Recruiting Board, Jan. 6

Added since last update: Commit No. 23, DE Jordan Hill. Hill is only rated about 2-3 stars, but Penn State has a knack for developing these kinds of guys into real players. He has great size (6'3" 290lbs) and is quick enough for now. Penn State could be losing a lot from the 2006 class, so defensive linemen are a top priority at this time.

Name_______________	Stars	Committed	HT/WT/40	Hometown/School
QB Kevin Newsome	4/4	12/16/08	6'3"/215/4.55	Portsmouth(VA)/Churchland
RB Curtis Dukes	4/3	7/2/08	6'2"/235/4.5	Philadelphia/IndianRiver
WR Brandon Felder	3/3	5/27/08	6'3"/165/4.5	OxonHill(MD)/OxonHill
WR Christian Kuntz	2/2	7/4/08	6'4"/190/4.46	CampHill/Trinity
OL Eric Shrive	5/4	5/15/08	6'7"/290/5.1	Scranton/WestScranton
OL Mark Arcidiacono	4/2	4/30/08	6'5"/285/--	Philadelphia/St.Joe's
OL Ty Howle	3/3	3/23/08	6'2"/290/5.4	Bunn(NC)/Bunn
OL Adam Gress	3/3	7/2/08	6'7"/290/5.22	WestMifflin/WestMifflin
OL Nate Cadogan	3/3	7/11/08	6'6"/250/5.0	Portsmouth(OH)/Portsmouth
OL Frank Figueroa	2/2	5/15/08	6'4"/275/--	Alexandria(VA)/Edison
DL Sean Stanley	3/4	Soft	6'1"/247/4.81	Gaithersburg(MD)/Gaithersburg
LB Glenn Carson	4/3	9/29/08	6'3"/220/4.6	Manahawkin(NJ)/Southern
LB Gerald Hodges	4/4	12/12/08	6'3"/210/4.5	Paulsboro(NJ)/Paulsboro
DE/TE Gary Gilliam	3/2	11/13/08	6'7"/245/4.80	Hershey/MiltonHershey
DE Jordan Hill	2/2	01/5/08	6'3"/290/4.70	Steelton/Highspire
CB Derrick Thomas	3/4	5/12/08	6'0"/173/4.48	Greenbelt(MD)/E.Roosevelt
CB Stephon Morris	3/3	5/26/08	5'9"/175/4.4	Greenbelt(MD)/E.Roosevelt
CB/QB Curtis Drake	3/2	6/11/08	6'0"/170/4.68	Philadelphia/WestPhila.Cath.
DB S. ObengAgyapong	3/3	5/9/08	5'11"/185/4.5	Cheektowaga(NY)/JFK
DB Malcolm WIllis	3/3	4/29/08	6'1"/185/4.65	IndianHead(MD)/Lackey
DB Darrell Givens	4/4	5/10/08	6'1"/178/4.5	IndianHead(MD)/Lackey
DB/WR Devon Smith	3/3	10/1/08	5'8"/145/4.34	Waldorf(MD)/Westlake
K Anthony Fera	3/3	10/22/08	6'2"/230/--	Houston(TX)/PiusX

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Recruiting Board, Dec. 19

Penn State made a slight jump in the recruiting class rankings to No. 11 on Scout.com and No. 17 on Rivals.com. Yeah, the Kevin Newsome pickup was huge.

Name_______________	Stars	Committed	HT/WT/40	Hometown/School
QB Kevin Newsome	4/4	12/16/08	6'3"/215/4.55	Portsmouth(VA)/Churchland
RB Curtis Dukes	4/3	7/2/08	6'2"/235/4.5	Philadelphia/IndianRiver
WR Brandon Felder	3/3	5/27/08	6'3"/165/4.5	OxonHill(MD)/OxonHill
WR Christian Kuntz	2/2	7/4/08	6'4"/190/4.46	CampHill/Trinity
OL Eric Shrive	5/4	5/15/08	6'7"/290/5.1	Scranton/WestScranton
OL Mark Arcidiacono	4/2	4/30/08	6'5"/285/--	Philadelphia/St.Joe's
OL Ty Howle	3/3	3/23/08	6'2"/290/5.4	Bunn(NC)/Bunn
OL Adam Gress	3/3	7/2/08	6'7"/290/5.22	WestMifflin/WestMifflin
OL Nate Cadogan	3/3	7/11/08	6'6"/250/5.0	Portsmouth(OH)/Portsmouth
OL Frank Figueroa	2/2	5/15/08	6'4"/275/--	Alexandria(VA)/Edison
DL Sean Stanley	3/4	Soft	6'1"/247/4.81	Gaithersburg(MD)/Gaithersburg
LB Glenn Carson	4/3	9/29/08	6'3"/220/4.6	Manahawkin(NJ)/Southern
LB Gerald Hodges	4/4	12/12/08	6'3"/210/4.5	Paulsboro(NJ)/Paulsboro
DE/TE Gary Gilliam	3/2	11/13/08	6'7"/245/4.80	Hershey/MiltonHershey
CB Derrick Thomas	3/4	5/12/08	6'0"/173/4.48	Greenbelt(MD)/E.Roosevelt
CB Stephon Morris	3/3	5/26/08	5'9"/175/4.4	Greenbelt(MD)/E.Roosevelt
CB/QB Curtis Drake	3/2	6/11/08	6'0"/170/4.68	Philadelphia/WestPhila.Cath.
DB S. ObengAgyapong	3/3	5/9/08	5'11"/185/4.5	Cheektowaga(NY)/JFK
DB Malcolm WIllis	3/3	4/29/08	6'1"/185/4.65	IndianHead(MD)/Lackey
DB Darrell Givens	4/4	5/10/08	6'1"/178/4.5	IndianHead(MD)/Lackey
DB/WR Devon Smith	3/3	10/1/08	5'8"/145/4.34	Waldorf(MD)/Westlake
K Anthony Fera	3/3	10/22/08	6'2"/230/--	Houston(TX)/PiusX

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Penn State Verbals for 2009

Here's who Penn State landed so far, for it's 2009 class. I'll have another post today or tomorrow, listing the Nittany Lions' top prospects who have not yet given verbals to any schools.

Name___________________	Stars	Committed	HT/WT/40	Hometown/School
OL Eric Shrive	5/4	5/15/08	6'7"/290/5.1	Scranton/WestScranton
LB Glenn Carson	4/3	9/29/08	6'3"/220/4.6	Manahawkin(NJ)/Southern
DB Darrell Givens	4/4	5/10/08	6'1"/178/4.5	IndianHead(MD)/Lackey
OL Mark Arcidiacono	4/2	4/30/08	6'5"/285/--	Philadelphia/St.Joe's
RB Curtis Dukes	4/3	7/2/08	6'2"/235/4.5	Philadelphia/IndianRiver
K Anthony Fera	3/3	10/22/08	6'2"/230/--	Houston(TX)/PiusX
OL Ty Howle	3/3	3/23/08	6'2"/290/5.4	Bunn(NC)/Bunn
DL Sean Stanley	3/4	Soft	6'1"/247/4.81	Gaithersburg(MD)/Gaithersburg
TE/DE Gary Gilliam	3/2	11/13/08	6'7"/245/4.80	Hershey/MiltonHershey
CB Derrick Thomas	3/4	5/12/08	6'0"/173/4.48	Greenbelt(MD)/E.Roosevelt
CB Stephon Morris	3/3	5/26/08	5'9"/175/4.4	Greenbelt(MD)/E.Roosevelt
CB/QB Curtis Drake	3/2	6/11/08	6'0"/170/4.68	Philadelphia/WestPhila.Cath.
OL Adam Gress	3/3	7/2/08	6'7"/290/5.22	WestMifflin/WestMifflin
DB Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	3/3	5/9/08	5'11"/185/4.5	Cheektowaga(NY)/JFK
WR Brandon Felder	3/3	5/27/08	6'3"/165/4.5	OxonHill(MD)/OxonHill
DB Malcolm WIllis	3/3	4/29/08	6'1"/185/4.65	IndianHead(MD)/Lackey
OL Nate Cadogan	3/3	7/11/08	6'6"/250/5.0	Portsmouth(OH)/Portsmouth
WR Devon Smith	3/3	10/1/08	5'8"/145/4.34	Waldorf(MD)/Westlake
OL Frank Figueroa	2/2	5/15/08	6'4"/275/--	Alexandria(VA)/Edison
WR Christian Kuntz	2/2	7/4/08	6'4"/190/4.46	CampHill/Trinity

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Penn State's busy recruiting day

All of the major recruiting Web sites are buzzing today with the rumor that one of the nation's top offensive linemen will commit to the Nittany Lions in the near future. That, coupled with the verbal from another highly regarded lineman, is cause for celebration among Penn State fans. Frankly, it's been a pretty damn good two weeks for Penn State recruiting.

Eric Shrive (West Scranton HS) is rated by Scout.com as a five-star recruit and the third best tackle for 2009. He's a four-star according to Rivals.com. (Not that the stars matter anyway, as previously discussed) Towering around 6'7", Shrive has the physical build to play early. He also fits Joe Paterno's preference for lean agility over mass. Shrive weighs between 285 and 300.

Since I hate the star rankings, I'll give you my opinion on how to correctly judge Shrive's potential on the collegiate level. Look at which schools offered him a scholarship: Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma. Most of those schools know how to recruit. A few more know how to get to BCS games. If they think Shrive can play, then he must have at least some talent.

Adding to the good news was Edison HS (Alexandria, VA) lineman Frank Figueroa. His good size (6'4" 275) indicates that Penn State is shifting its focus for lineman. More emphasis is being placed on size. Although he's not ranked very high, Figueroa will add precious depth to the offensive front. As of today, Penn State has seven verbal committments, most of which are top-50 position prospects. Not bad for late spring.

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