One more day. Tomorrow, February 1, is the first day that Class of 2012 recruits can officially sign their letters of intent to play college football with a certain school. Though the recruits can take longer, and some will, the vast majority of the prospects will sign, fax, and take a deep breath at some point tomorrow.
Penn State's class currently sits at 19 verbal commitments, and there is about 0.5% chance of any of those players NOT signing with Penn State. As we outlined last week, the Nittany Lions are hovering right around the 85-scholarship mark, so there shouldn't be much in the way of Penn State news tomorrow. With the announcement last night that Demetrious Cox will sign with Michigan State, the class is likely done. A late commitment is possible, but not expected.
Instead, we'll watch the other schools, the major prospects left, and any other fireworks that may occur. Additionally, the recruiting coverage at Black Shoe Diaries is slightly changing, so please read through for a programming note.
Mothership News, Part One. SBN Recruiting guru Bud Elliott put together his list of the top 25 uncommitted players in the Class of 2012. The article was published on Friday, so some of these kids may have since committed. But these are your names to watch tomorrow. PSU is not in it for any of these players, though many were targets at one point and one was a former commit (Armani Reeves), but Big Ten rivals are all over this list. Learn the names now, as you'll certainly see some of them in the future.
Mothership News, Part Two. The incomparable Spencer Hall helps you not lose your mind when following along tomorrow. Also found in the article are links to some of Hall's past works, including "Terms You Need to Know to Sound Like a Pro."Of utmost importance, especially to Tennessee fans:
Recruiting Host: NOT A PROSTITUTE.
Mothership News, Part Three. Bill Connelly takes a look at the stars debate, through the specific quarterback position. As expected, more stars = higher Passing S&P+ (a Football Outsiders stat line). Additionally, Connelly looks at the migratory patterns of these blue-chip quarterbacks, noting that higher rated passers tend to wander if they don't see quick action.
Mothersh...Just Kidding. Actual Penn State News. Since we're not going to be seeing much tomorrow as it pertains to our Nittany Lions, we can take a quick look to the future. Rather than try to get too in-depth just yet, here is a simple list of Class of 2013 recruits that are claiming offers. And I use the word "claiming" intentionally; in the early stages of the recruiting year, it is not uncommon for a recruit to say he holds an offer from a school, only to never see that offer materialize. Egos, misunderstandings, whatever get in the way, so take this list with a grain of salt. (Lists based on 247Sports.com and Scout.com data of 2013 offers).
Name | Pos | Ht/Wt | Hometown |
---|---|---|---|
Adam Breneman | TE | 6-5/225 | Camp Hill, PA |
Ben Gedeon | ATH | 6-2/205 | Hudson, OH |
Buddy Brown | OLB | 6-3/210 | Williamstown, NJ |
Christian Hackenberg | QB | 6-4/210 | Fork Union, VA |
Corey Smith | WR | 5-11/175 | Grand Rapids, MI |
Dajaun Drennon | WDE | 6-4/225 | Sicklerville, NJ |
Derrick Green | RB | 6-0/215 | Richmond, VA |
Greg Webb | DT | 6-2/290 | Sicklerville, NJ |
Jonathan Allen | WDE | 6-3/225 | Ashburn, VA |
Kyle LaPorte | WR | 5-9/180 | Piscataway, NJ |
Michael McCray | ATH | 6-4/230 | Dayton, OH |
Patrick Kugler | OT | 6-4/270 | Wexford, PA |
Reon Dawson | CB | 6-2/175 | Dayton, OH |
Robert Foster | WR | 6-3/190 | Monaca, PA |
Rod Crayton | DT | 6-1/285 | Dadeville, AL |
Ryan Burns | QB | 6-4/220 | Ashburn, VA |
Tim Kimbrough | LB | 6-1/215 | Indianapolis, IN |
Uriah LeMay | WR | 6-2/188 | Matthews, NC |
Wyatt Teller | SDE | 6-5/255 | Bealeton, VA |
Star Debate, Rehashed. Dr. Saturday begins his annual review of everyone's favorite topic...the stars debate.
Programming Note. Beginning next week, the format for your recruiting updates here at Black Shoe Diaries will change slightly. We'll still bring you weekly football recruiting updates, but rather than be tied to one specific day of the week, the updates will publish when there is both time and a good amount of information to provide. Also, beginning right now, we're going to solicit email questions about both football and basketball recruiting. You can email me directly (jeffjunstrom AT yahoo DOT com), and then once a month (for now), we'll do a recruiting mailbag post in lieu of that week's update. Any basketball questions will be forwarded to our resident basketball recruiting guru, Eric.