Penn State landed commit No. 20 yesterday, in Nashville linebacker/defensive end prospect Brad Bars. Of course, because Bars is not really rated highly (read: not at all) by any recruiting service, the message boards... have... absolutely... exploded. (warning: premium content)
I already don't take much stock--outside of pure entertainment value--in what goes on within the message board communities; last night's reaction to Bars' commitment just reinforces why I generally avoid partaking in message boarding. We read everything from "I hope this is a joke," to simply "wow." There were a few out there who supported the move by Penn State to sign Bars to a scholarship... few.
I guess the fan-base's discontent mostly comes down to the fact that Penn State used a scholarship on a kid nearly no one had heard of until late Thursday. Bars is a Notre Dame legacy, and had been assumed to be on his way to either South Bend, Harvard (at least he's smart), or a service academy. But I really can't pass judgement on this move until I look into him a bit more. So stay tuned for more on Penn State's newest son.
And of course, what's a commitment announcement without a little...
(via Tim)
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Don't be angry about this, football fans. I seem to recall a few players like this who have graced the field as starting penn state football players and have performed rather well. Here is a list of a few of them:
ReplyDelete1. Rich Orhnberger (OL) - 2-star recruit, recently drafted by the Patriots.
2. Deon Butler (WR) - preferred walk-on who was a part of the most dynamic PSU receiving corps ever.
3. Mickey Shuler (TE) - 2-star recruit. Starting tight end this season
4. Stephon Green (RB) - 2-star recruit, given a scholarship to be a defensive back.
5. Drew Astorino (DB) - 2-star recruit who had a tough decision (sarcasm) choosing between Penn State, University of Buffalo, and Robert Morris. Surprisingly, Iowa had an interest in him as well. Played sparingly as a freshman, starting safety as a sophomore.
So have faith in your Penn State Football coaching staff and their decision to give this little-known recruit a scholarship. Being 6'3" and 235 lbs, while running a 4.5 40-meter-dash is very, very respectable. Plus, the man is perfect Penn State material; being a superior scholar-athlete in high school. So please don't knock him unless you've seen him play. You'll never know when you'll find that diamond in the rough.
Peace.
Spot on, Derek. Penn State typically does fantastic work with lowly-recruited players; particularly finding diamonds in the rough, like the ones you just mentioned.
ReplyDeleteLooking at Bars more closely, it's very surprising that more BCS-AQ (automatic qualifying) programs didn't pick up on him and offer. He has great measurables, and like Derek said, has obviously great academic credentials. Come on, the kid was ready to go to Army and Navy! If that's not a good sign that the kid will stay focused, I dont' know what is.