Big-Ass 2011 Recruiting Update, Part 3 of 4

Maryland all-purpose star Darius Jennings could be one of Penn State's finest pickups in this recruiting class.

Here's the third of four big recruiting updates coming the rest of this week... Part two was a bit scrawny in terms of juicy recruiting goodness (I know, can't believe I just said that. What was that? Oh, there's a Mr. Hansen here to see me?), but this one has a bit more to gnaw on.

Donovan Smith
OT/DT
Owings Mills, MD

Smith is a two-way lineman out of Penn State's prime recruiting territory--Maryland. The rising senior is projected to play on the offensive line in college, filling the tackle role at the high school level. Smith is an All-America candidate going into his senior season, after having been invited to the U.S. Army All-American Combine in January, just one of many honors he has been raking in.

Smith is now up to about 12 scholarship offers, with Wisconsin being the latest BCS program to formally court him. Besides the Badgers, there are plenty of other high-profile BCS automatic qualifiers jockeying for Smith's verbal. West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and Maryland have all extended offers. Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame are also rumored to have taken an interest in Smith the last few weeks.

When it comes to Penn State... The Nittany Lions are in excellent shape. Smith has taken two visits to Happy Valley since early April, including a Blue-White Game trip with his entire family in tow. He came away raving about almost everything to do with Penn State. Although teams like Rutgers have been pushing hard the past month or so, I would dare to say that if Penn State signs just one player in May--which would be the first in PSU's 2011 class--it would not at all shock me if that player was Smith.

Darius Jennings
Athlete
Baltimore, MD

Scout.com's No. 4 quarterback for 2011, Jennings had blown past the 20-offer threshold all the way back in February. Every school from the eastern seaboard to the Mississippi River has sent a scholarship offer Jennings' way. Including Penn State, five Big Ten teams have offered Jennings, nine of the 12 ACC programs, and even three Pac 10 schools have gotten into the mix. Throw in about a half-dozen more offers from the Big East and Big XII, and you've got yourself a hot ticket for Jennings' services.

However, all that early attention has been doused a bit the past few weeks, as Jennings has not been taking many visits, or making much news otherwise. On April 1, he told Josh Helmholdt of TheWolverine.com, "My family and I are really just putting this [recruiting] thing on the backburner until the school year is over so I can finish out the school year strong and stay focused on my books. Once the summer hits, we'll sit down and try to knock a few schools off my list early ... just schools I don't connect with and don't have that feeling with..."

When it comes to Penn State... Michigan appears to be a serious contender, but only because that's the only school he has visited. So, take that for what it's worth. Jennings did come up for the Blue-White Game on April 24, which is always a good sign from a kid that just said he wasn't taking any visits. Penn State has been mentioned as a leader in this race, due in no small part to the complete recruiting awesomeness that is Larry Johnson, Sr. He has single-handedly pillaged Maryland on a nearly annual basis since 2006, and doesn't appear to be interested in offering mercy anytime soon. Jennings would definitely become Penn State's newest favorite position--the "D-Wheelz" (not an official term, FYI)--using the complete football skill set of throwing, running, and catching.

Aundrey Walker
OT
Cleveland, OH

To the Buckeye State we go. Walker started out with only a handful of scholarship offers, but as word spread of his incredible size (6-5, 335 lbs) and skill on the offensive line, he gained a national profile among the top programs. Walker sits on about 12 offers right now, with six Big Ten teams--Ohio State and Michigan State are supposedly in the lead--Notre Dame, and a few Big East teams calling his number. USC offered Walker back in March, and can be considered in the top three with MSU and OSU.

When it comes to Penn State... Walker admitted to Brian Snow of BuckeyeGrove.com that he "doesn't know anything about them (Penn State)." That's not the kind of image you want inside a recruit's head, especially one as highly touted as Walker. But that was in mid-March, and things could change as long as Walker's recruitment remains open. However, the Nittany Lions might be going up against the clock on this one. With Ohio State and USC already gaining so much traction with Walker, it'll be an uphill, but not impossible battle for Penn State.

Shaun Underwood
DT
Fuquay-Varina, NC

One player other than Donovan Smith that I really think could end up committing to a college very soon is Underwood. The junior tackle has received offers from mostly regional powers, like North Carolina and South Carolina. Underwood has reportedly narrowed his top choices to three schools: North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Penn State. I'm not sure if Underwood thinks that he has reached his recruiting ceiling, but it would seem about right if you said there's no reason for him to wait until after the football season to commit somewhere.

When it comes to Penn State... You have to think the Nittany Lions are the top pick for Underwood at this point. He has chosen two defense-heavy programs--PSU and UNC--with outstanding defensive line coaches. The big bonus for the Nittany Lions is that Larry Johnson, Sr. uses defensive linemen in a rotation, meaning that the younger players can get time early in their careers. Underwood's got to like that. But there is a question in my mind about this quote by Underwood, told to Phil Grosz of BWI, "I also like the overall stature of the program, even though Joe Paterno might not be there all four years I'd be there." Is there a bit of negative recruiting going on here? That kind of quote doesn't just pop out without hearing it from a coach first. Regardless of all that, Underwood is a very good possibility for Penn State in 2011.


Marquise Wright
DT
Paramus, NJ

My dad won a state track championship for Paramus Catholic, and many of my family friends have strong connections to the school, so this recruit is particularly interesting for me. Wright was only hovering around seven offers or so back in the winter, but that number has risen to more than a dozen. These are no ho-hum offers, either. Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, and West Virginia are just some of the offers extended to Wright. He did say last week, however, that Rutgers hasn't offered, and that he's pretty much lost all interest in the Knights.

Earlier this week, Wright was also nominated for the 2011 U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio, Texas. With the nomination, Wright joins several Penn State recruits from New Jersey, including Savon Huggins, Gary Nova and Angelo Mangiro.

When it comes to Penn State... Even though Wright has Penn State as his leader, he appears to want to wait until the end of the summer before pulling the trigger. But that doesn't take away from his interest in the Penn State, which Wright previously referred to as his "dream school." Wright has been to University Park twice since opening up his recruitment. One of those trips was to the Blue-White Game. Wright could be the headliner in a fantastic crop of defensive linemen for Penn State's 2011 class.

Deion Barnes
DE
Philadelphia, PA

Barnes recently said that he wants to take his recruitment slow. With so many offers coming in, he can afford to do just that. About eight BCS programs have offered Barnes over the last few months. Michigan was the most recent school to offer Barnes, joining Louisville, Maryland, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. More offers are expected this summer.

The Philly defensive end just came back from the NIKE Camp in State College, where he finished the day as one of the most impressive recruits on the field. With size (6-5, 220 lbs) and speed like his, Barnes will only gain more attention as the recruiting season goes on.

When it comes to Penn State... With a frame like Barnes, you have to think Penn State will experiment with him at both defensive end and tight end. Following the NIKE Camp, he said that Penn State is definitely in his top schools right now, and that it was very impressive to him how the Nittany Lions focus on their players' families. Ron Vanderlinden is handling Barnes' recruitment, but Larry Johnson, Sr. has been involved here and there, since the recruit is a defensive line prospect.

Shawn Oakman
DE
Lansdowne, PA

Despite his huge frame at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds, Oakman hasn't gained quite the attention as I had expected by this point in the spring. But I'm not reading any further into it, because he's still a fantastic prospect, and I fully believe that he will get plenty more offers before the summer is done. Oakman now holds about eight scholarship offers, including UConn, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Rice.

When it comes to Penn State... Oakman has repeatedly said Penn State is either his leader, or at least in the top two or three college choices. For all this talk about how Penn State doesn't have any verbals yet, one must remember that within the traditional recruiting calendar, this is still just the end of the first stage, with summer beginning the next. But Oakman has all the signs that Penn State will be his school. Unless some other juggernaut program out there, like a Florida or Ohio State or Alabama, offers him, it looks like the Nittany Lions are leading the way.

Al Page
DT
Bronx, NY

Page committed to Rutgers on April 14. This looks pretty concrete, so it's a slim chance of anything changing. Page had been offered from Kansas, Maryland, and Syracuse, but Rutgers sent in the big guns for him. Two coaches were in charge of courting Page. It worked.

Next up: Part 4

Part 1
Part 2

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Tuesday Recruitin': Big Names, Big Visits

Cyrus Kouandjio could be one of only two or three offensive linemen Penn State signs this class. If his reaction to the March 27 visit is any indication of how the Nittany Lions stand in his favor, Penn State is still very much in the mix for his services next season. (photo: VolNation.com)

Spring practice is a time for teams to get a first look at their players. But it's also a time for recruits to get a first look at the programs recruiting them. Penn State's slate of prospects is no different, as several big names arrived on campus in the waning days of March, to watch practices, talk with coaches, and see the Happy Valley landscape.

But first, a big thanks to Tim for covering last week. The recruiting gods must like him, because a there was actual basketball recruiting news, somehow perfectly timed for his post.

On to this week's update...

Visits

March 27: Four recruits were on campus--offensive lineman Cyrus Kouandjio, defensive tackles Darian Cooper and Marquise Wright, and athlete Brandon Phelps. At such an early stage of the recruiting process, most recruits are just happy to be on campus. This wasn't any different, with all four prospects saying they thoroughly enjoyed their visits.

Kouandjio's next scheduled trip is to the University of Virginia. Since the Cavaliers are a regional destination, they would normally be a decent threat to steal a guy like Kouandjio. But with the arrival of head coach Mike London from Richmond, where he led the Spiders to the 2008 FCS (I-AA) National Championship, things could get tricky in the mid-Atlantic region. I'm not saying at all that London's arrival in Charlottesville will be a seismic shift, but don't be surprised if you hear his Cavaliers come up big once or twice this recruiting season.

Cooper has listed Penn State in his top-two college choices, along side the Maryland Terrapins. With Ralph Fridgen getting one more shot to turn the Terps around, you can bet any recruit in the DC-metro area will be getting a ton of attention from College Park. That includes Cooper and Kouandjio.

Wright's and Phelps' visits on the 27^th went just as well. Phelps said that he plans to come back to Penn State for the Blue-White Game, so I'll be on the look out for him on the sidelines in three weeks. Phelps also falls into the "look out for Virginia" category, as his dad played there, and the Cavaliers just made a scholarship offer. Wright has referred to Penn State as his "dream school."

The day before those four recruits took their visits to Penn State, defensive end Shawn Oakman toured campus on March 26. The Nittany Lions are supposedly in the lead right now for the 6-foot-8 prospect out of Lansdowne, PA.

Last week saw two more visits. Brooklyn defensive end Ishaq Williams stopped by on March 29, while Philly defensive end Deion Barnes was in on March 31. Besides picking up a written offer from Penn State, there hasn't been a ton of news around Barnes. Williams, though, has been steadily rising up the scouting reports for weeks. He now boasts more than 20 offers, including Penn State.

Coming Up

All-American offensive guard Angelo Mangiro, defensive tackle Al Page, and offensive tackle Donovan Smith all attended practice yesterday. Smith reportedly has Penn State in the lead. He plans to attend the Blue-White Game, making him another face to look for on the sidelines.

Defensive tackle Shaun Underwood hasn't set a visit date, but it's been confirmed that Larry Johnson, Sr. made a scholarship offer sometime in March. He previously said that Penn State was at or near the top of his list.

New Offers

Visit the Linebacker-U.com recruiting board for the latest tally of recruits claiming offers from Penn State for 2011.

Just a few names that I've added to the offers board this week. I'll gather more information as the week goes on, and report back to you in next week's recruiting post.

Bronx (NY) defensive tackle Al Page
Richmond (VA) linebacker Curtis Grant
Fuquay-Varina (NC) defensive tackle Shaun Underwood
Fayetteville (NC) tight end Eric MacLain

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Tuesday Recruitin': Kyshoen Jarrett in the bag?

Jarrett could be verbal No. 4 for Penn State.

Kind of a short update today. There hasn't been too much going on in the recruiting world, at least not in Penn State's corner of that world. But hey, NCAA 11 comes out today, and it should be pretty good this year. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Kyshoen Jarrett might be a silent verbal right now for Penn State. Things are looking more and more like the junior from East Stroudsburg is leaning heavily towards the Nittany Lions. Jarrett was offered way back before June, but I would have to believe that the loss of Brandon Phelps to Virginia had something to do with the uptick in Penn State on his list.

Penn State is now in dire need for a highly rated true cornerback prospect. Jarrett would fit that bill. He would be a fantastic in-state pickup, and also put the secondary situation to bed. Beyond one very good corner, Penn State isn't interested in recruiting defensive backs for 2011.

Marquise Wright showed up on the Fight On State message boards again this week. I was tempted to make this into a bigger deal for this post, but depending on how recruiting shakes out the rest of this summer, we may have to dedicate a special rant post that includes this minor bombshell: Cory James reported yesterday that Wright said Penn State had "cooled" on him, leading to the start DT prospect to choose Pitt over the Nittany Lions. Shit, meet fan.

Donovan Smith is hoping to get back to Penn State sometime soon. That's a good thing, considering we haven't heard much since he was up for the Blue-White Game in April. Smith just got back from visits to UConn and Pitt, during which he said the facilities were very impressive. So, figure if he likes UConn, Penn State must be up there.

Cyrus Kouandjio is took a trip to Tuscaloosa for Alabama's final summer camp for high school players. Remember, Cyrus's brother Arie plays for Bama, so it will be tough for any school to compete with the family factor there. That being said, Penn State is still just as in this race as any other program.

Ishaq Williams plans to have a "solid seven" ($) by the end of summer. The question is: will that seven include Penn State? Right now, possibly. He does still like the Nittany Lions, but has been very coy on anything about his recruitment lately. Williams was at Penn State a few weeks ago, but there wasn't anything particularly remarkable to report from it.

Shaun Underwood, as was expected, committed to play for North Carolina. Penn State was in Underwood's top three, but the Tar Heels were the clear-cut No. 1 for a long time. More on UNC in a minute...

Beyond Happy Valley

Virginia has been good to Penn State over the years. Michael Robinson was pulled out of Richmond, and more recently Kevin Newsome hailed from the lush Tidewater Region. But if Mike London and his Virginia Cavaliers have a say in the matter, that will change, beginning with their latest verbal.

"U.Va. beat out Virginia Tech and West Virginia for [Hampton High School quarterback David] Watford. The recruiting drew notice because new Cavaliers coach Mike London delivered on his promise to make the school relevant again in the Tidewater area."

Looks like just one more area where Penn State will have to start watching its back over the next few recruiting classes.

Speaking of the Tar Heels, North Carolina has been tearing it up this class. Besides Underwood today, the Tar Heels pulled in a linebacker, a quarterback, and an offensive lineman, all in Sporting News' SN100, and all in one weekend. But it gets better, those are just three of FIVE recruits to verbal to UNC this week. Butch Davis is cookin' something good down there. Must be that tangy Carolina barbecue.

Nachoooooooo!!! This is Nacho Garcia. Get used to the name. You're going to hear it A LOT over the next two years.

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Tuesday Recruitin': Reviewing the 2011 Offers... all of them

Can Mike McQueary turn Penn State's 2011 recruiting class into something more than mediocre?

It's summertime, and you have better things to do than sit at your computer trying to figure out what's going on in Penn State recruiting. That's where I come in. In today's update, we'll walk through all of the 2011 scholarship offers, in a big one-stop recruiting shop.

Let's get to it.

ATH/RB Remound Wright, Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger
Wright verbally committed on June 18 to play for the Stanford Cardinal

ATH/DB Terrell Chestnut, Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove
Chestnutt is still open. He took a visit to Pitt on June 23, and a second visit to Rutgers earlier in the month. Penn State is still high on his list, but with all the grumbling about Pitt's recruiting pitches lately, you can't be so sure the Panthers aren't either leading now, or at least ahead of Penn State. The Lions want Chestnut, badly.

ATH/WR Darius Jennings, Baltimore, MD/Gilman School
Even though Penn State isn't looking for as many skill players as years past, a loss here with Jennings would be a significant blow to Larry Johnson, Sr. It was only four years ago that LJS single-handedly tore apart the Maryland/DC recruiting circuit for Penn State. But this year isn't looking so sharp. Landing Jennings would be a major spark for the 2011 class.

ATH/WR Bill Belton, Atco, NJ/Winslow Township
Belton verbally committed on June 11 to play for the Pittsburgh Panthers

ATH/WR Miles Shuler, Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch
The battle for Shuler might take on bigger meaning, but more on that later. Shuler cut down his list to 10 schools: Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Northwestern, California, Stanford and Cincinnati. Making that list is big for Penn State, as Shuler is one of the fastest players in 2011, and right in the Nittany Lions' back yard. Rutgers has hosted Shuler more times than any other campus, but that's expected being his home-state university.

QB Cardale Jones, Cleveland, OH/Glenville Academic Campus
Jones' recruitment has been quiet lately, even though he is regarded as one of the better still-uncommitted quarterbacks in the midwest region. Penn State is in Jones' top schools, from what everyone can tell right now.

RB Savon Huggins, Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter's Prep
We already covered Huggins this week, as he picked Penn State in his top-10 schools. Huggins is probably the biggest name recruit next to Cyrus Kouandjio on Penn State's offers board, but there could be a catch here. Huggins has been talking closely with Miles Shuler, which means Huggins might actually turn into a two-fer deal with Shuler.

WR Tobais Singleton, Madison, MS/Madison Central
UCLA is the big leader right now, but Singleton still hasn't made up his mind. Penn State would seem like a real long shot here, but there's always a chance as long as Singleton remains open. Plus, how great would it be to pull a highly rated prospect out of SEC country?

WR Quinta Funderburk, Chesapeake, VA/Oscar Smith
Funderburk is kind of off the radar for most Penn State recruitniks, but his recruitment is very much open. He comes from the same school as 2010 Penn State recruit Evan Hailes, so the Nittany Lions have at least somewhat of an "in" with Funderburk, even if it is only indirectly.

WR Ja'Juan Story, Brooksville, FL/Nature Coast Technical
Story verbally committed on June 28 to play for the Florida Gators.

WR Brandon Reddish, Brooklyn, NY/Fort Hamilton
A quiet addition to the 2011 offers board, Reddish has gained some momentum in terms of higher profile offers--Virginia, Syracuse, Maryland, West Virginia--but doesn't plan on picking a school until signing day. As a junior last fall Reddish caught 30 passes for 760 yards and 12 touchdowns. He recorded 47 tackles and two interceptions on defense.

WR Damiere Byrd, Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek
Byrd is being very heavily recruited by Florida, Rutgers and South Carolina. But the Penn State offer is still out there, and he's still uncommitted. Byrd attended the State College NIKE Camp last month, coming away with a positive impression. Penn State will have to step it up to jump ahead of his leading schools.

Visit the Linebacker-U.com recruiting board for the latest tally of recruits claiming offers from Penn State for 2011.

TE Brian Miller, Andover, MA/Andover
Miller verbally committed on April 25 to play for the Boston College Eagles.

TE Ben Koyack, Oil City, PA/Oil City
Koyack verbally committed on April 27 to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

TE Eric MacLain, Fayetteville, NC/Jack Britt
MacLain verbally committed on April 17 to play for the Clemson Tigers.

TE Marco Jones, Baltimore, MD/The Boys’ Latin School
Jones verbally committed on June 6 to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.

TE Nick Vannett, Westerville, OH/Central
Vannett verbally committed on June 6 to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

This leaves Penn State 0-for-5 on tight end prospects so far!

OL Cyrus Kouandjio, Hyattsville, MD/DeMatha
For such a highly touted recruit (most recruiting services have him the No. 1 offensive lineman), Kouandjio bucks the trend by not eliminating any schools from contention. This could be a very interesting race through the end of the year, as dozens of powerhouse programs are vying for his signature. Penn State would absolutely die for Kouandjio to come to Happy Valley.

OL Spencer Region, Cullman, AL/Cullman
Region pulled the trigger on Auburn right after signing day this year, but then began to have second thoughts. His recruitment has since opened up, and Penn State is surprisingly in the thick of things. Wisconsin and Penn State are the only two northern schools to offer Region, and he told Scout.com that he “like to play someday in Happy Valley," but wouldn't say if that meant for the home team or not.

OL Anthony Zettel, West Branch, MI/Ogemaw Heights
Zettel has narrowed his recruitment somewhat, with most recruiting services listing Michigan and Michigan State as the top two leaders right now. Still, Zettel technically remains open. But it doesn't look like Penn State, or any other non-Michigan school, has much of a chance here.

OL Aundrey Walker, Cleveland, OH/Glenville Academic Campus
The Buckeyes have led from the start, but Walker has not made a verbal. This one looks more like an inevitability than anything else, as Ohio State has been on a tear with recruiting lately. Walker won't pick a school until after he makes five visits this summer. Penn State hasn't been mentioned, but that could change.

OL Kiaro Holts, Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central
Holts verbally committed on June 25 to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

OL Zach West, Lexington, KY/Lexington Christian
Penn State offered West some months ago, taking a few folks by surprise. The Nittany Lions don't usually head to Kentucky for recruits, but they must have seen something in West to make the offer. Besides Penn State, his leaders are Kentucky, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Louisville and Auburn. All of his favorites have offered, except Auburn.

OL Angelo Mangiro, Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury
Penn State has lost a few NJ recruits to Pitt lately, so Mangiro is quickly becoming the next flash point in the recruiting war. A few weeks ago, Mangiro listed Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers and Ohio State as his finalists. The scary thing about Mangiro's timetable is that he wants to commit to a school before the football season starts. Penn State would be much more comfortable going into the fall with Mangiro on the Nittany Lions' commits board.

OL Jay Whitmire, Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams
Penn State would not be mentioned nearly half as much when discussing Whitmire, if not for Larry Johnson Sr. recruiting the VA standout as a defensive lineman, rather than his projected offensive position. Penn State is the only school doing that, but Whitmire swears it hasn't hurt PSU's chances. Pitt is in the mix here, too, so do what you want with that.

OL Donovan Smith, Owings Mills, MD/Owings Mills
Smith is gaining interest from schools to play both sides of the ball, including from Penn State. This is another Larry Johnson Sr. assignment, as you might tell from the location (MD). Smith wants to cut his list down sometime in August, but doesn't know when he will commit to one school.

DT Darian Cooper, Hyattsville, MD/DeMatha
DeMatha high school has been kind to Penn State the past few years. But can LJS make it happen again this year? Cooper is good friends with teammate Cyrus Kouandjio, so this could be the first (more in a minute) of a few package deals in this year's recruiting class. Cooper wants to visit Penn State this week, and has the Nittany Lions near the top of his list. He wants to cut that list down soon, so the visit to State College will be crucial.

DT Shaun Underwood, Fuquay-Varina, NC/Fuquay-Varina
Penn State has sent LJS down on a special assignment this year to land Underwood for the Nittany Lions. This is a big deal. Unfortunately, Underwood has North Carolina as the clear No. 1 of his top three schools. However, the good part is that Penn State is still in that top three. Underwood won't make any decision until after he gets in a few more visits. Expect Penn State to be one of his destinations.

DT Marquise Wright, Paramus, NJ/Paramus Catholic
Wright (shockingly) verbally committed on June 28 to play for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

DT Al Page, Bronx, NY/Christopher Columbus
Page verbally committed on April 14 to play for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

DT Joel Hale, Greenwood, IN/Center Grove
Hale verbally committed on June 7 to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

DE Deion Barnes, Philadelphia, PA/Northeast
Barnes is a regional star in the 2011 class, but that region is the entire eastern half of the U.S. His offers list is growing to include most of the powers east of the Mississippi. Penn State is high on that list, but no higher than many of the other suitors. The offers are still coming in for Barnes, which is slowing down his own timetable for a decision. After losing Marquise Wright to Pitt last week, Ron Vanderlinden could use a nice pickup like Barnes.

DE Deon Green, Orlando, FL/Olympia
Green verbally committed on June 29 to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks [snicker].

DE Rob Burns, Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge
Burns verbally committed on July 1 to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.

DE Shawn Oakman, Lansdowne, PA/Penn Wood
Oakman verbally committed on July 2 to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

DE Ishaq Williams, Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln
Williams is another New York City prospect that's gained plenty of recognition as the 2011 class has developed. Penn State was one of his earliest offers, and remains in strong contention. Williams wants to make a return trip to Penn State this summer, but only after he's seen places he hasn't been to yet.

DE Marco Jones, Baltimore, MD/Boys Latin School
Jones verbally committed on June 6 to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.

DE Jordan Kerner, Fairview, PA/Fairview
Penn State offered Kerner only last week, but it is widely assumed the Nittany Lions are going to be his pick. His offers include Iowa, Maryland, West Virginia, Rutgers, and Minnesota. Iowa is right up there with Penn State on Kerner's list, so it could come down to just these two schools.

LB Lawrence Thomas, Detroit, MI/Renaissance
Thomas verbally committed on March 5 to play for the Michigan State Spartans.

LB Travis Hughes, Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville
Hughes has leaned away from Penn State in recent weeks, mostly due to the ascension of North Carolina to the top of his list. This one doesn't seem to be as much a knock on Penn State, as just another recruit buying into what Butch Davis is cooking down there in Chapel Hill.

LB Maika Polamalu, Pottsgrove, PA/Pottsgrove
Polamalu has been quiet the last few weeks, but even quieter in the Penn State world. Since he had kind of a falling out with himself about how he "fit" into Penn State's defensive scheme, the Lions have either pulled their offer, or just left it as a verbal offer. Either way, I'm not sure Polamalu will end up in Happy Valley.

LB Curtis Grant, Richmond, VA/Hermitage
After it was reported that Penn State verbally offered Grant earlier this spring, things kind of dissolved. There has been no further development, or official offer. But I include Grant on the list anyway because at one point during this recruiting season, Penn State seemed poised to pull the trigger.

LB Andre Sturdivant, Cleveland, OH/Glenville
Sturdivant is one of the best inside linebacker prospects for 2011, and Penn State is very much alive in the race for his commitment. He only got his official offer last week, even though a verbal offer was on the table for weeks. His teammate is Cardale Jones, with whom he visited Happy Valley last week. This is yet another (told you we'd come back to this) possible package deal for 2011, with Sturdivant and Jones.

LB Conner Crowell, Waldorf, MD/North Point
Penn State sent its two big guns, LJS and Vanderlinden, to formally offer Crowell a scholarship. He just wrapped up a big round of visits, including a stop by Happy Valley last week. Penn State is very high on his list. Crowell plans to make his decision on senior night during his team’s final high school game Nov. 7, though it is possible he could commit before that.

CB Brandon Phelps, Damascus, MD/Damascus
Phelps verbally committed on June 25 to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.

CB Doran Grant, Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary
Penn State's chances with Grant took a big hit when he didn't exactly sound enthusiastic talking about the Nittany Lions during the State College NIKE Camp. Grant's recruitment remains open, but he has displayed little interest in Penn State, while others have moved ahead.

CB Demetrious Nicholson, Virginia Beach, VA/Bayside
Since his offer came on June 6, Nicholson's interest in Penn State has remained decent. The problem is, North Carolina is light years ahead of everyone in this race. Penn State, along with every other school outside of Chapel Hill, is a very outside shot to land Nicholson.

CB Dominique Noble, Mount Ulla, NC/West Rowan
Noble was gaining mostly regional interest from the Carolinas, but that's blossomed into a full-blown recruiting war over another Tar Heel State prospect. Penn State is in the mix with Noble, and should host him on a visit this month. With cornerback as another so-so need for 2011, it would be very nice to land a kid like Noble.

CB Albert Louis-Jean, Brockton, MA/Brockton
Louis-Jean verbally committed on March 24 to play for the Miami Hurricanes.

S/LB Mike Caputo, Imperial, PA/West Allegheny
About a week ago, Caputo named his top four schools: Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. He is the only safety prospect Penn State has offered in this class, which means it's not a need position in 2011. Still, I'm sure Penn State would love to grab Caputo, if for no other reason than to stick it to Pitt in an in-state battle.

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