QB's that got away
by QBsneak12 on Jul 6, 2009 3:25 PM EDT
56 comments
5) Dan Kendra - Bethlehem Catholic: Kendra was the end all be all of QB recruits. Was rated #1 QB recruit by many "experts". After redshirting, Kendra was a backup QB for 2 seasons. After blowing out his ACL, he was switched to fullback. Many remember that Kenrda gave his verbal to JoePa only to turn around and switch. Kendra didn't even have the balls to call PSU and tell them himself about the switch...his dad called Ganter for him.
"Everybody can say what they want about how terrible it was that he changed his mind," says the elder Kendra. "We don't care. Where Dan goes to college doesn't affect the Penn State fan for the rest of his life. But it does affect Dan. He's the only one who matters." Thanks for going to FSU Dan.
4) Jeff Smoker - Manheim Central: Smoker was a HS All-America and rated #3 QB in his class. PSU really wanted Smoker. When it came down to it, JoePa said he was going to take 2 QBs that year...whoever except the offers first would get the spots. Zach Mills and Zac Wasserman (was also a top 5 QB from Cali) both jumped at the chance to play for Paterno. Smoker waited and selected Michigan State. After a brilliant start to his career, Jeff battled substance abuse and never full realized his potential. He Bounced around both the NFL and AFL.
3) Ron Powlus - Berwick High School: #1 rated HS QB in the Country. Everyone wanted a piece of the Pennsylvania golden boy. Ron choose to take his talents to Notre Dame where he went on to win 3 Heisman Trophy's. Powlus was the can't miss prospect with all the tools to succeed. He was predicted to become a legend...and fell WAY short.
2) Chad Henne- Wilson West Lawn: Henne was a top 3 QB coming out of Wilson, the same HS that produced PSU great Kerry Collins. PA Gatorade Player of the Year. Everyone thought Henne was a lock for PSU, but a change of heart had Henne heading to Michigan. All was not lost...PSU was able to land the number 4 rated QB from Pittsburgh, PA...Henne went on to have a solid career at Michigan and although he was 1-3 in bowl games; Chad proved to be the better of the two Pennsylvania QBs from 2004. Henne was a 2nd round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins and is getting ready to take over the team in 2010.
via drunkathlete.com
1) Terrelle Pryor- Jeannette High School: Pryor was the end all be all for PSU. USA Today Player of the Year. Number 1 rated QB. Army All-American. Pryor let his dance card get filled up before finally selecting Ohio State. At first, PSU was devasted...however Pryor's selection set off a chain of events that will shape PSU football for years to come. After a long battle with Pat Devlin, Daryll Clarkemerges at the starter for Penn State. Pat Devlin transfers opening up the door for top prospect Kevin Newsome. Top rated 2010 QB commits to PSU and Penn State is also in the running for top Dual Threat Robert Bolden. So...thanks Terrelle
1a) Dan Marino - Central Catholic: Marino was from a part of PA that produced nothing but great QBs. Unfortunately Dan choose to go to Pitt. PSU fans don't forget that easily. Marino slipped in the famed 1983 draft because of rumors of his cocaine use while at Pitt. However, Marino went on to become one of the greatest QBs in NFL history...he also had some of the best hair this side of the Mississippi
via i.a.cnn.net
1b) Jim Kelly - East Brady High School: Penn State went after Jim Kelly big time. However, JoePa wanted to make Kelly a LB and he did not seem to warm up to that idea. Kelly went on to a great career at Miami and the NFL. I wouldn't say Kelly got away, it was a matter of preference between the position he wanted and what Joe wanted.
via i.cdn.turner.com
1c) Jeff Hostetler - Conemaugh Township: The Hos didn't get away...we actually had him. Jeff battled Todd Blackledge for the starting spot and(had it and then eventually) lost it. Hostetler felt he wasn't getting a fair chance and he eventually transfered to West Virginia and went on to have a decent pro career. JoePa switched both of his brothers from QB to LB during their careers at PSU. Hostetler did have one good thing going for him...the stache...
1d) Pat Devlin - Downingtown East: Devlin is PA's all time leading passer. PSU fans were very excited to have Pat in the mix after he bolted from his Miami commit. Pat had all the tools...running, throwing, mind...Pat had to sit in watch QB14 go through the motions before locking into a battle with soon to be Penn State legend Daryll Clark. Clark won the battle and Devlin was again the backup. Pat did come in the Ohio State game and score what ended up being the winning score. However, Devlin went the Hostetler route and left for a starting position greener pastures. Much like Pryor, Devlin's departure opened the door for Newsome, Jones, and with hope Bolden.
Bonus points to anyone who thought Devlin was touched by an angel during the OSU game when he should have been picked off...he obviously had some help on his side....his right arm is now blessed...
Some Pennslyvania QB's, that it would have been nice to have, looking back:
Major Harris- Brashear:
Johnny Unitas - St. Justins:
George Blanda - Youngwood
Matt Ryan - William Penn Charter
Dan Marino - Central Catholic
Jm Kelly (QB verison) - East Brady
Joe Montana - Ringgold
Joe Nameth - Beaver Falls
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hahahahahahaha Terrelle Pryor hahaha
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 6, 2009 3:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Also, Dan Marino
P.S. 48-14
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 6, 2009 3:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Chad Henne Picture...
Is that a mini-can of beer he is holding or is his hand and fingers just that big?? Kinda freakish…
by Domin8ing the Big Ten(11) on Jul 6, 2009 3:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
"Want a donut go to dunkin donuts, want a linebacker go to Penn State." - Chris Carter
by xozte on Jul 7, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was expecting Jeff Hostetler and Jim Kelly.
by ednax1 on Jul 6, 2009 3:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Jeff Hostetler
falls under the category of QBs that “didnt initially get away, started a few games, but eventually got away when he was beat out by a National Title winning QB.”
Lets hope Pat Devlin is the second in that category.
by swiggy04 on Jul 6, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pat Devlin
Can he be considered for the “initially got away, but not really, but eventually got away again when he was beat out by a National Title winning QB”?
by Screen Name 20 on Jul 6, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, the rare "double get-away"
Not easy to do.
by dawsonPSU10 on Jul 6, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not to mention...
Chuck Fusina and Todd Blackledge were pretty good quarterback for us. They don’t have the NFL cache that Kelly and Marino do, but Penn State football didn’t really suffer for the loss of them.
"I honestly think the "Spread HD" is going to work pretty well, and we’ll be just fine this year". - 8-27-2008
by jesse. on Jul 6, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Unless........
PSU would have really wiped the floor with everyone had Kelly or Marino been at the helm.
Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.
"If you hear Ric Flair is in town......WOOOOO........you KNOW things are takin' place".
Ric Flair
by ech2os on Jul 6, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jim Kelly...
…led Miami to wins against Penn State of 26-10 in 1979, and 17-14 in 1981 (when PSU was ranked #1 at the time), and both games were in State College.
We could have used him.
by dmoney350z on Jul 6, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
er...
that win in 1981 was in Miami. Sorry.
by dmoney350z on Jul 6, 2009 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was devastated when Kendra backed out of his verbal...
since I live in the Bethlehem area and followed his HS career. I thought he was a “lock to stardom” at PSU. Competition at FSU, an unfortunate injury and maybe even a little “snake oil” from BB did Kendra in. I do remember his dad being very arrogant over his decommit.
by PaJoe on Jul 6, 2009 4:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
on the bright....his girlfriend played volleyball at PSU....
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jul 6, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Didn't he switch to FSU to get away from her?
I remember hearing that rumor a couple of years ago. PSU gave her a scholly to entice him, in the meantime he was trying to break it off, so that was part of the reason he switched.
Could be a CFB urban legend for any time a major recruit de-commits.
by PaOhWi on Jul 6, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rec'd
for commitment to awesome photos.
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State" The offseason is long. So is this magazine.
by Kevin HD on Jul 6, 2009 4:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Anyone remember?
Did we show any interest in Adam Bednarik before he picked WVU back in ’03?
by gumbercules on Jul 6, 2009 5:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Didn't we also heavily recruit Chris Simms?
I know the other guys on the list are all PA guys and Simms was a Jersey kid, but I’m pretty sure I remember a lot of people thought Simms was a lock for us.
by Brett Brown on Jul 6, 2009 5:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Revisionist History
Bonus points to anyone who thought Devlin was touched by an angel during the OSU game when he should have been picked off.
Ummm, not exactly sure to which play this remark refers, but I’m guessing it’s the pass interference play that I remember quite differently. If you consider ‘touched by an angel’ to mean Donald Washington made a good decision, then I’m with you. Cuz DWheels had his man burnt to a crisp, Devlin’s pass was spot-on, the Donald knew the game was on the line, so he reached out and clung for dear-life to Dwheels’ jersey. I’ll take my bonus points, thanks.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
by jtothep on Jul 6, 2009 7:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yup, yup
That was the perfect play. The timing, the blocking, the route, all of it sheer perfection. A thing of beauty.
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 6, 2009 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What a game
One of my favorites that I’ve experienced in my life (not counting older replays of older games). Of course since the Dark Years were also experienced in my life, I don’t have all that many to choose from!
by dawsonPSU10 on Jul 6, 2009 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Replace "DWheels" wiht "Tacopants" and you're 100% correct.
--
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State", like, now. One team, 128 pages.
by Run Up The Score on Jul 9, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, foo', it's Canolipants
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 9, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, I didn't think Tacopants transferred from Michigan
plus, Canolipants didn’t have a lot of playing time this year, so I want to give him the respect he deserves
by The JuggerNitt on Jul 9, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Additional quibble
Canolipants and Tacopants were only the receivers when the passes were skyhigh, right? With an on-target laser, scratch that—too close to Zug…when an on-target bullet came ripping through from Devlin, and the Donald was being blazed by with a perfect route and wicked wheels, it was indeed DWheels and not Canolipants.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
by jtothep on Jul 9, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Kendra blew out his ACL
and almost blew himself up in the process. New meaning to the idea of a QB throwing “A BOMB”!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/1998/06/17/kendra_bomb/
by Tailgate Shogun on Jul 6, 2009 8:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't know why
When I read that article, I heard Brent Musburger saying “FIRES!” You know, because he doesn’t like to say “passes”. Anyway…
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 6, 2009 8:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Had Kendra ever played
Brent may have assigned him a cool nickname, like “The Chemist”.
“Kendra drops back… FIRES…. completedowntothe20yard line. The Chemist has the formula dialed in!” Or something like that.
by Tailgate Shogun on Jul 7, 2009 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Brilliant!
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 7, 2009 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another who got away
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
by jtothep on Jul 6, 2009 10:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Tits!
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 6, 2009 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought this was about PA recruits?
Isn’t Tater Force from CA?
by dawsonPSU10 on Jul 7, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ahhh, sorry
In a rush to be snarky, I ignored that PA theme. But hey, a rolling stone gathers no moss, so, uhh,
others that ‘got away’:
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
by jtothep on Jul 7, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would like to see this list from an unbiased source
I think the idea of “QB’s That Got Away” is tremendous, would just like to see it done seriously, with legitimate captions and back stories, and not such a pro-PSU slant, but instead a balanced take.
by NittanyBadger on Jul 6, 2009 11:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sorry.
This is a PSU slanted site.
For the other side of the story, read tWWL. There, you’ll learn all about how PSU is over-rated, plays a lame schedule, and their coach is really old.
Excellent post. And……..rec’d.
'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'
by Pete the Streak on Jul 7, 2009 6:52 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Devlin threw some of the prettiest passes I’ve seen at a PSU game in person in that MSU game. I realize we’re relatively set on the QB front, but good lord did he have a nice throw.
And, obviously, I’m in the camp that wish Jim Kelly had come through PSU. But that really should have been obvious.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Jul 7, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
so i can recognize the first three guys from the left in that last picture
who are the last three?
by psuwxman on Jul 7, 2009 2:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Neil Caudle – Alabama
Jevan Snead – Texas/Ole Miss
Matthew Stafford – Georgia
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jul 7, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow
I had no idea what Jevan Snead looked like. Who’s the first guy?
"I'm driven by greatness" - Derrick Williams
by HookMania on Jul 7, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Caudle goes to Auburn...
doesn’t play a lick…
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jul 7, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i have never even heard of his name
must be tearing up that practice squad though!
by psuwxman on Jul 7, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Im hoping Caudle gets the start this year
he’s currently listed as a backup.
Upon moving to AL, I let my wife decide who she would root for. After one day at a new job full of Bama fans, she met me at the door with a hearty cry of "WAR EAGLE"
by SandMountainTiger on Jul 9, 2009 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow
what in the world led you to this post? Welcome!
By the way, your wife sounds hot (though technically I prefer ‘Bama over Auburn, but that’s just cuz of our history, they’re more “relevant” to us, not that I have anything against Auburn). I could imagine being around a ton of obnoxious fans all day could make that decision easy to make ;-)
by The JuggerNitt on Jul 10, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't see any
references to gay dolphin sex, so it must be Auburn fans hungry for off season hating on their rival.
One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's
by rahpsu92 on Jul 13, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yea it's Freeman
Freeman (1st Round Pick), Tebow (Heisman, 2x National Champ), Devlin (Delaware), Caudle, Snead (Solid year last yaer), Stafford (1st Pick)…everyone except Caudle has developed…
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jul 7, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Neil Caudle is working those Bama Bangs
"If you let the men in you've got to let the women in. I don't want a bunch of women walking around in my locker room when guys take showers". Joe Paterno
by letsgopsu on Jul 7, 2009 2:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Intergalatic Bama Bangs
The Force is strong with this one
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jul 7, 2009 3:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
How about Zac Wasserman?
I know you mention him with Smoker, but the guy transferred to Cal and got stuck behind Kyle Boller. He was highly touted, but lost the desire to stay after he learned of his mother’s terminal cancer. I completely understand his decision to stay close to his family, but I have to imagine he would have been a quality QB for PSU in 2003 and 2004.
by Cairo on Jul 9, 2009 9:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wasserman
I did mention him, but his situation was unqiue from other transfers. He left because of a serious family illiness, not playing time. So as he did get away, he did not get away and lead a team to a national title or win a super bowl in the NFL. Dispite his outstanding prep career, his college career never materialized.
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jul 9, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Powlus was the best prep player I ever saw play in person.
The kid was awesome but picked the wrong program and WRONG system.
If he went to Miami under Dennis Ericson he would have been a decent pro. Running the option at ND was uncomfortable to watch, waste of talent.
What about Jake Kelchner? Guess history repeated itself for Berwick QB’s at ND.
by SweepTheLeg on Jul 12, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Didn't Kelchner go to WVU?
too lazy to look it up.
by Tailgate Shogun on Jul 16, 2009 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Started at ND, then transferred to WVU for some reason
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jul 16, 2009 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not that I support this at ALL
But I do remember that somebody slashed all four tires on the car of Dan Kendra’s father after Kendra “decommitted” from PSU.
The Lehigh Valley is Penn State country my friends.
by Skeller on Jul 18, 2009 12:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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