[Updated] Tuesday Recruitin': Cause for Concern; but don't freak out

Updated 2 p.m.

Penn State rarely loses a recruit from the DC Metro area, but UVA head coach Mike London was able to snag Brandon Phelps (pictured) from the Nittany Lions. (Photo: Washington Post)

No intro today. I'm going to just jump right in and give a big old "I told you so!"

University of Virginia's first-year head coach Mike London has been one of my harping points for months now. From my April 6 Tuesday Recruitin':

"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."

Well last week that came to bittersweet fruition, as London picked off very highly touted receiver/cornerback Brandon Phelps, out of Damascus (MD). Phelps had more than 20 scholarship offers, including from Penn State, Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, and a host of other major programs.

This isn't the end of the world for Penn State; not by any stretch of the imagination. But in a year where the Nittany Lions have been painfully slow to get any recruiting momentum, this isn't the kind of news you want to hear, from an area where prospects usually flock to the Blue and White. I see a lot of potential for London and UVA to make a real impact in the mid-Atlantic recruiting scene over the next few years, if not longer.

The Wright Fit... for Pitt

This one genuinely shocks the hell out of me. It shouldn't, but it does. It's also caused the message boards to absolutely explode. NJ DL Marquise Wright reportedly committed to Pitt yesterday. Granted the Panthers have done much better lately in New Jersey, but I'm wondering if there was something deeper going on with Wright's recruitment. Last year, the Pitt coaching staff took Joe-Must-Go style heat for losing Miles Dieffenbach and a few others to Penn State last season. That would have put a ton of pressure on the Panthers to steal at least one or two right from under Penn State's nose in the 2011 class. The Panthers don't just pick up a guy like Wright, without a little shenanigans going on behind the scenes. Wright looks like he could be that ill-gotten booty.

Then there is the fact that I totally struck swinging out on Wright. It wasn't more than two months ago that I projected Wright would surely stay a Penn State lean until he commits in late summer:

"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."

How'd that work out for me?

Two More Say See Ya Later

Devon Cajuste, TE out of Flushing (NY), verbaled to Stanford last week. Like Brandon Phelps, Cajuste is from another supposedly strong recruiting region for Penn State. But this one doesn't look to be as serious, because Penn State only offered Cajuste a few weeks ago. Yes, the Lions should have been getting higher interest from a New Yorker like this one, but I wouldn't read into it so deeply.

Kiaro Holts, Indianapolis OT, and top recruit in the state of Indiana, verbaled to North Carolina last week. He told CarolinaBlue.com that UNC just came out on top of his list, after he broke down each school. When I last touched on Holts, I said it was too early to tell on him. At the time, it was too early. But now pushing two months later, it's not surprising to see him go somewhere besides Penn State. We haven't heard a single bit of good news since the offer went out.

[updated...] Here are a few more recruits over the last month that decided to go elsewhere, despite supposedly heavy interest in or by Penn State...

During all the Big Ten expansion drama, NJ ATH Bill Belton gave his soft verbal to Pitt. This just adds to the Wanstache's push for recruits out of the Garden State.

Not exactly a Penn State lean at any point, the loss of IN DT Joel Hale to the Buckeyes wasn't a surprise. But this still was a player Penn State should have been much more competitive with.

And finally, Baltimore DE Marco Jones, who I actually thought would stay open for Penn State, was picked up by someone I already mentioned in the first edition of this post: Mike London's Virginia Cavaliers. Can I say 'I told you so' more than once in a single post? For this one, yes I can.

Going forward...

It's been a bad week for recruiting. I won't sugar coat anything here. The loss of Wright really stings, with the whole Pitt factor and all. But don't fall into the echo chamber of the message boards, especially those on Rivals and Scout. More than a handful of those folks are recruiting nuts who believe that recruiting is the only thing that matters. Well, they only care about recruiting when there's nothing else to complain about. You know, like winning 51 games in five years, two Big Ten titles, and beating SEC teams on New Years Day. These were the same people who were chanting "Joe Must Go!" during the dark years. Now they're bringing back that mantra because one recruiting class might not be very good.

I don't disagree that this year's class will suck. It happens. But what I do disagree with is that this will destroy the entire Penn State football program for decades to come. That's how it would seem if you camp out on the boards for hours on end, every single day. So, do yourself a favor. Don't freak out about this year's recruiting class. It's not worth the stress.

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Big-Ass 2011 Recruiting Update, Part 4 of 4

Damascus (MD) cornerback/wide receiver Brandon Phelps has Penn State high on his list of college choices. (Photo: Washington Post)

We wrap up our week-long review of Penn State football recruiting, with part four.

Eric MacClain
TE
Fayetteville, NC

MacClain committed to Clemson on April 17. The Tar Heel tight end had originally committed to Lane Kiffin, when he was still coach at Tennessee. But you can't blame him for pulling out of his verbal there. Anyway, Penn State is out.

Curtis Grant
LB
Richmond, VA

Grant is rated the No. 2 linebacker in the nation by Scout.com, propelling him to the top of any major program's recruiting board. About 20 BCS programs have offered Grant, with Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and USC hitting him the hardest so far. He's been working on the visit circuit, going to four schools in one week last month. Seven ACC schools and four SEC schools have offered Grant, along with others from the Big Ten, Big XII, and Pac 10 conferences.

When it comes to Penn State... Grant had been expecting an offer from Penn State, but he's still not listed on any of the major recruiting services Web sites as holding that offer. The coaches were in contact with Grant back in early March, apparently telling him that an offer was in the works, but not finalized. In that time, Grant has strayed away from serious interest in Penn State, even though he still says he wants to visit this summer. There's still time to get back in good with Grant.

Brandon Phelps
DB
Damascus, MD

Phelps is projected as a cornerback in college, despite being listed on the recruiting sites as an all-purpose recruit. He's not exactly considered an elite recruit at this stage, but does hold more than 20 scholarship offers from BCS conference programs. Alabama, Iowa, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are just a few of the biggest names to have offered.

Phelps has most recently visited LSU and Notre Dame, specifically mentioning the Tigers as serious contenders. He said that location is not at all an issue. Phelps also wants to pick a school prior to the football season, to avoid the stress of playing a season while concerned about picking a college.

When it comes to Penn State... Penn State is the only school Phelps has visited twice. The first came in late March, with the return trip for the Blue-White Game. He said both were very impressive, and that Penn State is at or near the top of his list right now. That shouldn't be surprising, as Larry Johnson, Sr. is leading the charge for the Nittany Lions. While an earlier commitment is possible, this one could come in July or August.

Zach West
OL
Lexington, KY

West is a mid-level recruit, in terms of hype. But scouts are slowly finding more about him and what he can do. His offers list isn't nearly as long as other recruits I mentioned in this week's updates, but there are a few schools big enough to draw some more attention as the summer arrives. So far, besides one from Penn State, West claims written offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, and Cincinnati.

When it comes to Penn State... Unless West gets a case of homesickness, it would seem that the Nittany Lions are in great position to pull him out of the Bluegrass State (even though it's really a commonwealth). Offensive linemen are the toughest players to accurately rate before getting into college. You have to think that if the coaches are willing to go to a relatively unknown recruiting ground for the Nittany Lions, West must have something they really want.

Angelo Mangiro
OT
Succasunna, NJ

The junior from northwest New Jersey is making quite a name for himself on the national recruiting scene. Mangiro, currently the No. 3 guard on Scout.com, recently received an invitation to the 2011 U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio. The first school to offer Mangiro was the home-state Rutgers, but more than a dozen more have come in since. Boston College, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina, and USC are just some of the other BCS programs to have offered Mangiro in the past few months.

Mangiro has said that while location is a factor, it's not imperative that he stay close to home. Rutgers has been a leader with Mangiro from the beginning, but schools like Ohio State, Penn State, and Pittsburgh all hosted him for unofficial visits in April. A mid-summer decision is possible for Mangiro, as he wants to eliminate most of the schools before July.

When it comes to Penn State... One of the most telling anecdotes from Mangiro's experiences with the Nittany Lions has come from the early stages of his recruitment. This winter, before Penn State even offered Mangiro, he said how impressed he was with the fact that the Nittany Lions coaching staff likes to get to know their recruits before sending out a scholarship offer, as Josh Moyer of Nittany Network reported in February, "He said he actually finds it flattering Penn State gets to know its recruits first before throwing an offer at him, like some schools." The Nittany Lions are in a great position to stay with Mangiro to the end.

Marco Jones
DE/TE
Baltimore, MD

Jones says he wants to make a decision before the football season begins, which starts the clock for Penn State's prospects with the rising senior. He now holds between seven and nine offers, depending on which recruiting service you read. Those offers include West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Louisville, UConn, Kansas State and North Carolina. Jones recently returned from a trip to Rutgers, which he said impressed him and his mother very much, particularly in terms of the academic prowess of the school. If academics are a priority for Jones and his mom, Penn State should be in the top few schools.

When it comes to Penn State... Three defensive ends--six ends including the tight ends--currently hold offers form the Nittany Lions. The addition of Jones brings the defensive ends count to four. Why does that matter? Well, it doesn't really. But it does give somewhat of an indication that Penn State wants to sign at least one defensive end in this upcoming class. One defensive end might not sound like a lot, especially for Penn State. That's because, well, it isn't a lot. Larry Johnson, Sr. brings in pretty much a new defensive line rotation in each recruiting class. To sign only one defensive end in 2011 would surprise the hell out of a lot more people than just me.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Note: Stay tuned for more updates through this weekend. They will include players that have received recent offers, and are included on our offers board, but haven't been covered in their own posts here at LBU. Consider it like an addendum to this week-long update series.

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Wednesday Recruitin': Blue-White Mish-Mosh

Just the straight dope...

Incoming freshman QB Robert Bolden (top) has been helping his Nittany Lions push for 2012 linebacker James Ross (bottom), Bolden's former teammate at St. Mary's High School in Michigan.

I'm bumping this first point to the top, not because it's more newsworthy than the others in this update, but rather it... well, you'll know why when you read it.

• Michigan standout 2012 linebacker James Ross gained some attention by showing up for the Blue-White Game on Saturday. Ross is from the same school as incoming freshman quarterback Robert Bolden. Apparently, Bolden has been one of Penn State's most vocal recruiters on Ross, constantly calling out "Penn State. Linebacker U." (now you know why I bumped it)

• Two big-time offensive linemen, Maryland's Donovan Smith and New Jersey's Marquise Wright, both told Blue White Illustrated that they thoroughly enjoyed their visits last weekend. Smith said that Penn State will "ride with him until the end," following his visit to campus last weekend. He also took a trip to the University of Maryland earlier last week. In the offers front, Smith recently received an offer from Wisconsin, bumping his total to more than 10. Wright has had Penn State at the top of his list for a while now, so his satisfaction after the Blue-White Game didn't come as a shocker to anyone.

• Maryland corner/receiver Brandon Phelps told Scout.com, “Right now Penn State sits pretty high with me... I’d like to make my decision before [next season] so I can play without having that on my shoulders.” But that doesn't mean anything. Phelps has every intention of keeping his recruitment open to nationwide programs, including south of the Mason-Dixon line, and west of the Mississippi. "It's wherever I feel is going to be the right fit for me whether it's in California, Louisiana or whatever," Phelps told William Weathers of Rivals.com. "It's where the best fit for me." The rising senior has received a scholarship offer from LSU, where he said he's "definitely interested." Phelps now has about 20 scholarship offers going into the month of May.

• Also at the game was one of Ross's teammates, wide receiver Allen Robinson, who told Nittany Network, "Oh, I like this one. This is the No. 1 [visit] by far."

• In-state tight end Ben Koyack gave his verbal commitment to Notre Dame this past weekend, in one of those "Oh, Shit!" moments for Penn State fans everywhere. Koyack was viewed by many as very much in the mix for the Nittany Lions, even though he had narrowed his top choices to the Irish and Ohio State just last week.

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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': In the mix, out of the mix

The winter snow is still melting away, yet we're already getting a good look at what kind of recruits Penn State will make a serious push for in the 2011 class. Sometimes, though, early sure-things can quickly turn into "oh yeah, we did recruit him, didn't we?" That's what happened this week, as several of one-time Penn State prospects virtually ended their chances with the Nittany Lions before they even took hold.