National Signing Day 2013: What Happened To The Penn State Decommits?

Out of the 23 high schoolers who committed to Penn State at one time or another, six of them will not step foot in Happy Valley as a Penn State student and football player. There is no fault on their part, they had to do what was best for them and their futures. Let's take a look at where they did end up.

Ross Douglas: Michigan

Douglas, a defensive back out of Ohio, was the second commitment of the Nittany Lions' 2013 class. A four-star recruit, he was expected to bring added secondary depth to Penn State and even have a chance to make an impact as a freshman. But then, the NCAA happened. A half-hour after sanctions were levied against Penn State, Douglas decommitted and soon decided that he would go to Michigan to play his college football. He early enrolled with the Wolverines and will be eligible for spring practice.

Greg Webb, North Carolina

Part of the stacked New Jersey recruiting class of 2013, Greg Webb was a consensus four-star recruit when he gave his verbal commitment to Penn State back in April. However, as rumors swirled around Penn State dealing with NCAA punishment, Webb de-committed two days before the NCAA took action and said he would be going to North Carolina. To be fair, his family was moving to the area, so it might not have been all about the sanctions. He is now the 20th-best defensive tackle recruit in the nation and signed with the Tar Heels this morning.

Dorian Johnson, Pittsburgh

Johnson and quarterback commit Christian Hackenberg were thought of to be a dynamic duo that would lead Penn State to new levels of offensive accolades for the next four years after the Pittsburgh native committed to Penn State in June. Johnson said he was sticking around once the sanctions came down in July, but in August, he decided to look at other options. It came down to Ohio State and Pitt with the hometown Panthers winning out. And since it's Pitt, yeah, we can say Johnson made a bad decision.

Zach Bradshaw, Virginia

Bradshaw decommitted the same day as Johnson did in August after giving the Nittany Lions his verbal in June. The D.C. area product had 20+ offers at the time he said he was coming to Penn State, including one from Virginia which is where he ended up today. Streaking The Lawn has the Cavalier take on the linebacker.

Will Fuller, Notre Dame

The Philadelphia product joined the 2013 class in June, but didn't stay around long as exactly two months later, he flipped his commitment to Notre Dame, even after re-affirming his commitment to Penn State just eight days earlier. One Foot Down has their analysis here.

Johnathan Walton, South Carolina

Walton committed to Penn State after that big December visit weekend where four players gave their verbals to Penn State, but soon after, he started rising up recruiting boards and gaining SEC interest. The thought of being close to home finally grabbed a hold of Walton as he decided to pursue other options and he signed with the Gamecocks today.

To the 17 who stayed, Penn Staters could not be happier to have you. To these six, you did what you had to do. Good luck to you over the next four years.

NOTE: We're pretty sure these are the only guys who decommitted. If we missed one, let us know.

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