Tuesday Recruitin': Defensive 'Back' in Focus?

Defensive backs weren't supposed to be the focus of this year's recruiting class, but all of a sudden this week, the secondary is coming into play. With one highly-touted cornerback ready to choose between the Nittany Lions and one of their old arch rivals, and other defensive backs looking hard towards Happy Valley, this is an unexpected flash-point in Penn State recruiting 2011.

Suddenly Secondary...

East Stroudsburg cornerback Kyshoen Jarrett is expected to announce his decision tomorrow at 3 p.m. It's come down to Pittsburgh and Penn State. My money is on the Nittany Lions, but other, much more prominent recruitniks are calling it a toss up, some even calling Pitt the winner. I'll have a post on his decision when it happens tomorrow afternoon.

Connecticut defensive back Christon Gill (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) has reportedly been verbally offered a scholarship. Gill was originally a Class of 2010 prospect, but didn't land a D-IA scholarship offer last year due to academics. He will attend prep school this year (remember, Daryll Clark took this same path) to get his test scores up and graduate early, hopefully for him to enroll in January. This isn't set in stone yet, because of the academic issues. Kermit Buggs has been recruiting him as a safety, with help from Connecticut products Khairi Fortt and Silas Redd. Gill figures to be a mid-range recruit, what other people would call a "three-star" recruit. God, I hate using star ratings.

North Carolina cornerback Dominique Noble is down to two schools officially--Georgia Tech and Penn State. Most will say GT has the definite edge here, but there is a sliver of hope for this one. Noble never got to Atlanta for his visit. He didn't get to Happy Valley, either, but the fact that both schools missed out keeps things a bit more open-ended than I had expected. If Noble waits, and comes to Penn State for an official visit and sees a game, I really do expect things to tighten significantly. One of the best things going for PSU is the gameday atmosphere.

In other news...

Maryland defensive lineman Darian Cooper has narrowed his list to eight or nine schools, including Penn State. His plans are to take five official visits this fall, but isn't yet sure which schools will get those visits, except... Penn State, Georgia Tech, and UCLA are the three schools Cooper will definitely visit for games this year. Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State and Maryland are the other schools vying for the two other visits.

Maryland linebacker Conner Crowell recently listed Penn State in his top three college choices, but he's not going to commit any time soon. The finalists include Ohio State and Stanford, with the Buckeyes the only ones with a definite visit date set for the Miami game on Sept. 11. Crowell plans to get to Penn State this season.

Maryland offensive lineman Donovan Smith cut his list to 12 teams, including Penn State this week: Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, North Carolina, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, UCLA, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Smith would be a huge pickup for this class, as he's already in most recruiting services' top-200 prospects nationally. Smith plans to visit Penn State for the Michigan night game.

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Tuesday Recruitin': Ok, no more 'silent verbal' talk

JoePa cares not for your fancy recruiting talk... Does this photo ever get old? We think not.

Recruiting fans are a unique lot. That much we know. What I apparently should have also known is to study the handy recruiting dictionary before I wrote last week's update.

If I had done just that, I probably could have avoided the push back against my use of the words "silent verbal" when describing East Stroudsburg CB prospect Kyshoen Jarrett. But now I know.

After a few seconds of Googling "silent verbal," I came across a pretty basic description at Visual Box Score of what that term actually means, and why there is even the necessity of its existence in the first place:

"To understand how "silent verbals" occur, just remember the rules that apply in recruiting. The NCAA does not allow coaches to discuss a recruit until the athlete and his family have signed and returned a valid LOI, and until the official NCAA signing period has opened. Prior to that, a school could hypothetically get a verbal commitment from the #1 prospect in the nation, but they couldn't announce it publicly. Prior to the NCAA's official signing period, all public announcements must come from the athletes themselves. Sometimes their families or their friends may leak something to a member of the media.

However, the school and its coaching staff cannot talk about prospects in public until the kid returns a signed LOI on or after the official signing date. Doing so constitutes a violation of NCAA rules."

So this is a rules thing, above all else. The reason we even have silent verbals is due to the fact that its up to the athletes to announce their own verbals, because the coaches can't speak a word to anyone about any recruit until that letter is faxed to the Lasch Building.

Hey, I think I actually learned something this week. Whaddya know!

Visits 'n such...

Speaking of Jarrett--he went to Wisconsin last week.

Dominique Noble will visit next week, July 27. WV RB prospect Allan Wasonga (Rivals/Scout/ESPN) will also come to Happy Valley that day. Wasonga doesn't have an offer yet, but depending on how things shake out in other areas (read: Savon Huggins), it could happen.

Ishaq Williams will go to Ohio State in mid-August. This is one of those *cringe* visits for Penn State fans, because you just know the Buckeyes will come out guns-a-blazin' for this kid.

Quinta Funderburk is cousins with Kevin Newsome. Huh, I did not know that.

"I found out last week that I am cousins with Kevin Newsome. I went to a cookout with my aunt and Kevin was there so we spent some time passing the ball around with each other there. He said some stuff but really wasn't in my ear too much."

Darius Jennings had to reschedule his planned July 31 visit to Penn State.

Happy Trails...

Terrell Chestnut will play in the Big East. That means no Penn State. If Jarrett verbals to PSU, no one with a shred of sanity will remember Chestnut.

Outside the Valley...

IN RB D'Angelo Roberts became Indiana's 20th commitment last week. I only mention this because a while back Roberts was rumored to be waiting on a scholarship offer from Penn State. We never heard anything beyond that, so take it for what it's worth. Penn State was interested in this guy, making it interesting that IU was able to keep him within the Hoosier State.

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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': 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': Spring Evaluation Period Ends (updated)

This story was updated at 9:17 p.m.

Think college football has confusing rules and regulations? Try learning the guidelines that come with college recruiting. They are so bad, most in the media don't even try to explain it to their readers and viewers.

Well, today you're in luck. It's the first day of June, and I'm in a productive mood following the long weekend. Oh, and the spring evaluation period ended yesterday, starting one of the many "quiet periods" that dot the recruiting calendar.

So what are all these fancy-shmancy names the NCAA gives to its recruiting schedule? Here's the short version...

Contact period: When college coaches may make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.

Evaluation period: Authorized athletic staff members can be involved in off-campus activities to assess academic qualifications and playing abilities. Evaluations usually involve a coach or recruiter observing a game or practice. In-person, off-campus recruiting contact ("contact period" stuff) during evaluations is prohibited.

Quiet period: There can be in-person recruiting contact, but only on the college campus.

Dead period: When college coaches are restricted from making in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations. There will be no contact with players, no evaluations of players or no official or unofficial visits during this time.

(For the wonks out there, you can find the official NCAA recruiting calendars HERE, with all the technical jargon.)

The reason I'm mentioning all of this (as opposed to just getting into the actual recruit reports), is because Penn State sent out a handful of new offers this past week, before the end of the evaluation period. Understanding the recruiting calendar is critical to understanding (and predicting) when coaching staffs will move on some recruits, while holding on others. This week, we have some movement.

New Offers

Connor Crowell's latest offers included Penn State. (Photo: ESPN)

Conner Crowell (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Waldorf, MD/North Point
6-1, 220 lbs
Linebacker

Crowell is rising among the Mid-Atlantic programs, particularly after a great showing at the Blacksburg NIKE Camp last month. While still not considered a blue chip recruit, he is rated the No. 38 middle linebacker by Scout, and should come in on the Rivals and ESPN boards somewhere comparable.

The offers list stands around a dozen right now, but that number is subject to interpretation. The consensus includes UConn, Duke, Hawaii, Kansas State, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia, and West Virginia. Other schools supposedly in the mix are Michigan, Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech.

Crowell reportedly wants to narrow his list by the end of the summer.

When it comes to Penn State... Two current Nittany Lions are from Waldorf--fullback Andre Dupree played alongside Crowell at North Point; and receiver Devon Smith played across town, at Westlake. Crowell has said he is very interested in Penn State, particularly for its presence in the DC Metro area. Ron Vanderlinden and Larry Johnson, Sr. are working together on Crowell. Should he keep Penn State in his top schools at the end of the summer, the Nittany Lions have a good chance to land a very good linebacker prospect.

Bill Belton (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Atco, NJ/Winslow Township
5-9, 190 lbs
Multi-purpose/athlete

The offensive star from southwest New Jersey is getting a lot of attention lately, but not as a quarterback, the position he played in high school. Belton is being eyed as either a slot receiver or a running back. He's open to both positions. Scout.com has him rated the No. 13 wide receiver for 2011, while being named to the ESPNU 150. As a junior, Belton accounted for approximately 3,400 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns as a quarterback. He also played defensive back.

Belton's offers list is growing, even though he's been openly trimming schools at the same time. West Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Purdue, Oregon, Penn State, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, and Pittsburgh are on Belton's short list. But he holds offers from more than 20 schools overall, including Maryland, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Rutgers, South Florida, and Wisconsin. Honestly, I'm surprised Rutgers isn't on his short list, but there are a number of reasons any recruit picks or doesn't pick a school.

When it comes to Penn State... Making an early cut is better than not, so I'd have to say that Penn State is in decent shape with Belton. The Nittany Lions only recently offered him. Belton is a rare football talent, who's capable of playing Penn State's "slash" role. That multi-threat position was made famous by Derrick Williams, and is now occupied by Curtis Drake. I would venture to say that if Belton couldn't throw the ball well, Penn State wouldn't have much interest.

Rob Burns (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge
6-8, 226 lbs
Defensive End/blocking Tight End

Burns is a local product--for me, at least. He is a good prospect from a great high school program. The Bulldogs have been a regular in the state finals, taking home a few titles along the way. Burns is currently holding offers from eastern schools, including Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Syracuse, Rutgers, North Carolina, Virginia, Penn State, and Wake Forest. As a junior, Burns had eight sacks at defensive end and is a blocking tight end on offense. He was named first-team All-District, All-County, second team All-Region, and second team All-State.

When it comes to Penn State... Burns is still getting to know Penn State, but that's not terrible news. Penn State has never heavily recruited this area, which is one county west of Evan Royster's home in Fairfax. I'm kind of surprised with that, as the entire Northern Virginia region is full of Penn State alumni. Burns said that academics will be a big part of his decision, which should keep Penn State in the running.

Deon Green (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Orlando, FL/Orangeburg
6-3, 251 lbs
Defensive End

Green is another recruit shooting up the boards. He currently holds more than 25 scholarships, most coming from BCS conference programs. Green recently cut his list, but with so many scholarship offers, cutting down still left him with about 18 contenders. Among those still in the running are Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Mississippi, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, South Florida, Texas Tech, Central Florida, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Louisville and Syracuse also offered, but have been effectively eliminated by Green.

He told the Orlando Sentinel that his "top four" are Clemson, South Carolina, Penn State, and South Florida. Green had 75 tackles and six quarterback sacks last season.

When it comes to Penn State... Green told Blue White Illustrated "Penn State is almost at the top, if not at the top," so there is legitimate interest on his part. This would be a huge coup for the Nittany Lions, never mind the Big Ten overall. Going on down to Florida, plucking out a very highly touted recruit would make some waves on the national scene. But keep in mind that should Penn State strike out, it would just continue the theme that the Big Ten can't compete with the South.

When will Penn State offer one of the best recruits in Pennsylvania? Turns out, TODAY! Kyshoen Jarrett just received the offer from the Nittany Lions. (Photo by Keith R. Stevenson)

Kyshoen Jarrett (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
East Stroudsburg, PA/East Stroudsburg
5-11, 180 lbs
Cornerback

As a sophomore, Jarrett recorded 45 tackles, 2 interceptions and he forced 3 fumbles on his way to earning First Team All-Conference honors. His performance at the State College NIKE Camp a few weeks ago was considered by many as one of the best in the field. Jarrett holds between 12-14 scholarship offers, most from schools east of the Mississippi. So far, the list includes Cincinnati, UConn, Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.

When it comes to Penn State... Jarrett is a favorite among the PSU message boards, but not in a good way. Rated by most services as one of the best cornerback prospects for 2011, fans are chomping at the bit wondering how it's possible that Penn State hasn't offered Jarrett. He's even said that he has been trying to keep in touch with Penn State on his own. I understand that defensive back is not one of Penn State's priorities this year, but unless there's something seriously wrong with Jarrett, an offer better be in the works. Penn State offered Jarrett today, so everything you just read is moot. This is a big offer, for both parties. Look for continued updates this week, right here at LBU.

Offers Coming?

D'Angelo Roberts (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
5-10, 178 lbs
Bloomington, IN/Bloomington North
Running Back

Roberts is expecting an offer soon from Penn State, but there has been no official report that the offer has been sent. Most of his offers have been from local programs, including Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Indiana, and Western Kentucky. Purdue, Michigan State, and Iowa are also looking, and are in a similar position as Penn State. Roberts is a great running threat, amassing more than 2,600 yards last season; but he can also catch the ball, with 400 receiving yards out of the backfield.

Richard Rodgers (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Shrewsbury, MA/St. John's
6-4, 230 lbs
Receiver

Rodgers is a Cal legacy, meaning his recruitment could be moot. However, he's is getting a bunch of attention from some big name programs, including Boston College, California, Maryland, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Virginia. Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, and Syracuse are also supposedly on the verge of offering a scholarship. Rodgers' father played for Cal and is a defensive coordinator now at Holy Cross, and his cousin Jairus Byrd was a cornerback at Oregon and plays for the Buffalo Bills now. Last season, Rodgers had 49 catches for 722 yards and 17 touchdowns, and played defensive end and safety where he amassed 27 solo tackles and four interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. He was named first-team All-League and All-State.

2012...

Noah Spence (Rivals/Scout/ESPN)
Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt
6-3, 225 lbs
Defensive End

It's tough to gauge how many offers a player has at this stage, when all the offers are just verbal. But it looks like Penn State is joining a growing field, as Spence already claims to have about a dozen offers, including from Cincinnati, UConn, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and Virginia. With a verbal offer from the Nittany Lions, it looks like they don't want to let another Bishop-McDevitt star (read: LeSean McCoy) slip through their fingers.

Last football season, Spence made 50 tackles, 20 TFL, 7 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, which was returned 86 yards for a touchdown. As a freshman, Spence recorded 9.5 sacks and was named First Team All-Conference.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our updated offers board!

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