August 24, 2010

Tuesday Recruitin': Deion Barnes down to five schools

Updated 8/25, 7 p.m.

Deion Barnes (ESPN Photo)
Philly lineman Deion Barnes cut his list to five schools this week. Michigan, Penn State, Pitt, Georgia and South Carolina made the list, but it still looks like Penn State is the team to beat. He plans to visit for Penn State's night game against Michigan on Oct. 30, and might announce his decision at the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Game. (Damn, is it really time to start thinking about that game again?) And just a little extra from M-land, MGoBlog.com thinks Rich Rod is walking a tight rope with Barnes, Anthony Zettel, and the two defensive ends already on board. It's interesting.

Zach West is expected to announce tomorrow. It's between Penn State and Kentucky. Update: He picked UK

Miles Shuler is done with Penn State, as he told Scout.com($) that he won't use an official visit for the Nittany Lions, then told Rivals.com that his final list included Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Nebraska, Florida, Notre Dame, Northwestern and Michigan. Notice which team is missing?

This one seems to be a direct result of things breaking down--I still can't figure this one out--with Savon Huggins. The two were probably going to commit to the same school, or at least stay within the same few schools until the very end of the recruiting process. I don't mean to cast Shuler as a tag-along here, but that's exactly what it's looking like.

If there is one thing that I agree on with the OMG!WECAN'TRECRUIT crowd, it's a sense of total befuddlement as to why Penn State has just stopped recruiting some kids that seemed like sure things. How many recruits this year have said something to the effect of "Penn State hasn't been in contact in a while," or "I haven't heard from coach [insert PSU assistant coach] in a few weeks." I don't pretend to know what goes on in Mike McQueary's head. He's the recruiting coordinator, and has done a fantastic job the last five seasons. But this year is just weird.

Dominique Noble committed to Georgia Tech this week, per his Facebook page.

Offer Watch -- Burke(VA) Lake Braddock receiver Matt Zanellato (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) is reportedly gaining more interest from Penn State:
"They only have four offers out to guys who play receiver, but he told me that those guys are primarily defensive backs. He told me if they offer a kid who is just a receiver, I will be getting that offer."
Zanellato isn't what you'd call an elite athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but he did make 43 receptions for 650 yards and seven touchdowns, which isn't bad for high school. Zanellato played for Robinson last season, which is a ground-churning offense that featured two 1,000-yard backs last year. So the 650 yards, when taken into that context, is much better than it is upon first glance. Unless you're coming out of a juggernaut prep school with pro-level quarterbacks, you're not going to put up big numbers through the air in high school. Lake Braddock, however, is a very pass-happy offense. Zanellato should thrive this year, which will bring his stock way up.

2012 -- Frederick(MD) Frederick receiver Jalen Gee is probably going to be very high on the recruiting rankings when next year rolls around. Penn State is in the early running.

**I've finally gotten around to updating the offers/recruiting board, so go check it out!

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1 comment:

  1. Nittany Nation8/25/2010 11:52 PM

    Deion Barnes will make a great choice and play in Happy Valley. We are Penn State!

    ReplyDelete

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