Before we dive into our weird obsession with high school boys, I'm going to list a few of the songs I listened to while I wrote this, so you can also listen to them! It'll be like you're sitting right next to me, because I know that's what you all wish you were doing right now.
Tip it Back by Florida Georgia Line, The Magic by Macklemore, Life Is Cinema by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, This Nothin' Town by Jason Aldean
There you go. You get my two favorite things in music, Macklemore and Country. Now on to those aforementioned high school boys...
All Jabrill Everything...
The number one CB recruit in the country has set his decision date for May 26th. He was originally scheduled to visit Penn State on Saturday, but it seems that he did not end up making the trip. He has decided to stop doing interviews until his decision date, so it would seem that we're not going to learn much more about him at this point. His top 6 schools are LSU, Michigan, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Penn State. He has a blog called "It's Your Boy Breezy" if you're looking for some light reading. He also has the music video from yesterday's SwH. He's also wearing the hat of my beloved Seahawks, so basically he's the best person to ever exist following Russell Wilson. However, I've said it before and I'll say it again, don't get your hopes up. He is still considered a heavy lean towards Michigan, and Stanford was his original favorite way back when. So BOB's recruiting prowess just may not be enough here.
Wangler. Real, Comfortable, Linebacker.
And that is probably the worst headline I will ever write (hopefully). Since Wangler committed after my article was posted, I didn't go into much detail about him. I've seen some compare him to the high school version of Poz (very similar height and weights, star ratings, etc). He has a great football family, albeit with Michigan; his father QB'd the Wolverines from 1977-1980, and his older brother is walking on to Brady Hoke's squad this fall. He was highly productive in high school, racking up huge numbers. There's a lot to like here with Wangler, and he seems primed to outperform his star ratings under the tutelage of Ron Vanderlinden.
Transfer News. But the Good Kind!
O'Brien and his staff have found themselves to be on the desirable side of a few transfer stories for once. The number one-ranked JUCO OL, Jermaine Eluemunor, has been linked to Penn State for a while now, and he had a fantastic visit with the staff, which you can read more about here on PennLive. He still has a huge offer sheet with lots of interest from many top tier schools, so getting his commitment will be tough. However, it seems like the staff made the most of their first crack at him. Texas Tech DT Delvon Simmons is also looking for a new home. His top choices at the moment appear to be Penn State, Pitt, Miami, and USC. He is originally from McKeesport, PA, and was a 5 star recruit out of high school. He would most certainly be a boost to Larry Johnson's squad.
Trying to Figure Out the Scholarships...
I don't think anyone (Bill included) really knows how many kids are going to end up in this class. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no more than 15 members of the 2014 class. The next few weeks should help paint a better picture of the size of the class, though. If the next to commit is another defensive back (Peppers, Henry, Vincent, etc.), then it's likely the staff will recruit a full class of 15. Yes, this does lead to a confusing scenario with numbers for the roster, and it has even the greatest recruiting minds baffled...
Hopefully a few more dominoes will fall this week, allowing me to say something with a little more substance in this section of my post. But until such a time, let's jump to the Big Board!
Penn State Recruiting Class of 2014 Big Board
Estimated Class Size: 15 or fewer
Current Commitments: 9
Quarterback
1. Michael O'Connor (IMG Academy (FL))
2. J.J. Cosentino (Central Catholic (PA)) (Committed 3/18/13 to Florida State)
Notes: No movement here since my last post. O'Connor is still going to make his decision in June. Cosentino did an interview with Josh Moyer for ESPN
here ($). He's been a PSU target since he was a freshman, and seemed very happy to receive an offer. But the staff is still all in for O'Connor, especially with Cosentino being happily committed to become a Seminole. The staff also reached out to 2015 QB Ryan Brand (Detroit (MI))
earlier this month ($) with an invitation to a summer camp. He's a dual threat QB with serious speed (4.5s), who is listed at 5'10". I am arguably the biggest Russell Wilson fan in existence today (And we share a birthday!), so the possibility of Brand becoming a Nittany Lion sends my excitement level to uncharted territories.
Running Back
1. Nick Scott (Fairfax (VA)) (Committed 2/23/13, Recruited by Larry Johnson)
2. Mark Allen (DeMatha Catholic (MD)) (Committed 10/16/12, Recruited by Larry Johnson)
Notes: Donezo.
Wide Receiver
1. De'Andre Thompkins (Swansboro (NC)) (Committed 4/20/13, Recruited by Stan Hixon)
2. Chris Godwin (Middletown (DE)) (Committed 4/23/13, Recruited by Ron Vanderlinden)
3. Troy Apke (Mt. Lebanon (PA)) (Committed 4/13/13, Recruited by Charles London)
Notes: Stick a fork in 'em.
Tight End
1. Mike Gesicki (Manahawkin (NJ))
Notes: Gesicki
picked up an offer ($) from O'Brien's staff very, very recently. The three star tight end from New Jersey has been piling up the offers lately. He still has visits to take, but has named Penn State in his current top five. How hard the staff goes after him with their dwindling number of available spots, is yet to be seen. Personally, I would be slightly confused if they use up one of their few open roster spots on yet another tight end. However, I refuse to doubt O'Brien's ability to evaluate offensive talent, especially in a tight end.
Offensive Line
1. Noah Beh (Scranton Prep (PA))
2. Jermaine Eluemunor (Lackawanna C.C. (PA))
3. Alex Bookser (Mt. Lebanon (PA))
Dropped Out: Alex Bars (Montgomery Bell Academy (TN)) (Committed 5/17/13 to Notre Dame)
Notes: Bars committing to Notre Dame is certainly disappointing, but he was never likely to become a Lion anyways, so it's not too discouraging. Beh is now seen as a very heavy Penn State lean, as he has continually named O'Brien's squad as his preferred destination. He is not planning on committing until after his graduation in June, but right now it sure seems like this 6'6" beast will be donning the blue and white. As discussed above, Eluemunor remains a top target, and there is strong mutual interest. Bookser still is taking his time, visiting schools when he has the opportunity to do so. Penn State is still alive, but it will take some patience from the staff. He has a loose top 8 that includes Penn State, along with Alabama, Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio State, Pitt, Tennessee, and Virginia. I say pretty confidently that there will be a maximum of 2 O Linemen taken in this class, and I'm really only expecting 1.
Defensive Tackle
1. Thomas Holley (Abraham Lincoln (NY))
2. Ricky Walker (Bethel (VA))
3. Derrick Nnadi (Virginia Beach (VA))
Notes: Virginia Beach DT Derrick Nnadi is a
new addition to the Lions' recruiting board. Until very recently, he was really only looking at in-state options, Virginia and Virginia Tech. He has now named Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Florida State as schools of interest (Too bad there's no Virginia State, it would be a match made in heaven). He has said he wants to visit all four of those schools, so his recruitment may take a while. But for a 4 star DT, it may be worth it. There has been no new updates with Holley recently. He is still very interested in Penn State, but has other visits to take. Charles London and LJ have both visited Walker's school recently, and he has said that while his top 5 is still a work in progress, Penn State is a lock to be included.
Defensive End
1. Jeremiah Clarke (T.C. Williams (VA))
2. Peyton Newell (Hiawatha Sr (KS))
Notes: Clarke is planning to make a decision by the end of the month. Whether or not he will hold true to that is yet to be seen, but that's what his original plan was. His top schools are Miami, Tennessee, Wake Forest, UNC, Virginia, and Penn State. Hopefully a decision will be made soon. It is also more than likely that he will be a DT at the next level, despite his Defensive End categorization on some sites. But for now, we'll leave him here.
Linebacker
1. Troy Reeder (OLB) (Salesianum (DE)) (Committed 2/26/13, Recruited by Ron Vanderlinden)
2. Jared Wangler (OLB) (De La Salle Collegiate (MI)) (Committed 5/10/13, Recruited by Ron Vanderlinden)
Notes: No more linebackers for the 2014 class. But the staff has been getting some early work done with Jake Cooper (2015), from Archbishop Wood. Penn State is reportedly his early top choice. Jerome Baker, an ATH being recruited as a LB by PSU also received his Penn State offer earlier this month. He's from Cleveland, but has been a Penn State fan over an Ohio State fan for most of his life. He sounds nice.
Defensive Backs
1. Daquan Worley (CB) (Coatesville Area Shs (PA)) (Committed 5/3/13, Recruited by Ron Vanderlinden)
2. Marcus Allen (S) (Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. (MD)) (Committed 5/10/13, Recruited by Larry Johnson)
3. Jabrill Peppers (CB) (Paramus Catholic (NJ))
4. Dravon Henry (CB/S) (Alquippa (PA))
5. Troy Vincent Jr. (CB) (Gilman (MD))
Others: Anthony Davis (CB) (Gateway (PA))
Notes: We already discussed Jabrill in length up top, so we don't need to discuss him anymo...HOLY CRAP I WANT JABRILL PEPPERS IN THE WORST WAY. Okay. Alright. We're done with him now. Dravon Henry is a stud in his own right, and would be the focus for all of my affection if Jabrill didn't exist right now. Thankfully, my words do not determine who Penn State focuses their time on, and it seems that they are allotting plenty of attention towards Henry. While he's still considered a Pitt lean, the race is by no means over. And then there's Vincent. He reportedly is nearing his decision, and that decision is expected to be Penn State right now. Along with the staff, Marcus Allen has been doing his duty as a new commit, and trying to nudge him here. Like I said before, no matter who commits, this DB class is going to be pretty spectacular.
And finally, kudos to me for being able to successfully mention Russell Wilson twice in an article about Penn State recruiting. Enjoy your Wednesday.
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