Tuesday Recruitin': Mangiro down to four; So long Shuler?

Tuesday Recruitin' took a break for a few weeks, but is now back with the latest Penn State football recruiting news.

The fans have been grumbling of late about the lack of solid verbal commits for Penn State's 2011 class. That's justified, when you consider that Penn State had EIGHT commits by this time last year. Many of those guys were very highly touted recruits, too. So it's not like Penn State piled up two- and three-star (I HATE star ratings, by the way) recruits for the first half of its 2010 class.

But we could see some very positive movement by the end of June, from some of Penn State's most highly recruited prospects.

Alex Mangiro

Mangiro's list is down to four, after he dropped Boston College last week. The problem is that one of the other three competing for Mangiro is Ohio State. It looks like he wants to keep things relatively local, except for the Buckeyes. Mangiro's list is now down to four, with OSU, Penn State, Rutgers, and Pitt making the cut.

There was a bit of negative recruiting going on, and could still be going on, with at least one of Mangiro's suitors. Apparently Joe Paterno's retirement has been brought up enough times for Mangiro to mention it in an interview with Scout.com's Matt Alkire. Even though Mangiro doesn't seemed phased by any of it, it is still interesting that coaches are still trying to use that against Penn State.

Even though Ohio State is always a tough nut to crack in a head-to-head recruiting battle, it would seem Penn State's immediate threats are Pitt and Rutgers, if only for the location issues with Mangiro. He does want to visit all four schools before he makes his decision prior to the football season, which would bode well for Penn State. Mangiro has already been to University Park a few times, but hasn't yet done much with the other three.

I won't go into calling him a sure thing, but Mangiro could make Penn State recruitniks very pleased by the end of the summer.

Visits Set/Coming

• Shawn Oakman is looking to visit on June 27. Oakman has looked like a solid Penn State guy from the beginning, and still does. But if you wanted some extra drama sprinkled on top of this news, Oakman is visiting Pitt two days before his trip to Happy Valley. His leaders right now are PSU, Pitt and Temple (obviously staying local), which should signal a decent road for the Fightin' Paternos.

• Miles Shuler could be Rutgers-bound, but Penn State is still hoping for a strong push this summer. He's apparently trying to set up a visit sometime soon, but no word yet on when. His dad has been very high on the Scarlet Knights, and is supposedly very active on the Rutgers message boards.

• Roanoke (VA) Cave Spring safety Michael Cole was up for the Blue-White Game, but wants to come back to Penn State for another round. He's a rising prospect in the Virginia region, which Penn State loves to dive into for recruits. Cole is looking at local schools like UVA right now, but his enthusiasm for another visit to Happy Valley is encouraging.

• Fairview (PA) defensive end Jordan Kerner is hoping to get an offer from Penn State during his visit this weekend. Boston College, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Rutgers and West Virginia have all offered Kerner, and he'll head to Happy Valley next weekend. He visited for the Blue-White Game, and has been in contact Mike McQueary.

• Conner Crowell should get to visit Happy Valley next week. The trip should include UConn, North Carolina, Ohio State, Rutgers and West Virginia among other programs.

Offers

Devon Cajuste
(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Flushing, NY/Holy Cross High
6-4, 215 lbs
Receiver

I missed this one a few weeks ago, so shame on me. But Penn State apparently offered Cajuste in early June. He's a decent wide receiver prospect, with fantastic academics. His offers list stands at Boston College, UConn, Harvard, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, and Syracuse. As a junior, Cajuste caught 40 passes for 921 yards and seven touchdowns. He also competes in track and field where he runs the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes and participates in the high jump and javelin. His personal best in the high jump is 6-foot-2.

Etc... Quarterback Cardale Jones got an offer from Purdue last week, but he's still very high on Penn State. It's supposedly just a verbal offer, but that depends on where you hear it... cornerback Kyshowen Jarrett had been offered a while back, but Scout just confirmed it for themselves... 2012 defensive end Noah Spence from Bishop McDevitt HS was on campus this past weekend. He spent most of his time with Larry Johnson, Sr. so we know the big guns are already being brought up for him... I promise I'll finally update the recruiting board tomorrow. Pinky swear!

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Tuesday Recruitin': PSU sends out new round of offers

Madison Central's star receiver/returner Tobias Singleton (1). (Photo: B.B. House)

Penn State unleashed five new scholarship offers over the last two weeks, in what looks like a concerted push to lock in a few commitments before the dog days of summer roll around, only a few short weeks away. Here are those five new offers, as best I can tell, for Penn State's 2011 recruiting class.

Tobias Singleton
(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Madison, MS/Madison Central
6-1, 190 lbs.
Wide Receiver

Singleton holds around 10 scholarship offers, mostly from schools in the SEC regions. Six teams from the SEC, including Alabama, along with Oklahoma from the Big XII, USC from the Pac 10, and Notre Dame make up the biggest BCS programs to offer so far. In 2009, Singleton caught 55 passes, for 890 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. The rising senior was also a fantastic kickoff return specialist, with an average of 37 yards per return, including three touchdowns. Currently, Singleton is the No. 16 wide receiver on Scout.com, on the Rivals250 watch list, and an ESPNU 150 prospect. He also accepted an invitation to the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Game.

When it comes to Penn State... I pointed out during last week's Big-Ass 2011 Recruiting Update that Penn State isn't looking for many wide receivers in this year's class. However, if a prospect like Singleton shows enough interest following the scholarship offer, the Nittany Lions would be smart to pursue him to the end. Kristian Dyer of FOS quoted Singleton, “We sat down and talked for a long time, me and the coach. We talked academics and about Penn State and the way they use their wide receivers,” Singleton said. “It was real good, I liked it a lot.”

Andre Sturdivant
(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Cleveland, OH/Glenville Academic Campus
6-2, 250 lbs.
Linebacker

Seven Big Ten schools have officially offered Sturdivant, including Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He is listed on the Rivals250 Watch List, and the No. 8 inside linebacker prospect on Scout.com. At his size, Sturdivant is projected as a rush end in a 3-4 defense. The Buckeyes appear to be leading at this point, but he maintains that his recruitment is still wide open. Prospects from Glenville tend to take their time when choosing a school, so it wouldn't surprise many should Sturdivant wait until late August, or even after the football season, to make his pick.

When it comes to Penn State... There hasn't been much chatter about Sturdivant, other than that the staff has extended the scholarship offer. As the summer recruiting period heats up, there could be more news on Sturdivant.

Cardale Jones
(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Cleveland, OH/Glenville Academic Campus
6-5, 217 lbs.
Quarterback (Pro-Style)

Jones is the third prospect Penn State is pursuing out of Glenville, joining Andre Sturdivant and Aundrey Walker. Jones now holds about eight scholarship offers, including Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, and West Virginia. He is the No. 26 quarterback on Scout.com, and an ESPNU 150 recruit for 2011. In 2009, Jones passed for 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns. The summer break should offer Jones the chance to make his official visits, particularly around Big Ten country.

When it comes to Penn State... The Nittany Lions are actually in a good spot right now, with Jones waiting to crank up his recruitment until the summer. I'm not entirely sure Jones will end up as a top priority, with so many very-highly-touted quarterbacks on the roster for 2010. But he does have great measurables, and will be worth going after. On the offers front, Nittany Network's Bill Kurelic commented that "In absence of an Ohio State offer, the race for Jones seems pretty wide open."

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

Kiaro Holts
(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central
6-5, 278 lbs.
Offensive Tackle

Nearly 20 BCS automatic qualifiers have sent scholarship offers to Holts, with Boston College, California, USC, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin among them. The rising senior is on the Rivals250 watch list, ESPNU 150, and is ranked the No. 5 offensive tackle prospect on Scout.com. Holts hasn't narrowed his list much since early spring, as he wants to finish up all his visits before choosing any finalists. He also has been open to going to school anywhere in the nation.

When it comes to Penn State... Notice a trend yet in Penn State's 2011 recruiting effort? Holts will be the seventh pure offensive tackle prospect on the Nittany Lions offers list, and that's not including other offensive and defensive linemen who could switch to the outside O-line. There will be surely more to come. Penn State is probably looking to sign three or four offensive linemen in this haul. Holts will be a fantastic commit should he settle on the Nittany Lions. But it's way too early to prognosticate on Holts.

Not an offer, but...

Spencer Region
(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Somerville, AL/Cullman
6-6, 325 lbs.
Offensive Guard

Region has had trouble with commitment this recruiting season. He was prepared to pick Alabama in early February, but then reopened his recruitment. Region then made his verbal commitment to the Crimson Tide's arch rival, Auburn. Now, he's waffling once again, reopening his recruitment a second time. With nearly a dozen offers, Region will have many suitors scrambling to take advantage of this new window of opportunity. But Region says that if he decides on a new school, it will be one of a few already in mind. Josh Moyer of Nittany Network was on top of the story, writing that "the 6-foot-5, 339-pound prospect said his top five consists of Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State and Auburn. He holds written offers from every school except Texas." Region is one of the highest-rated offensive linemen in the nation, accepting an invitation to play in the 2011 Under Armour All-American Game.

When it comes to Penn State... While any school would love to get a prospect like Region, his inability to make up his mind could hurt his chances with the Nittany Lions. Penn State doesn't like to play games with recruits, so I'm not sure how much the coaches will go after Region now that his recruitment is open again. Still, if a top-rated recruit says he's seriously interested in your program, you listen, at least for a little while.

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