In the old days most players waited until after their senior year in high school before they committed to a college program. Nowadays, it seems if a team doesn't have double digit verbals by Labor Day they're falling behind. It seems we have none other than Joe Paterno to thank for that.
Ten years ago or so, the ol' dog at Penn State, Joe Paterno, had a new trick up his sleeve, getting recruits to commit during the summer after their junior seasons. Other schools followed the lead, and now if a team isn't getting early commitments, it is falling behind.
Even back then they were saying the game had passed him by. The revamping of the offense and their return as a national powerhouse show that Paterno still has the ability to adapt to his competition. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But who's to say you can't learn new tricks from an old dog?