Penn State Recruiting Roundup 3.1.12

Obvious Lead Stories Are Obvious. Christian Hackenberg, Ross Douglas, and the Leap Day Miracle! BOB started his first full recruiting class off with a bang with four-star VA QB Hackenberg and three-star OH DB Douglas committed to Penn State yesterday.

As we outlined in the commitment posts, these guys have great potential on the field, but they are each the type of recruit that is going to go out and actively recruit more high-end players. Hopefully for Penn State fans, the Good News Train is just getting started.

/looks towards Cedar Cliff H.S.

You Get An Offer, And YOU Get An Offer. Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports confirmed that DT Henry Poggi and LB Micah Kiser, both of the Gilman School in Maryland (current home of Class of '12 commit Brian Gaia) have received Penn State offers. Each are four-star players, in Larry Johnson's back yard, and attend a school that has a good relationship with Penn State.

Also, the early favorite for Best Name: Penn State Offer Edition just entered the race, with OH DE Tracy Sprinkle earning an offer earlier this week.

Christian Hackenberg, In Two Layers. Frank Bodani of the York Daily Record takes a look into Christian Hackenberg (Fork Union (VA)), including his father's dream to play at Penn State 25 years ago. Hackenberg is originally from Pennsylvania.

Further, new QB coach spoke with Adam Rittenberg, and said that Penn State would be recruiting a pro-style quarterback this year. Christian, meet Charlie. Charlie, Christian.

Robert Foster: Giant Talent. Tiny Ego. I've said in the past that I don't think Penn State will land five-star PA wide receiver Robert Foster. However, wherever Foster ends up (Ohio State and Pitt, among a few others, appear to be at the top) will be getting a real class act.

"It's really not a big deal," he said. "I'm not a very cocky guy at all. Someone can always do whatever they have to do to be that five-star recruit and No. 1 ranked receiver. I just do what I have to do, keep working hard and stay humble and believe in my team. I wouldn't be here without them."

Ann Arbor Updates. Ace's Friday Recruitin' at mGo. And since he's a man of many days, here is a bonus Tuesday Recruitin'. Despite Michigan's very hot start to the Class of 2013, there hasn't been much overlap. Only one of their 13 commitments held an offer from Penn State (Patrick Kugler). In this update, there are a couple of quick hitters on some PSU targets named below, including Alex Anzalone's intention to visit Michigan and Notre Dame in March. One interesting note from Tuesday Recruitin' is that OH LB Michael McCray will announce his college choice on March 8th, and it won't be Penn State ($).

Yes, This Happened. Florida State received a commitment last weekend from Derwin James, a Class of 2015 defensive back. Class of 2015, or as it's known in high school, a freshman.

Thoughts, Prayers. In sad news, Rico Webb, a Class of 2012 commit to Alabama State, passed away last weekend. He was a senior at DeMatha in Maryland, a place that Penn State coaches know well. Webb had visited Penn State in the past, and he will be remembered fondly be everyone, according to his coach.

"Rico was a fantastic kid," DeMatha football coach Elijah Brooks said. "Everyone on the team, the coaches and players, we loved him. He was a big kid. It was a tough morning for everybody."

Big Board. As per usual.

Penn State Recruiting Class of 2013 Big Board
Estimated Class Size: 15-22
(Recruits listed in no particular order...yet)

Quarterbacks (1-2)
Christian Hackenberg (Fork Union (VA)) (Committed: 02/29/2012, Recruited by Charles London)
1. Ryan Burns (Stone Bridge (VA))
2. Kevin Olsen (Wayne Hills (NJ))
3. Tyler Cogswell (American Heritage (FL))
4. Damion Terry (Erie Cathedral Prep (PA))
Others: Caleb Scepaniak (Seton Catholic Central (NY)), John O'Korn (St. Thomas Aquinas (FL)), Boeing Brown (Brookfield (CT))
Notes: Well, the two-man race is now over. Hackenberg beat Burns to the finish line and closes out the pro-style QB haul for this class. Given the potential low number of scholarships available, don't expect to see another pro-style QB taken. But I wouldn't be shocked if, down the line when the numbers become clearer, the staff accepts a commitment from an athlete/quarterback, one that could play a couple of different positions. As for Burns and Olsen, they are likely headed elsewhere (Olsen to Miami, where his brother Greg recently played, seems like an inevitability).

Running Backs (1-2)
1. David Williams (West Philadelphia Catholic (PA))
2. Derrick Green (Hermitage (VA))
3. DeVeon Smith (Howland (OH)
4. Ty Isaac (Joliet (IL))
5. Richy Anderson (Johnson (MD))
Others: Austin Brown (FB) (Easton Area (PA)), DeShawn Coleman (Hickory (PA))
Notes: N/A

Wide Receiver (1-3)
1. Robert Foster (Central Valley (PA))
2. Ryan Switzer (George Washington (WV))
3. Brian Lemelle (Bishop McDevitt (PA))
4. Kyle LaPorte (Piscataway (NJ))
5. Myles Nash (Timber Creek (NJ))
Others: Paul Harris (Frederick Douglass (MD)), Shaquille James (West Philadelphia Catholic (PA)), Laquon Treadwell (Crete-monee (IL)), Delando Johnson (Calvert Hall College (MD)), Uriah LeMay (David W. Butler (NC)), Tyler Boyd (Clairton (PA)), William Fuller (Roman Catholic (PA))
Notes: I'm going to continue to say that I don't think that Foster ends up at Penn State, but it appears that the commitment of Hackenberg coupled with a great visit two weeks ago has Penn State in a better position than I thought. Penn State's third commitment could very well come from this group, as Ryan Switzer appears to be close to making a call.

Tight End (0-1)
1. Adam Breneman (Cedar Cliff (PA))
2. Scott Orndoff (Seton La Salle (PA))
Others: None
Notes: //looks back to Cedar Cliff H.S. Orndoff officially decommitted from Wisconsin.

Offensive Line (2-4)
1. Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon (PA))
2. Mike McGlinchey (William Penn Charter (PA))
3. Brendon Mahon (Randolph (NJ))
4. Jordan Page (Pennington (NJ))
5. Brad Hanson (Monsignor Donovan (NJ))
Others: Ethan Pocic (Lemont Township (IL)), Jaryd Jones-Smith (West Philadelphia Catholic (PA)), Tommy Hopkins (Westlake (NY))
Notes: Patrick Kugler, a top OT from western PA, committed to Michigan on Saturday. Ethan Pocic received a Penn State offer, but Penn State looks to be well behind a few other schools for one of the midwest's top linemen. This position could also see a commitment in the near future, as a couple of these guys are on commitment watch.

Defensive Tackle (1-2)
1. Justin Moody (George Washington (PA))
2. Greg Webb (Timber Creek (NJ))
3. Donovan Munger (Shaker Heights (OH))
4. Eddie Vanderdoes (Placer (CA))
5. Poet Thomas (Detroit Country Day (MI))
Others: Rod Crayton (Dadeville (AL)), Henry Poggi (Gilman (MD))
Notes: Rod Crayton recently announced a top five that included PSU.

Defensive End (2-4)
1. Dajaun Drennon (Timber Creek (NJ))
2. Jonathan Allen (Stone Bridge (VA))
3. TaShawn Bower (Immaculata (NJ))
4. Garrett Sickles (Red Bank Regional (NJ))
5. Wyatt Teller (Liberty (VA))
Others: Curtis Cothran (Council Rock North (PA)), Alquadin Muhammed (Don Bosco Prep (NJ)), Nick Arcidiacono (Archbishop Wood (PA))
Notes: De'Asian Richardson committed to Florida State.

Linebacker (3-4)
1. Buddy Brown (Williamstown (NJ))
2. Alex Anzalone (Sam LB) (Wyomissing (PA))
3. Michael Deeb (MLB) (American Heritage (FL))
4. Tim Kimbrough (Warren Central (IN))
5. Zayd Issah (Central Dauphin (PA))
Others: Ben Gedeon (Hudson (OH)), Jake Plonski (Erie Cathedral Prep (PA)), Marcus Newby (Quince Orchard (LB))
Notes: Michael Deeb officially received his Penn State offer.

Defensive Back (3-4)
Ross Douglas (CB) (Avon (OH)) (Committed 02/29/2012, Recruited by Stan Hixon)
1. Kendall Fuller (CB) (Good Counsel (MD))
2. Eli Woodard (CB) (Eastern (NJ))
3. Nadir Barnwell (CB) (Piscataway (NJ))
4. Reon Dawson (S) (Trotwood-Madison (OH))
5. Kirk Garner (S) (Good Counsel (MD))
Others: Tim Harris (S) (Stone Bridge (VA)), Delando Johnson (S) (Calvert Hall College (MD)), Delton Williams (S) (Erie Cathedral Prep (PA)), Darian Hicks (CB) (Solon (OH))
Notes: N/A

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UPDATE: Traded a couple of text messages with Ryan Switzer this afternoon. Should be something happening within a couple of days, barring something coming up. Ryan also mentioned that he had been in contact with Christian Hackenberg "pretty much since he committed" and that he also keeps in regular contact with Adam Breneman. So...there's that.

Also, don't forget to submit any questions you may have about recruiting to me (jeffjunstrom AT yahoo DOT com) for our Recruiting Mailbag posts. I pretty much stole the idea from Alex over at 11Warriors, so take a look at his recent post for an idea.