Class of 2013: Welcome, Curtis Cothran

On February 6, Curtis Cothran was finally able to make his commitment official by signing his national letter of intent. If he had his way, the lifetime Nittany Lions fan would have signed on the dotted line long ago.

Cothran took some time to explore options during his recruitment, but once Penn State made an official offer this past March he was more than prepared to make his commitment. Even after the unprecedented sanctions came down in July, Cothran never wavered in his commitment to attend Penn State.

The Newtown, PA native also played right tackle at Council Rock North High School, but will play at his position of choice at Penn State.

"Defensive end is my preferred position," Cothran said in an interview with Black Shoe Diaries prior to his commitment. "It's just fun to stop people from scoring. It's a great feeling coming off the field knowing that you did your job."

Cothran is a universal three-star prospect by the mainstream scouting services. Rivals ranks him as the number 21 defensive end prospect in the nation and the number 11 player in the state of Pennsylvania. He also received offers from Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland, Rutgers, Virginia and Temple, among others. His recruitment was handled by John Butler and Larry Johnson Sr.

Defensive end is a very deep and talented position in 2013, despite the loss of Pete Massaro and Sean Stanley to graduation, so it does not appear that Cothran will see playing time as a true freshman. It is expected he will take a redshirt to sit back and learn while adding bulk to his 6-5, 230-pound frame. Unless he's a second coming of Aaron Maybi, Cothran will need to pack on the pounds to match up against the dominating offensive tackles found throughout the Big Ten. Either way, Cothran will have the chance to become the next great pass rusher to come out of Penn State.