Linkbacker U likes the ground game

We had a last minute issue, so this is going to be a straight link dump post today.

Quick Recruiting Update. Hours after I wrote that Cyrus Kouandjio was still good with Penn State, he narrowed his list to 11 schools. The Nittany Lions didn't make the cut, because they were "too strict."

Curtis Dukes blasted Stephon Morris in practice yesterday, sending the sophomore cornerback to the hospital for a check. Morris is apparently fine, but shaken up. This Penn State running game could be very fun to watch the next few seasons.

More on Curtis Drake from Nittany Whiteout. An expected analysis, but still worth a look see.

ESPN Power Rankings are out. Penn State is about where you'd expect.

The Rivalry, Esq. is now Off Tackle Empire. Good name change, if you ask me. But still the same great blog.

Brandon Wegher isn't practicing with Iowa. This could be a good thing for everyone not the Hawkeyes.

Four major programs are facing NCAA issues. UNC is a team sinking fast, after everyone was looking at them as a not-so-darkhorse BCS team.

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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.

CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED RECRUITING BOARD!

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Rivals, ESPN, Lemming and SN release recruit rankings

It's all coming together now. Nearly two months after Scout released their top 300, this week four other main stream recruiting services posted their own top recruit lists.

But just a quick note before we dive in. I absolutely HATE the star-rating system used by nearly every recruiting service. It's taken me a while, but I've finally vowed to go cold turkey when it comes to recruiting stars. I've touched on this before, but since this is the first major release of star ratings for 2011, I thought now was the time to put it out there.

Here are the recruits who made the list, that are being actively recruited by Penn State. There are some big discrepancies between the four recruiting services, particularly around Curtis Grant and Doran Grant. But a few other recruits get the nod from one or two sets of rankings, but nothing in others.

Tom Lemming releases 100, like Rivals and Sporting News. But ESPN releases 150 recruits in its rankings, meaning they have more room to work with.

Player	Rivals 100	ESPNU 150	SN 100	Lemming
Cyrus Kouandjio	7	6	1	3
Curtis Grant	8	44	34	39
Doran Grant	23	67	11	89
Ishaq Williams	52	27	-	-
Savon Huggins	57	31	16	49
Marquise Wright	61	-	-	-
Darius Jennings	-	97	-	-
Brandon Phelps	-	111	-	-
Tobias Singleton	-	127	82	70
Kiaro Holts	-	143	-	-
Damiere Byrd	-	-	52	-
Terrell Chestnut	-	-	53	-
Angelo Mangiro	-	-	86	-
Jay Whitmire	-	-	-	78

The Rivals 100 has the fewest Penn State recruits listed, while also having Curtis Grant way higher (26 spots higher) than any of the other rankings. But the Rivals 100 does have Marquise Wright ranked all the way up at No. 61, the only service to have him in their top list.

Sporting News' 100 seemed to go rogue on a few recruits, particularly Savon Huggins and Doran Grant. None of the other rankings have either player in their top-20. Keep in mind, though, that Grant has fallen away from Penn State in recent weeks. So, he's not exactly critical here. SN also ranks several players in their top 100 that don't show up in the Rivals 100, or even the ESPNU 150--Damiere Byrd, Terrell Chestnut, and Angelo Mangiro.

Lemming is kind of all over the place, but has the same gist as all the others. I'd say Jay Whitmire's No. 78 spot stands out the most, both figuratively and literally on the above chart.

With only about 15 or 16 scholarships available for 2011, Penn State could end up signing five or six top-100/150 recruits, if all goes well. Of the players who made the chart here, I'd say seven or eight are heavy Penn State leans, if not outright locks.

(Kouandjio Photo: ESPN)

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Big-Ass 2011 Recruiting Update, Part 1 of 4

The post title says it all. Over the next few days, I'll give the best rundowns I can of all 28 (more or less, depending who you read) 2011 scholarship offers Penn State has out to recruits. Here is the first of four updates coming the rest of this week...

Remound Wright
RB/LB
Fort Wayne, IN

When Wright first appeared on our radar, all the way back in February, Indiana, Ball State, Iowa, and Michigan State were his only confirmed scholarship offers. The junior running back from Fort Wayne, Ind. has since upped that number to nine, including Boston College, Minnesota, Northwestern and Stanford. Even thought Ohio State and Notre Dame haven't extended written offers to Wright, the two schools are supposedly interested in him; Wright is, however, willing to listen should the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish.

Wright recently said that Iowa is pushing hard for his services, with more visits and letters than any other program. Wright finished up Saturday's Nike Camp in Columbus, Ohio, so it's not all that far-fetched to assume that if Ohio State is going to offer, it could come in the next few days or weeks.

When it comes to Penn State... it's been a quiet front for Wright. With the Nittany Lions fully stocked at running back, the position isn't a top priority for 2011, and Wright will probably project as a linebacker for the Nittany Lions. Wright is a quality athlete, and we all know how Joe Paterno will find a spot for any good football player.

Savon Huggins
RB
Jersey City, NJ

The Jersey City running back's list of suitors has ballooned to 26 BCS automatic qualifier programs. Since I last checked in on Huggins, the list now includes teams like California, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. There are more, but those are some of the bigger names.

Early last month, Huggins returned from Pitt with nothing but good things to say about the program. Dave Wannstedt even stuck New Jersey natives Dion Lewis and Ray Graham, both running backs, on Huggins the entire time he was in Pittsburgh. But the Panthers are facing a tough fight, not only against the big boys like Ohio State and Alabama, but against Huggins' hometown favorite, Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are very much in the thick of it, as Greg Schiano has done a fantastic job keeping Jersey kids home for college.

When it comes to Penn State... Huggins was on the list to attend Sunday's Nike Camp in State College, but after his coach urged him not to participate in camps, he decided to stay home. It's probably not a big deal, so don't read to far into this. Dick Anderson has been on Huggins from the start, having gained some traction early in the recruiting process. Huggins said he really appreciated how Anderson (who was Rutgers' head coach in the 1980s, and beat Penn State in 1988) took the time to get to know him and his family. Along with Anderson, running back Stephfon Green and one other current Penn State player had been talking to Huggins. If Penn State signs only one running back in 2011, this kid is it.

Quinta Funderburk
WR
Chesapeake, VA

Over the last few months, the receiver from Chesapeake, Va. continued his march up the charts, and now holds a dozen offers, including a bunch of SEC programs. He attended Alabama's spring game a few weeks ago, but hasn't been on many high-profile visits elsewhere.

When it comes to Penn State... Like the running back situation, wide receiver isn't a top priority in 2011. Funderburk is the only true receiver with a confirmed offer from the Nittany Lions. Of course, that will probably change over the next 10 months before signing day. For now, though, this is it, and it's been quiet.

Cyrus Kouandjio
DE/OT
Hyattsville, MD

The nation's No. 1 offensive tackle for 2011, according to Scout.com, Kouandjio is boasting almost 20 offers from BCS automatic qualifiers. More than half of the SEC is going full-bore for the rising senior's services, joining almost every other national player in college football. The one wild-card in Kouandjio's recruitment could be the University of Virginia. As I previously wrote about the Cavaliers, new head coach Mike London is a superstar in the region after winning the national title with Richmond. It's still a long shot, but not long enough to brush off UVA.

Kouandjio seems pretty set on attending a program east of the Mississippi, but he did attend the New Mexico spring game last month. Lobos head coach Mike Locksley has some of the strongest ties to the DC Metro area of any man in college football. Locksley is a DC native, coaching under Ralph Freidgen at Maryland, and later pulled recruits like Arrelious Benn to play for Ron Zook at Illinois. Between Locksley at New Mexico, and London at Virginia, there are two very big X-factors in Kouandjio's recruitment.

When it comes to Penn State... The Nittany Lions are in very good shape with Kouandjio. In early March, he said how much he enjoyed Penn State's campus. But even better for Penn State, after Kouandjio took a visit to Happy Valley on March 27, he told BWI:

"They're very strict, it's a lot like Dematha, my own school. It's a very strict bunch and they'll try to develop you as a true man. I like their style. They always want you to be 10 minutes early for everything, show up at every breakfast and be clean cut. They want you shaved down, no long hair, like businessmen, and I like that."

Kouandjio plays on both sides of the ball, but Penn State is most likely looking at him on the offensive line.

Brian Miller
TE
Andover, MA

Miller one of Penn State's earliest targets. However, the highly-touted tight end out of Massachusetts chose to stay close to home, committing to Boston College on April 25. Miller had indicated that he would pick a school before the end of spring football, and stick to his decision. So, even though Penn State's offer is still standing, there's little to no chance of Miller re-opening his recruitment.

Darian Cooper
DT
Hyattsville, MD

Cooper hails from the same DeMatha High School as Cyrus Kouandjio. Kind of scary to think of two such highly-touted players on the same defensive line. Cooper is up to about 10 scholarship offers, spanning all six BCS automatic qualifier conferences. Most recently, Clemson added its name to the offers list, with a solid "in" since Cooper has grandparents and other family in the Palmetto State.

When it comes to Penn State... Cooper had initially been high on just two programs, Penn State and Maryland. But since then, he's opened up to a more national scope. Still, it's never a bad thing to be one of the first schools a recruit likes. The real prize here would be if either Cooper or Kouandjio commits to Penn State. The Nittany Lions love to have their own recruits and/or players do the pitching. It's completely plausible that if one commits, the other could follow.

Ishaq Williams
DE/TE
Brooklyn, NY

Although Williams is now up to 16 or so scholarship offers, the news has been but a trickle over the last few months. One of the top-rated defensive end/tight end prospects this year, Williams has offers from nearly every corner of the nation, including USC, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida, Miami, and Pitt. I only mention the Panthers along with the other power programs because Williams had come away very impressed after visiting Pittsburgh. He said he was looking for a "calm campus," that didn't offer a lot of distractions.

When it comes to Penn State... Any time New York City is involved, Penn State is in the mix. Originally, Williams was projected to play for the Nittany Lions as a tight end, but was later informed by the coaches that they want him as a two-way player. However, with a few big tight end prospects falling away or committing elsewhere, the Brooklyn native might find a home in the Penn State offense.

Albert Louis-Jean
CB
Brockton, MA

Louis-Jean gave his verbal commitment to Miami on March 24. A top-five cornerback for the 2011 class, Penn State was looking to add his talents to an already solid backfield. This loss isn't a crushing defeat for Penn State, as there are other defensive backs on Penn State's radar, but it would have been a very good prospect if Louis-Jean had left his recruitment open.

Doran Grant
CB
Akron, OH

Grant is one of the most highly-touted cornerbacks in the 2011 recruiting class. With more than 20 offers on the table right now the Akron product can pretty much take his pick when it comes to playing college football. However, with all those offers, he has only expressed high interest in Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC. In April, Grant revealed his top-seven to Scout.com:

"Ohio State is at number one. Then there's Michigan State at two, Michigan at three, West Virginia at four, USC is five, and there's a tie right now at six between Penn State and Georgia Tech."

When it comes to Penn State... That's the problem, since he gave out his top-seven, it appears Penn State has fallen away. But appearances can be decieving. FOS's Mark Harrington reported that Grant took a surprise visit to Happy Valley on Saturday, the day before the NIKE Camp, adding that Grant is "seriously considering Penn State among his college choices." At Sunday's Nike Camp in State College, Grant came away as one of the most impressive players on the field, earning defensive MVP honors. But BWI's Sean Fitz put a damper on any excitement about Penn State's chances with Grant, with this ominous forecast following the NIKE Camp, "I still don't think there's much of a chance of him ending up at Penn State."

Next up: 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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Wednesday Recruitin': 'Spacey,' the Terrelle Pryor repellent

Visit the Linebacker-U.com recruiting board for the latest tally of recruits claiming offers from Penn State for 2011.Nittany Lions recruiting coordinator has been running non-stop to ensure Penn State's 2011 recruiting class packs enough punch

Well, it's finally posted, so here's what normally would have been your Tuesday Recruitin' fix.

I simply could not fathom how many contacts Mike McQueary must have on his cell phone. I realize that he does not contact every recruit Penn State is going after; that's up to the regional recruiters, like LJS and Scrap. But the guy has to be ready to talk with any one of those recruits, at any time. Think about it.

Anyway, on with the update...

(Rivals/Scout/ESPN)

New Offers

• Defensive lineman Shawn Oakman (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) out of Lansdowne (PA) picked up a written scholarship offer from Penn State. He currently has the Nittany Lions as a heavy favorite, citing the tradition in Happy Valley. Oakman is also a stud on the basketball court, as you would expect from a guy who stands 6-foot-8, but a lean 240 pounds. Ron Vanderlinden is apparently on his trail.

• All-purpose athlete prospect Darius Jennings (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) was sent his written scholarship offer last week. So, we can officially mark him down.

Recruiting Zuggets

• Terrell Chestnut took a big visit to Rutgers last Thursday. The trip included the full deck of pitches, from facilities to academics. Chestnut told ScarletReport.com:

“It’s definitely a school I was interested in, and we’d been in contact with the coaches for a while,” Chestnut said. “I wanted to give my family a feel where I could possibly stay the next four years, and to meet the coaches I would be around.”

Rutgers is an interesting situation to watch this year, not only because of their possible invitation to the Big Ten, but how that might influence recruits along the eastern seaboard. That's pure speculation, sorry. But it's an interesting point to follow over the next 10 months or so.

• Marquise Wright was supposed to visit Penn State this past weekend, but plans fell through for no apparent reason. He said that contact with the Nittany Lions' coaching staff has tapered off, but Wright's own coaches were still in touch often with Penn State. This doesn't look like anything serious, especially since he said just two weeks ago that Penn State was his “dream school.”

• Running back Savon Huggins swung south this week, visiting Georgia, Alabama and the rest of the SEC. He does plan to visit Penn State for a practice this spring, but probably won't be at the Blue-White Game on April 24.

• Small planet Cyrus Kouandjio told BWI that he liked Happy Valley because, "I really like the campus, it's nice and big, spacey*, that's what I like about it." But that was only from his Nike Camp workout last year. Kouandjio hasn't been back to Penn State, but all is not lost. His race is still wide open.

*Spacey - adj. "too country"

• Tight end Ben Koyack just received a scholarship offer from LSU. He has been putting together quite a list of suitors. But Penn State is still up top for the Oil City prospect. Right now, Koyack likes Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State the most, even though Pitt and Florida are closing the gap.

• Red Bank Catholic tight end Jack Tabb (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) revealed last week that Penn State was his No. 1 team, even though the Nittany Lions haven't extended an offer. There was a rumor floating around that Penn State was verbally hinting at an offer, but that turned out to be false.

2012. Already?

This is what you get with recruiting. There's never a prospect too young to scout. Of course, this isn't nearly like USC's 13-year-old commit, but not exactly what we're used to from Penn State.

• James Ross, Jr. (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) is already being heavily recruited by in-state rivals Michigan and Michigan State. He told the Detroit News:

“There is another school, Penn State, that we're looking at,” Ross Jr. said. “They recruited (quarterback) Rob Bolden from our school and he committed to them. So (Penn State assistant) Coach (Ron) Vanderlinden has been talking to me. I actually sent him my highlight tape and he said he really liked it.”

Ross is a 6-foot-0, 200-pound linebacker who's raised eyebrows early in his career, led his Eaglets' defense with 103 tackles, five sacks, five forced fumbles, seven fumbles recovered and an interception.

• Eddie Goldman (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) from Edison-Friendship Public Charter in Washington, DC, was told by Larry Johnson, Sr., that a scholarship offer will be extended to him when the time comes. For now, it's just a verbal offer. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound rising junior made more than 40 tackles and three sacks last season, and already runs a sub-five-second forty. Goldman is very, very high on the local team, Maryland, having visited the campus four times.

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Tuesday Recruitin': More 2011 Offers (updated)

Updated 5 p.m.

Savon Huggins

In last week's offers update, we touched on some of the early scholarship offers Penn State has made to several highly-regarded high school prospects. In today's update*, we'll go over even more offers put out there the last few weeks. By next week's update, I expect to have a full offers board posted, which we'll update as the offers are handed out.