Ben Kline Switches From Pitt To Penn State
by BSD on Dec 8, 2010 10:43 PM EST
in Recruiting
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Give me a linebacker and a siren WHOOOOOOO
There was undoubtedly a point in Ben Kline's recruitment where Dave Wannstedt looked him in the eye and asked him, "Kid, why would you want to go play for Penn State? Do you think Joe Paterno is going to be there to shake your hand on senior day?"
Well, Wannstedt didn't even make it to Ben Kline's signing day. And now Kline will be playing linebacker for the Nittany Lions.
The 6'3" 225 lb linebacker from Dallastown originally committed to Pitt back in June, but lately it was rumored he was having second thoughts and wanted to look around. During a recent visit to Penn State he got an offer that gave him some things to think about. It sounds like he was on the fence for a while, and Wannstedt's firing pushed him over the edge.
"My parents and I sat down today and I talked to my coach and I'm going to go to Penn State," he said Wednesday evening. "I really enjoyed my visit this weekend, I was up there, I really liked everything and all the coaches and the whole situation.
"I was weighing my options and everything and trying to figure out everything that I wanted to do. Obviously with Coach Wannstedt being let go, I love those guys out there and everything and I really feel for them, but once that all happened it just kind of solidified that Penn State was the place for me."
Rivals and Scout both rate him as a three star prospect. Rivals considers him the #25 linebacker in the nation, while Scout ranks him #29. Kline had an impressive offer list that includes Rutgers, Boston College, West Virginia, Michigan, UConn, Maryland, Illinois, and of course Pitt.
Kline finished his senior year with 152 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 INT at middle linebacker in leading Dallastown to an 11-1 record. He was also a standout at running back and tight end with 35 catches for 510 yards and 7 receiving TD to go with 36 carries for 338 yards and 6 TD. As a junior he had 118 tackles and scored 8 TD on offense.
Kline becomes Penn State's ninth verbal commitment for the class of 2011 which is picking up momentum and looking to finish strong in the final month-and-a-half. Here is what you won.
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MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm
/seriously, I only thought we got Rutgers’ leftovers?
2010 PSU Football......YOU'RE ALL FIRED
@ArtieFufkin10
by Artiefufkin10 on Dec 8, 2010 10:47 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
This comment is of course in jest...
welcome to LBU, Ben.
2010 PSU Football......YOU'RE ALL FIRED
@ArtieFufkin10
by Artiefufkin10 on Dec 8, 2010 11:09 PM EST up reply actions
Urban Meyer and the Stache all got invites to hear Joe sing Another One Bites The Dust.
Wish I could have been there.
"Welcome to the PSU Salvation Army. I've never been associated with a defense so nice about giving touchdowns away." - Coach Fry, modified
Got to see this kid play in person this year.
He was all over the field, seemed to be in on every single play.
Welcome to Penn State, Ben!
From a numbers perspective
he reminds me of Dan Connor in HS a lot. Connor had better numbers I think, but very similar.
Welcome to the true and only Linebacker U
"Simon Gagne!! We've got a Game 7!"
Follow me..or don't..:@Ben_Jones88
by Ben Jones on Dec 9, 2010 2:06 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
But...
We’re not elite. Can’t have a moniker. Maybe we’re the Once and Future LBU? Or probably just the Once LBU.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Welcome to the family!
Great to see a local kid from the York area make the right choice!
"When I was single? I chased the girls."
Sounds to me he liked Penn State as a school
but chose Pitt because of the coach. Let that serve as a lesson to other recruits out there. Choose the school and program that fits you best, not the coach you like the most.
And welcome Ben. Enjoy your stay here.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Brickhouse? That's a riot...
That’s awesome, though! I hope he makes an impact at Penn State. He looks like a man-child in those videos.
I graduated from Red Lion (home to Scott Fitzkee) , Dallastown’s geographical next-door neighbor and long-time arch enemy. I haven’t lived in the York area for ten years and I haven’t been following the rivalry, but it looks like Red Lion and Dallastown had two epic battles this season. I’m really happy to see a local receive and accept an offer from PSU.
Okay. I'm a dumbass. That's not "Brickhouse".
Feeling stupid now.
by LowcountryLion on Dec 9, 2010 8:08 AM EST up reply actions
You think Ben pulled a Jim Breuer and asked the other Pitt recruits "Who's comin' with me? Who's comin' man?"
PSU has contacted still-Pitt recruit Kyshoen Jarrett’s coach, inquiring about Jarrett’s interest.
Also, the internet scuttlebutt is that there are other guys ready to pull the trigger on PSU commits soon. That’s just SPECULATION! but it could be a good month or so…
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
From what I've heard
the other guys that are interested in PSU, PSU is not interested in them. So I’m guessing they aren’t the top recruits we want.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
There are four Pitt commits I can see us pursuing.
Jarrett, Chestnut, Wright and Belton. Jarrett is the only one I’ve heard that we’ve definitely approached. I don’t think Chestnut was ever interested, we cooled on Wright for character issues (so I heard) before he committed, and I have no idea what’s up with Belton. The rest of their class is not of interest.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
That's what I had heard
interesting to see what happens with Jarrett.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Well, he wanted us before, then we blew him off.
Now we may have him over the barrel. It’d be amazing if we could pull him and ALJ plus the guys we’ve been on all the way.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
We'll have a better idea of what happened with Wright in the next month or so
If we start contacting him, it’ll be pretty clear that he just selected Pitt. If we just let it go, it’s likely we bailed for character issues.
I honestly almost didn’t remember Bill Belton, but a lot of people seem to be high on him. Jarrett’s the one we really want.
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
Oh, and I thought Chestnut really loved Rutgers too, right?
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
I'd almost disagree.
We want Jarrett, but Belton’s supposed to be a D-Will type that could really make up for whiffing on Jennings.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Yea but D-Will wasn't any good.
I say that in jest. It’d be great to bring in a guy like that.
2010 PSU Football: You do not and will not understand it
I honestly just haven't heard much about him.
I like the idea of that, though.
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
It was, IIRC, down to us and Pitt, but he committed pretty early, which is why you probably didn't hear much.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
This kid is a solid pickup
I’ve seen him play 3 or 4 times this year. He really flies all over the field. He played TE too and had pretty good hands. Awesome addition to the class. When he bulks up he will be a tackling machine
And the Pitt boards are priceless with this one. Well worth the visit.
Probably doesn't have to bulk up too much. Vandy seems to like his guys
around the 235 mark. 24/7 claims he’s at 225 right now.
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
I followed this one for a good three minutes
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
by Jeff Junstrom on Dec 9, 2010 2:00 PM EST up reply actions
Yea, I don't get the dig.
Is mistaking our name as “University of Penn State” supposed to be an insult? I mean, State Penn is the go to jab, but I don’t get UPS, unless they are implying we will all become UPS employees.
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
by Jeff Junstrom on Dec 9, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
Is that official?
Linkage?
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
by Jeff Junstrom on Dec 9, 2010 8:35 AM EST up reply actions
I was really hoping the coaches could talk him into playing safety
If he can’t grasp our offense, he has no shot as a QB in the pros.
Come on, Newsome. Make the smart decision for your future.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
yeah
but has he ever played defense before? Can he hit or cover a guy?
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Yeah.
He played safety in high school. A lot of the recruiting services thought he would be a really good safety, but he wanted to play QB.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
That's why he was listed as an ATH - he wanted QB, they wanted safety.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Time to sit him down the offensive and defensive coaches
and have a heart-to-heart with him. You may have to give the kid some tough love and tell him he just wont cut it at QB, especially if he wants to move on to the next level. He certainly has the athleticism to be a good safety.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Yeah.
But like so many athletes, the question is whether he’ll listen.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Well if he really wants to try to be a QB
then so be it. A kids dream is a kids dream. I wont say anything negative about him trying to go for it. And maybe his overall goal isn’t the NFL at all, so being a college QB is all that matters to him. I just hope he makes the best decision not only for his football career, but for his academic career and personal life as well.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
You all should definitely read Ken Denlinger's "For the Glory."
I feel like I’ve been shilling this book on here for the past week or so. It’s amazing insight into big time college football and the ups and downs that go along with it.
Newsome seems like a guy who has outside interests other than football. He apparently loves music. He should continue to pursue that. If what makes him happy with football is being a QB, then he should absolutely go somewhere that can be a possibility. If he doesn’t want a pro career, then you’ve got to make the best of your college experience. Being a safety just may not be his thing.
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
by Adam Collyer on Dec 9, 2010 10:50 AM EST up reply actions
That's a shame
Best of luck to him though. Even when it was clear he wasn’t going to get any playing time, he was still a good teammate and a good guy.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Too bad
I hope he finds a team he can start on this coming season. I’ll root for him where ever he ends up.
McGloin Despite Them
Preaching the McGospel since Aug. 2nd, 2010
He needs the development,
so I think he’ll go to another D1. Sit a year and work at QB, then start 2.
'We've got too many people analyzing everything and sometimes they don't know what they're talking about.' -Joseph Vincent Paterno
That'd be a great decision for him.
No use going to an FCS school when you can use a redshirt year.
Hope he goes somewhere that can incorporate his read-option talent more effectively. I really liked him. Sad to see him go.
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
I wonder if Virginia Tech or WVU would be an option for him, since he’s from Va.
McGloin Despite Them
Preaching the McGospel since Aug. 2nd, 2010
He picked us over VT
So that might be where he goes.
Luring recruits with my new "Posting HD" scheme since '08.
I could see VT
I think it was between us and them orginally, was it not? Them or Virginia. And I don’t think Tyrod has much time left.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Tyrod's a senior.
What’s in the pipeline out there?
I vote “no” on VPI, just because I don’t want to have to cheer for them.
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
He was also committed to Michigan.
You think they’d take him back?
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
by Jeff Junstrom on Dec 9, 2010 9:25 AM EST up reply actions
I dont see why
They have Denard, Tate, and they love Gardner too. It’s just as bad a situation, if not worse, than here.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Well Gardner burned his RS this year, and KNew would have to sit out a year.
So by the time he was eligible, he’d have two years left with Gardner while Denard/Tate were finishing their last year. I guess he could compete there.
But it was more of a joke. I’m not sure where he goes, but closer to home is always a good guess.
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
by Jeff Junstrom on Dec 9, 2010 9:43 AM EST up reply actions
No way we'd release him with permission to go there.
'We've got too many people analyzing everything and sometimes they don't know what they're talking about.' -Joseph Vincent Paterno
What volatile times we're in
Conference expasion is about to take effect, our in-state rival fired their coach, our bowl game opponent’s coach resigned, two of our top coordinators are rumored to be looking for new jobs, Joe is assumed to be entering his final season, our presumed starter at QB for this season is now transfering…
McGloin Despite Them
Preaching the McGospel since Aug. 2nd, 2010
I just looked at the coaching changes article on Yahoo
and I realize that isn’t the be-all-end-all source of info on the matter, but neither Vandy or Bradley were even mentioned for their prospective coaching positions. I get that Vandy might not be a huge news item, but you think Bradley would be. Makes me wonder how serious of candidates they are.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Some in the local Pittsburgh media aren't even mentioning Bradley in the discussion.
Or if they are, its in passing – “Oh, and Tom Bradley from Penn State, cause he’s a local guy.”
@EpicTripod
SBN - Pittsburgh
Success With Honor
by Jeff Junstrom on Dec 9, 2010 9:26 AM EST up reply actions
If I recall, Bradley got mentioned for the Pitt job a few years ago and he basically told everyone he loves Penn State and wants to stay there forever. So unless Bradley had a change of heart and called Pitt, I doubt Pitt would call him again just to get rejected again.
by BSD on Dec 9, 2010 9:58 AM EST up reply actions
well
Pitt does seem like a school that invites failure.
And to clarify, I’m talking about Pitt getting shut down, not that wanting TB as your coach is a failure.
Everything looks more important when written in gray italics.
Lions247 says TB called Pitt. Usually I wouldn’t even repeat a rumor like that, but 247 does have some credibility – at least as much as a college football twitter feed can have.
Let's bloom Florida's onions, if you catch my drift.
by Illegal Formation on Dec 9, 2010 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, and until further notice
I’ll consider that site very credible. His exact words were
“… Tom Bradley has made some calls to gauge Pitt’s interest level in him being their new head coach. Certainly a situation worth monitoring.”
McGloin Despite Them
Preaching the McGospel since Aug. 2nd, 2010
Wouldn't this decommitment
kind of lead people to believe that Bradley isn’t that interested in Pitt or they aren’t interested in him? Seems like if he was going to be their coach they would want to make a move sooner rather than later to not lose their commits and especially not have them come over to PSU. Seems a little contradictory that he’d want to go to Pitt, but lose the majority of his recruits to the team he would be leaving.
Yeah.
In 2004.
"Welcome to the PSU Salvation Army. I've never been associated with a defense so nice about giving touchdowns away." - Coach Fry, modified
by ReadingRambler on Dec 9, 2010 10:36 AM EST up reply actions
Mark my words..
Someone is going to take a gloom and doom approach on Newsome leaving and blame JoePa’s age as a reason.
"When I was single? I chased the girls."
Think we need a, "Who should replace Kevin Newsome?" thread?
"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."
by Adam Collyer on Dec 9, 2010 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
You have to wait another year
Then when we lose to Ohio State in 2012 people can say, “This would have never happened if Joe Paterno hadn’t run Kevin Newsome out of State College.”
Q: Coach, what do you say when coach Wannstedt tells a recruit that you won't be there in five years
A: I say that Walt Harris said the same thing.
Also, dosen’t Newsome pretty much have to go FCS lest he only have one year to play?
Don't get me started on the lunacy of hiring the guy whose team lost to 4-7 Pitt, at home, with arguably the best team in school history, to beat Ohio State. If Pryor goes anywhere but Michigan, the Rich Rodriguez era at Michigan could be turbulent to say the least. January 16, 2008.
by jesse. on Dec 9, 2010 1:24 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I don't know why,
but I want to keep calling this guy Brian instead of Ben. So if at some point I screw up and do that, y’all are forewarned and can make lots of fun of me.
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