is sort of complex but it's ultra interesting; this is the continuing saga over this year's top basketball players. If you looked at Rivals.com's top basketball prospects in the country for 2009 last week you would have seen that their #2 player, forward DeMarcus Cousins, and their #3 player, wing Xavier Henry were both committed to Memphis. And at the time, their #1 player, point guard John Wall, was known to be a heavy Memphis lean as well. When John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky everything changed. Wall is undecided, Henry is undecided, and Cousins is now leaning hard towards joining Calipari at Kentucky.

I would be shocked if DeMarcus Cousins didn't go to Kentucky; everything else is up in the air. I also heard today that North Carolina, who previously had claimed to want nothing to do with John Wall due to Wall's character, has thrown their hat into the ring. Wall is a lightning-fast point guard who can finish at the rim. Wall is definitely in play at this point which I would believe gives the four teams playing this weekend an advantage.

Cousins and Wall are nice players, but my focus is on Xavier Henry and what he decides. The fact that Rivals.com does not have him ranked as their #1 prospect is a complete joke. Xavier Henry IS Kobe Bryant; on the court, at least. I'm not going to lie, I have a horse in this race as well. Henry will either follow Coach Cal to Kentucky or play for his #2 choice when he had initially selected Memphis, my Kansas Jayhawks. Henry has already stated the he will not stick wih his commitment to Memphis, even though the biggest factor in choosing Memphis was his desire to play college ball with his brother, C.J. I'm going on record right now saying that I believe that Xavier Henry will be a Kansas Jayhawk and also that Xavier Henry will be the #1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

With Henry, the nation's top wing, reconsidering Kansas, what does this do for Brooklyn's Lance Stephenson, the nation's consensus #2 wing. Stephenson, known to most as "Born Ready", has a game similar to that of LeBron James. This past Tuesday, Lance Stephenson was supposed to decide between Kansas, St. John's, and Maryland but instead decided to postpone his decision. Stephenson postponed his decision to tomorrow. Stay tuned folks, this is starting to get good.

A Couple Updates

• Looks like Sean Lee is still outside with Michael Mauti and Josh Hull battling for the starting spot in the middle. This is potentially good and devastating news at the same time. If the staff starts Hull over Mauti this could be devastating as this type of decision is the difference between a 10-2 season in 2009 and a 12-0 one. Let's be positive and say Mauti starts, this is a good move because now they won't have to move Mauti in 2010. Assuming Bowman goes pro early, in 2010 Mauti stays in the middle and will be flanked by Nate Stupar and either Mike Yancich or Bani Gbadyu, not bad. The biggest loser in all of this is Chris Colasanti. Even if Colasanti redshirts he will be the same year as Mauti, the guy he's backing up. It might be time to try Colasanti at defensive end. I actually think that would be an outstanding move.
  

• Jerome Hayes is still hurt so Kevion Latham is currently running first team at end. Nick Sukay moved back to safety and is running second team with Andrew Daily ahead of him and Gerald Hodges in the #3 spot. Other than that, my prespring two-deep was pretty spot on to what practice observers have reported this week.

• The drama never ends in Ann Arbor, who I hear is a whore. Just heard that back-up quarterback Nick Sheridan broke his leg. Tate Forcier, not only are you the future, the starter for 2009, but you are also the only scholarship quarterback on your squad. You might not have to worry about losing your starting spot, but with your slight build and pourous line protecting you, you will have to worry about internal bleeding. Fall can't come soon enough.
  

Mailbag!

I got some good questions and now it's time for my first mailbag. Don't hesitate to send me questions so we can do this more often. Let's begin.

SickOLBs,
I love your blog! I have two questions. Jack Crawford starting? Really? Also, you forgot Colasanti on your two-deep.
Joe from Mechanicsburg

Joe,

Jack Crawford? Oh yeah! With Maybin and Evans leaving early we're a bit thin at DEnd and with Jerome Hayes still not fully recovered from his torn ACL, Crawford is heading into spring as our top DEnd. The staff knew Evans wouldn't be coming back and I'm sure they had a feeling that with enough playing time Maybin might leave early as well which makes their decision to play Crawford early and often last season a huge plus. As far as Chris Colasanti, I see Colasanti redshirting this year. Colasanti, a true junior, played mostly just special teams his first two years and with Lee shifting over to middle linebaker this is almost a no-brainer. Sean Lee and Josh Hull, both seniors, man the top two rungs at middle on the depth chart and Colasanti redshirts with two seasons remaining to be a significant contributor.

SickOLBs,
Huge fan. Who's rocking #24 next season?
Paul from Mechanicsburg

Paul,

No one. Hope some stud freshman coming in takes it, maybe a wide receiver who hopes to play this year. If not just go ahead and redshirt your Norwood jersey and pull it back out in 2010; I have a strong feeling our jerseys will not change too much between now and then.

SickOLBs,
You're the next big thing in my part of the country. Can you break down the running back situation for us for this year?
Frank from Phoenix

Frank,

Phoenix, wow, I've never even been there. Someone in your town needs to tell Shaq to close his mouth. I see Royster one, Green two, and Carter three. Brandon Beachum has a redshirt available but I don't think he will redshirt this season and I have three reasons why. This is not a video game. Also, all three of our running backs ahead of Beachum got hurt last season. Plus, believe it or not we have an even weaker schedule this season than last and there will be plenty of fourth quarter blowout carries for Beachum. For those who think that Beachum will overtake redshirt junior Brent Carter on the depth chart I think you're nuts. I think Carter is the best third string running back we've had in some time here. This situation used to be a commonality in the 90s for Penn State. Believe me, Brent Carter would start for a handful of Big Ten teams. In general, I would really like to see Penn State run the ball more this year and specifically I'd like to see Carter and the rest of the running backs get more carries. I'd like to see the half dozen designed runs for Derrick Williams to go to Brent Carter. We have three very good running backs all with different styles and I want to see us take advantage of that and run the ball.

As for fullback, Michael Zordich was listed as a linebacker on the official prespring roster but I think he's going to be our fullback moving forward. Either that or we won't have one. I don't think Joe Suhey will slide over and try to grab the fullback job, I see him doing what he did last year and that is playing the role of a third down back in the fourth quarter of blowouts. Suhey can block and catch but he just doesn't have the talent to take away playing time from any of our big three. Keep in mind he was only a redshirt freshman last season so when our big three move on I'm sure Suhey will be part of the gameplan at running back alongside Beachum and incoming freshman Curtis Dukes.

Mid-March two-deep + tidbits

I had a request for how I thought the depth chart looks right now. Let's take a look at it:

QB: Daryll Clark Sr(RS), Kevin Newsome Fr

RB: Evan Royster Jr(RS), Stephfon Green So(RS), Brent Carter Jr(RS)

FB: Michael Zordich Fr(RS)

WR: Brett Brackett Jr(RS), James McDonald Sr(RS), Shawney Kersey Fr

WR: Chaz Powell So(RS), Curtis Drake Fr, Devon Smith Fr

WR: Derek Moye S0(RS), Graham Zug Jr(RS), Justin Brown Fr

TE: Mickey Shuler Sr(RS), Andrew Quarless Sr

LT: DeOn'tae Pannell So, Nerraw McCormack Sr(RS)

LG: Johnnie Troutman So(RS), Matt Stankiewitch Fr(RS)

C: Stefen Wisniewski Jr, Doug Klopacz Jr(RS)

RG: Lou Eliades Jr(RS), J.B. Walton S0(RS)

RT: Dennis Landolt Sr(RS), Eric Shrive Fr

Rush End: Jerome Hayes Sr(RS), ****

DT: Jared Odrick Sr, Devon Still So(RS)

DT: Abe Koroma Jr(RS), Ollie Ogbu Jr(RS)

DE: Jack Crawford S0, Eric Latimore So(RS)

Sam: Michael Mauti So, Nate Stupar S0(RS)

Mike: Sean Lee Sr(RS), Josh Hull Sr(RS)

Fritz: Navorro Bowman Jr(RS), Bani Gbadyu Jr(RS)

CB: A.J. Wallace Sr, Knowledge Timmons Sr(RS)

CB: D'Anton Lynn S0, Darrell Givens Fr

FS: Gerald Hodges Fr, Andrew Dailey So(RS)

Hero: Drew Astorino So(RS), Cedric Jeffries Jr(RS)

****with Maybin and Evans both off early to the NFL we have a bit of a void at DE. There are numerous options at this spot and I suspect the coaching staff goes with one of the options but does not make that decision for a while yet. Best possible options:

1) Move Nate Stupar to rush end to back up Hayes and get some PT. Assuming Mauti starts, Stupar is the next player that needs to see the field. This move would also allow Fr(RS) Mike Yancich to crack the two-deep.

2) Move Fr(RS) TE Mark Wedderburn to DE. Not only is Wedderburn behind both Shuler and Quarless on the DC, he's also behind So(RS) Andrew Szczerba.

Looking at our depth chart on paper it is easy to see why I am so excited for the upcoming season. I believe we are going to be better in 2009 than we were in 2008.


Tidbits:

• You can go ahead and add California and North Carolina to the states that Penn State actively recruits for football. The list how I have it alphabetically:

California
Connecticut
Delaware
Maryland
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Virginia

• The funniest thing that most Penn State fans aren't aware of is the fact that Penn State rarely recruits against other Big Ten schools. While it's true that with Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, we do recruit more head-to-head against Michigan than in years past, other than Michigan we recruit very little against the rest of the conference. We battle Illinois over D.C. prospects and typically throw our hat into the ring for the best player in Illinois every couple of years. For example, we did go after Juice Williams for the 2006 class and we have thrown our hat in the ring for 2010 elite WR prospect Kyle Prater. Outside of Youngstown, Ohio State owns Ohio and takes what they want from the cream of the crop in Pittsburgh. We've also been known to go head-to-head with Ohio State over top talent in Maryland. For example, Ohio State fans were in meltdown mode a couple years ago when Navorro Bowman selected Penn State over the Buckeyes.

• Speaking of Michigan recruiting, the saga continues regarding their quarterback position and quarterback recruiting. Let's review: Newsome and Beaver commit early to Michigan. Michigan has a horrible season highlighed but inconsistent, poor quarterback play. Tate Forcier commits to Michigan. Newsome drops Michigan in favor of Penn State, Beaver drops Michigan in favor of Tulsa. Rodriguez is unable to bring in a second quarterback. Steven Threet, by far the better of Michigan's quarterbacks from 2008, transfers. Michigan is left with Nick Sheridan, a horrible, horrible quarterback and Tate Forcier, an early-enrollee true freshman with the expectations of program savior on his shoulders. Last week's problem is that these expectations are on weak shoulders. Forcier is currently at Michigan at 6' even and a rail-thin 178 lbs; that's not going to cut it in the Big Ten. This week's problem, 2010 high school star QB Devin Gardner committed to Michigan. Let me get this straight, Tate Forcier is the program's savior...until Gardner arrives next season? Here are two predictions, Gardner will change his mind at some point and not follow through with his committment to Michigan just like the two quarterbacks who committed early to the Wolverines did last year. Also, Forcier will not make it through the season without injury, especially not behind that joke of an offensive line.
  

Number Changes

The football roster was recently updated. Here are the number changes:

2 Chaz Powell
3 Brandon Beachum
7 Cedric Jeffries
10 Nick Sukay
11 Navorro Bowman
13 Mark Wedderburn
48 Chris Colasanti
50 DeOn'tae Pannell

Here are the numbers of the four freshmen who are already on campus:

6 Gerald Hodges
12 Kevin Newsome
29 Anthony Fera
53 Ty Howle

Comments:

Yes, Chaz Powell is wearing Derrick Williams' #2.
Yes, Lavorro Bowman is wearing LaVar Arrington's #11.
Yes, Kevin Newsome is wearing Michael Robinson's #12.
I'm loving this!

Nonsense update

There's really nothing going on right now. Deon Butler ran a 4.38 40 at the combine but I'm sure you all know that already.

The Tyson Chandler trade that I was complaining about got rescinded. Chandler failed his physical and he was welcomed back by New Orleans with open arms.

A couple quick links

Talk about holding a grudge.
I enjoyed this very much.

I applaud Kansas State coach Frank Martin.
I actually watched the entire game (I'm a diehard Jayhawks hoops fan) and Martin's action was definitely warranted.

A couple updates

I was right about Threet transferring from Michigan; it's official, he's gone. Michigan has no viable back-up quarterback and their starter is an undersized true freshman. Get used to "we're one year and one player away" being their annual battle cry.

Speaking of quarterbacks, we ARE going after Devin Gardner, the stud QB from Michigan. If we were to land both Paul Jones and Devin Gardner in the same class, we would be the envy of EVERY SINGLE D1-A football program in the country. Gardner is more of your classic dual-threat type quarterback. He's not quite the passer that Jones is but he's more mobile. This is the best quarterback prospect to come out of the state of Michigan in decades. Gardner has already eliminated Ohio State and Michigan fans are calling him the must get of this year's class and are already saying Forcier who? in hopes of landing Gardner. I definitely think we have a shot but if I had to call it today I'd call it for Michigan State. He's the type of player that could put them back into Big Ten title contention immediately.


I am a big NBA fan and tomorrow (Thursday) is the NBA trade deadline. A couple of days ago the New Orleans Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler basically to dump his salary for next season. This is the worst trade I have seen in some time. They did get two forwards, Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith, in the deal but it is still a very bad trade. New Orleans essentially just took themselves out of being a serious playoff contender. Horrible move. The New Orleans players don't understand it and neither do I.

Apparently just a few hours ago Sacramento sent Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago for Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni. This one's not as bad as what the Hornets did but again, Chicago, what are you doing? All four are recognizable NBA names but I feel as though Nocioni is the best player in this bunch and this is a real questionable move.

Here's hoping my Sixers find a way to get Amar'e Stoudemire. We'll find out tomorrow.

The return of JokePa

Right now Joe Paterno is in Puerto Rico for the annual Nike event. He justifies a trip like this by saying it's part of his job. OK JokePa, visiting recruits isn't part of your job? I don't care what the justification, there is no excuse that JokePa can go to Puerto Rico for any reason at all but can't go to Maryland to visit Jelani Jenkins. The man is a joke and he doesn't take his job seriously. And no, being sad in the press conference after your team got throttled by USC doesn't count as taking your job seriously. I hate to bring up the Rose Bowl but I still have one lingering question: how do you go into a game as confident as Paterno appeared and then lay an egg like you did?

This got me thinking, if it were up to me how would I restructure the staff? I would interview Ron Vanderlinden and Larry Johnson Sr. for the head coaching job and promote the "winner" to head coach and the "loser" to defensive coordinator. Vanderlinden is the current linebackers coach and LJ Sr. the current defensive line coach. Those two units have literally carried our team over the past few seasons. What about Tom Bradley? What about him? Bradley is the architect of our infamous bend-but-don't-break defense that is going to make Mark Sanchez millions in the pros. He's also the guy that started Josh Hull in all thirteen games in 2009. While many point to Bradley as being the top recruiter on our staff, he simply is not. Bradley brings in talent from Pittsburgh but he doesn't do it every year. LJ Sr., on the other hand, brings in more talent than Bradley and brings it in on a more consistent basis. While Bradley is a good coach I don't consider him on the elite level of the two aforementioned defensive coaches.

I'm a big fan of running the ball and then when we throw we throw deep, often off of play-action. I would hire former Minnesota head coach Glen Mason as our offensive coordinator. None of this one guy picks run or pass then one guys calls the pass plays and a different guy calls the run plays nonsense. Mason would be a traditional offensive coordinator meaning he has full control. This is the guy who ran over everybody with Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney. This would be the perfect offense to complement our traditionally stout defense. Also, believe it or not, this would help with our WR recruiting. We currently cannot land the stud WR because we spread the wealth too much in the passing game. Going to the style of offense Mason runs, we would have a distinct #1, #2, and #3 and our #1 should finish each season with numbers that tower those that our departing big three have been putting up.

Tidbits:

• RS freshman walk-on quarterback Matt McGloin from Scraton seems to be really impressing the staff. There's a rumor going around that we will not be taking another quarterback in our next class (2010) in addition to Paul Jones because of the progress McGloin has made. Also Kevin Newsome may not be the lock to be #2 on the depth chart once the season begins that many thought he was. In both instances, time will tell. My take? I still think Newsome ascends to the #2 spot by September but I can see the staff holding back on going after another QB due to McGloin's progress. We never err on the side of caution, especially with quarterback recruiting and I can see us making another bad call along those lines.

• Also hearing a rumor that Michigan quarterbacker Steven Threet will be transferring, again. Threet enrolled early at Georgia Tech, transferred to Michigan, sat out the first year (esentially a redshirt year), then played last year as a RS freshman. Threet was head-and-shoulders the best QB on the roster last season but he is not thrilled about Rich Rod presumably annointing true freshman Tate Forcier the starter without having a competition first. Threet was never going to start in 2009 but this essentially would still be a huge and I mean HUGE loss for Michigan. With such a poor offensive line unit returning, I doubt the 5'11" 180 lb Forcier can make it through the season without injury. Threet would without a doubt be Michigan's #2 if he stays. If Threet leaves, Forcier's back-up will be Shav'd Beaver? Nope, Beaver decommited and signed with Tulsa instead. Kevin Newsome? Like Beaver, Newsome changed his mind regarding Michigan and is now a Nittany Lion. Nick Sheridan? You got it, arguably the worst quarterback to start a game last season in D1-A. I'm not gonna lie, I am enjoying this. Oh, and for those saying Threet won't transfer a second time and sit out a year again, keep in mind, due to his very early transfer from Georgia Tech, if he goes he'll still have two seasons to play at school three even if he sits out a year. Did I mention I'm enjoying this?
  

A few tidbits

• Brandon Felder, one of the WRs in Penn State's incoming class is going to take a greyshirt. Felder missed his senior season after he tore up his knee and will be waiting until January to enroll at Penn State. His scholarship will count towards next year's class and not affect our 85-man scholarship limit for the 2009 season. Felder was going to redshirt this year had he not greyshirted. This one will be interesting to watch because typically Nittany Lions who greyshirt greyshirt and then redshirt, essentially finishing their careers six years after they leave high school. This would place two years separation between him and the WR's in this class who see the field immediately. The only Penn State Nittany Lion to greyshirt and not redshirt in recent memory was Jordan Norwood who goes down in my book as a real warrior.

• Alshon Jeffery, a big smooth wide receiver switched from USC to USC on signing day. Jeffery will be playing his college ball at South Carolina instead of for Pete Carroll in sunny California. The reason? Jeffery was looking for a promise to wear jersey #2. Pete Carroll made no such promise, Steve Spurrior did. In case you were wondering, #2 is currently retired at South Carolina and judging from the quotes coming from Sterling Sharpe, the man who had his "guts ripped out" because of this, he is not happy. Spurrior brought in some nice talent with this haul; regardless, I see this being his last season in Columbia.

• Bryce Brown, the nation's #1 running back still hasn't signed his letter of intent. Signing Day is offically the first day a prospect can sign, it's just tradition that everyone does. The Miami "soft" verbal said he was going to wait until a week after signing day to sign because he was going to be on a week-long family vacation. Earlier this week I was hearing he was going to take a visit to Tennessee then decide in March. Word coming out of the Brown camp now is that if the Canadians can get their money right and make a legit offer that Brown is going to "do the right thing" and skip college and play in the CFL. And yes, this is the same Bryce Brown that tried to set up a website telling people where he was going to go for the reasonable price of $9.95. All of this nonsense is coming from Brown's mentor, Brian Butler, who is basically his manager at this point. This clown did the same for Brown's brother who is currently a linebacker at Miami. The stated reason for having such a relationship is so that nobody takes advantage of the kid. Sir, YOU are taking advantage of the kid. You're going to steer him to skip a free education so you can get a slice of a CFL contract? You are scum Brian Butler, period.

• I know the three Heisman finalists from last year are all coming back but I have my eye on two Pac 10 running backs who could join them in New York, not looking great at the moment though. Jahvid Best, running back from Cal, will miss spring practice after having surgery. Best is an explosive running back that is very very similar to our own Stephfon Green; Best is probably a step or two faster though. LeGarrette Blount, possibly the funnest player to watch in all of college football was my gun to the head pick to win the 2009 Heisman last week. Blount is an enormous running back with speed that likes to jump over defenders while wearing his Oregon Duck uniform. Blount is currently suspended for reportedly violating a slew of team rules. I was actually surprised to see that Blount did not leave early for the NFL draft. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

A few tidbits

• I saw Gerald Hodges on campus yesterday. I wanted to get a good look so I could describe him to my blog followers. He did not appreciate me staring at him. Hodges is a legit 6'3" and jacked up top. I hear the biggest issue with Hodges at this point is endurance and I believe it because he has some real skinny legs. It's all good though because he's already on campus and the season doesn't start for another seven months.

• Lots of people asking me how with Clark being a senior in '09 I can say that, barring injury, I don't expect Kevin Newsome to start a game at Penn State. The answer to that question is Paul Jones. Jones, a quarterback from McKees Rocks, is a high school junior who has already committed to play for Penn State. Jones is the second verbal commitment in Penn State's 2010 class. Jones, who will also be enrolling early, is Daunte Culpepper on film. Who was our first commit for 2010? Canonsburg linebacker Mike Hull. Hull is widely regarded as the best linebacker in the state going into next season just as Jones holds that distinction at the quarterback position.

• Penn State recently released their official list regarding their 2009 football recruiting class. They have Garry Gilliam listed as a DE so I guess I was wrong there. They have Sean Stanley as a DL which could mean either DE or DT. They have both Derrick Thomas and Curtis Drake listed as an ATH. I think it would be a real shame if they didn't utilize Drake's talents on offense; he was ultra-productive on the offensive side of the ball in high school. And I'm happy to report that I was right about Gerald Hodges playing safety and not linebacker as they have him listed as a DB.
  

Player by player breakdown pt. 2

Alright, and on to the defense.


Defensive End

Sean Stanley

from: Maryland
stars: 3/3/4
Both sites had Stanley listed as a four star DE then they both changed him to a three star DT. He does have a big frame but I think he stays at end. I would say Stanley is a less athletic version of Maurice Evans certainly without the dominating first step but hopefully with a better head on his shoulders.
expectations: I thought Stanley would be a certain redshirt but with the departures of three DE's that may not be the case. Look for a defensive end depth chart breakdown blog post sooner than later.


Defensive Tackle

Jordan Hill

from: Steelton
stars: 3/2/3
Another Rutgers decommit, this extremely athletic DT jumped on board when Penn State extended an offer in the 11th hour. Weak high school competition and a recent move to DT stopped Hill from garnering the attention nationwide he may have deserved. It might not look like it on paper but this is a big get for Penn State right here.
expectations: Hill's going to need to redshirt and get bigger. I expect Hill to take advantage of a wide open depth chart when Karoma and Ogbu graduate two years from now.


Linebacker

Glenn Carson

from: New Jersey
stars: 4/4/4
The next great linebacker for Linebacker U. In the mold of Posluszny, Connor, and Lee.
expectations: I would have to assume Carson will redshirt, but then again I had assumed Chris Colasanti would have redshirted as well two years ago. If Michael Mauti doesn't move inside at some point then I would think Carson could start in 2010. Either way, I expect Glenn Carson to be a multi-year starter at middle linebacker at Penn State.


Cornerback

Darrell Givens

from: Maryland
stars: 4/4/4
Givens was an outstanding high school cornerback with some size. Givens doesn't have the ideal corner speed like a Justin King or a Darrell Revis but he's certainly faster than Alan Zemaitis and Zemaitis had an outstanding career here. I would consider Givens a boarderline five star prospect; his four stars are a lot different than Newsome or Stanley's four stars. Elite 4.3 cornerback speed is the only thing this guy is missing.
expectations: I expect Givens to either start at corner or at nickelback this year, probably the latter at least in the early going.

Stephon Morris

from: Maryland
stars: 3/3/3
They say if he wasn't 5'9" he'd have that fourth star. OK, well regardless if he was I'd still like Givens more. A good corner who has no chance against receivers with size.
expectations: I expect Morris to redshirt then be in the mix for playing time in 2010. He's a good player and I expect him to start at least one game in his career.

Michael Wallace

from: Maryland
stars: 2/2/2
Another 5'9" corner. Wallace is Jelani Jenkins' BFF and that is the only reason he was offered a scholarship. Would have been worth it had Jenkins chose Penn State, something he did not.
expectations: We have a dozen walk-ons on the roster who have a better shot at seeing the field. Sadly, this is only one of about a half dozen questionable offers in this class.


Safety

Gerald Hodges

from: New Jersey
stars: 4/4/5
The first of the Rutgers decommits and the last of our four early enrollees on our list. Both sites have Hodges as a four star linebacker, I have him as a five star safety. He's a bad man and he's going to play safety. I've heard Hodges compared to Taylor Mays, OK not quite but physically he is now ready for the college game and possibly the NFL.
expectations: I expect Gerald Hodges to be our starting strong safety game one of this year and from here on out. Period.

Stephen Obeng-Agyapong

from: New York (Bronx)
stars: 3/3/3
Another virtual unknown commodity, SOA hails from the same high school as current Nittany Lion Stephfon Green. He's undersized and needs to put on weight before he sees the field. No idea why the early offer but I'm going to go out on a limb here and trust the staff, I mean, they had to have seen something they liked out of SOA when they were recruiting Green, right?
expectations: With Astorino and Hodges at safety for the foreseeable future, I don't see SOA seeing meaningful reps anytime soon. I fully expect him to redshirt.

Malcolm Willis

from: Maryland
stars: 3/3/3
Definitely a known commodity as he plays in the Maryland hotbed of football. No other reported offers and yet committed in April. These questionable early offers have got to stop if we want to ever beat a team like USC. Willis earned his third star from me by showing on film that he's a strong, aggressive, powerful football player. If Willis never plays a down in college he would have still done his part as I got him as Penn State's #2 recruiter this year just below LJ Sr. Without Willis, Darrell Givens would be an Ohio State Buckeye.
expectations: Assuming there's depth behind Hodges at strong safety (Cedric Jeffries come on down), I expect Willis to redshirt. I expect Willis to be Hodges' backup but then take advantage of that fifth year and become a starter.


Athlete

Derrick Thomas

from: Maryland
stars: 3/4/3
I call him an athlete because I don't know what position he's going to play at Penn State. Thomas claims the staff told him he's going to start his career at WR then move to corner. Thomas is also from the same high school as classmate Stephon Morris and departing Lion Derrick Williams. Thomas' mom didn't want him to go to Penn State because of that ESPN Outside the Lines Nightly witch hunt. He was a soft verbal for so long that quite frankly, I lost interest. I hear he's an electric athlete that could play WR, CB, or safety. Whatever, we'll see.
expectations: I have no idea what he's going to do this season and it's not because I don't care it's because nobody knows. Gun to my head guess is Thomas will play as a true freshman and play both wideout and corner and see very little playing time at both positions. By the sheer numbers of the WR's in this class it is almost obvious that Thomas will be playing CB after this season and that is what I expect.


If you have any player by player breakdown related questions or have any questions in general, I will be starting a mailbag sooner than later. Feel free to email me questions at der164@psu.edu