Bleachers College Sports 2010 PENN STATE RECRUITING CLASS RE-CAP
| 17 February 2010
Written By: Mike Miller
For those who follow recruiting National Letter of Intent Day is a high holiday. All year long we closely follow the lives of elite high school athletes anticipating and hoping that they sign with our school and shape a successful winning program. The 2010 recruiting season was a very successful one for Penn State. Not only did we fill a lot of needs, our staff seemed to go beyond expectations in filling this class with an extremely talented group of athletes. Rivlas.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com all selected our class as the best in the Big Ten. Rivals ranked our class #12 nationally; Scout gave us a final ranking of 9 and ESPN ranked our class #11 in the nation.
The following is a breakdown of the individuals in Penn State's class of 2010 as well as a breakdown of our needs and what the staff was able to do to reach their goals of filling certain positions.
OFFENSE- We start with the offense. As many of you know, Darryl Clark had a great college career. He went 22-4 in his two years as a starter, set many Penn State records and was the first Penn State quarterback to ever throw for over 3,000 yards. Losing Clark to graduation and hopefully the NFL puts a major void in our future and created a glaring need to recruit at least one quarterback. Wide Receiver talent on the Penn State roster is not lacking but the staff was able to add to that depth with a couple of solid recruits. With the return of Evan Royster for his senior year, running back was not immediately important to the program. However, the staff did a great job seeking out talent and convincing prospects to join our program. Tight End was another position of need for the program with the loss of Andew Quarless and Mickey Shuler. We were able to land several prospects that may end up adding to the depth chart at that position. Finally, you can never have enough depth on the offensive line and over the last several years Penn State has been very successful at finding big, athletic kids with great potential at every line position. This year was no exception.
The following is a breakdown of each individual offensive recruit.
Quarterbacks - As mentioned above, quarterback was a great need for our football program considering Kevin Newsome, a true sophomore is the only scholarship quarterback currently on our roster (I am aware that Matt McGloin has earned a scholarship, but I do not consider him a scholarship level quarterback). The staff added two highly rated prospects in this class. Both are similar athletes with great arms and athleticism and both have the ability to grab the starting job as early as their true freshman campaign.
Paul Jones 6'3 226 lbs McKees Rocks, PA **** - Jones is a prototypical pocket passer who does have some athleticism and the ability to scramble with his legs. He was an Army All American selection and has been ranked a 5 star QB by Scout and a 4 Star QB by Rivals. He has a very similar body type to Darryl Clark and although a little raw is said to be further along than Clark was at the same point in his career. He is known for being very accurate with a more than adequate arm. Jones has enrolled early at Penn State and will have the opportunity to participate in spring practice and compete against Newsome, McGloin and others for the starting QB position in the fall. Jones has a great deal of talent and makes up possibly the best recruiting class of qb's ever at Penn State. Like any other high school quarterback he has work to do getting acclimated to our system and improving his reads and mechanics. Jones has been a top target of ours for a long time and Tom Bradley and company did a lot of good work to get him on our campus. The potential is there and he has an opportunity to develop early and play early.
Robert Bolden 6'4 195 lbs, 4.5 40 yd speed Orchard Lake, MI ****- Bolden is another highly rated, highly athletic quarterback. He is a smoother athlete than Jones and is definitely faster. Before the conclusion is made that he will eventually switch positions, let it be known that Bolden has an excellent arm and is said to be a future star. He did not have a great senior season but it probably had more to do with his supporting case than it did himself. Bolden is the perfect quarterback to play in the Michael Robinson style Spread HD. He has the ability to stretch a defense with his arm strength and put fear in their hearts with the ability to scramble all the way for a touchdown during a broken play. Unfortunately for him, he is not enrolling until the June summer session and will not be able to participate in the spring drills ala Jones. Jones will have the leg up in regards to learning the system and you may see Bolden redshirted if he doesn't dazzle in fall practice to create a separation in class between the two quarterbacks. Bolden is not afraid of competition and was not scared away by Jones signing on. This is a great trait to have in a young leader and I am looking forward to seeing his athleticism and arm strength in the near future. As I said before he is a perfect fit for the actual spread HD which can be run with an incredibly gifted athlete at QB. Bolden fits that Terrelle Pryor type mode and if he wins the job sooner rather than later he could be a lot of fun to watch. He needs to improve his accuracy and mechanics and he also needs to learn the system like Jones, but competition is a great thing for our program.
Running Backs- Although not a huge need for our program right now, Penn State was able to go out and land, what in my opinion is one of the top 10 running backs in the nation. Evan Royster returns as does Stephon Green, Curtis Dukes, Brandon Beachum (ACL recovery) and Brent Carter. There is depth for Penn State, but Silas Redd, the sole running back signed in this class can be described as dynamic. He can only help add to our depth and will probably not redshirt this year as you can expect him to be a major contributor on special teams.
Silas Redd 5'10 200 lbs 4.45 40 yd speed, Stamford, CT ****- Silas Redd is special. He comes from Connecticut where the competition may not be great, but if you watch film on this kid he pops out at you. He has great speed and perfect size to run between the tackles. He has a perfect running backs' body with the ability to shake defenders or run them over. He is bigger than Stephon Green and only slightly slower. At this moment although Green has the experience, you would have to say that with Dukes moving to Fullback, Redd looks to be the heir apparent to Royster. Redd is probably the guy I am most excited about in this class. He was originally recruited as a corner, but demanded that he wanted to play running back. It is a good thing Penn State offered him a chance at tailback because we were his dream school and he has an opportunity to be a great one. He was an Army All American this year and showed he can be a huge asset on special teams while he waits his turn to tote the rock. I have enven heard this kid compared to USC Reggie Bush (not 3 years in the NFL slacker Reggie). Like Jones, Redd has enrolled early to get a jump start on his career at Penn State. He will go through all the winter workouts and spring practices to help solidify a spot on special teams and in the running back rotation. Look for him to be more involved in our offense as the season moves forward as he is primed to take over the vacant spot in 2011 left by Royster.
Wide Receiver- Although this position was not a glaring need for Penn State with all the talent coming back next year, the staff added two solid players, one of which has a very familiar surname and bloodline in the Penn State family. Derek Moye, Graham Zug, Justin Brown, Curtis Drake, Shawney Kersey, AJ Price, Brandon Moseby-Felder, Brett Brackett (if he doesn't move to QB) and Chaz Powell may be the best stable of wide receivers we have ever had at Penn State. Alex Kinney and Levi Norwood will help bolster the strength of this unit even more and have added even more speed and size to the group.
Alex Kenney 6'0 194 lbs 4.41 40 yard speed - State College, PA ****- Although Kenney is a local product don't let that change your opinion of him and make you think that Penn State just threw a local standout a bone by offering him a scholarship. Kenney was a national recruit with offers from all over the place. He is a guy with great speed and elusiveness who, if he sticks at WR will probably be used mostly out of the slot the way we have tried to utilize guys like Derek Williams, Chaz Powell and Curtis Drake. Kenney is very shifty and very athletic. He was all everything for his high school team. He played offense defense and special teams for the Little Lions and again he pops out on tape. Kenney will most likely redshirt this year with all the depth at WR, but there is an outside chance his abilities could translate to special teams during the 2010 season. There is also a good chance Kenney could be moved to the cornerback position at Penn State. This past year he had 12 interceptions for his high school team and with his great speed and prototypical body type for a corner he may be a perfect fit on defense. Kenney is a track star but he is also a football player. He enrolls in the summer session and wherever he ends up (offense or defense) he has a chance to be an excellent player at Penn State.
Levi Norwood 6-2 170 lbs, Waco, TX *** - The son of former Penn State defense backs coach Brian Norwood (current Baylor Defensive Coordinator) and brother of former Penn State standout Jordan Norwood is my sleeper pick for stud of this class. He spent the first two years of his high school career in State College, but when his father took the job at Baylor he moved to Waco and had an excellent senior season playing at a very high level of competition. He was not highly rated by any services because he missed his junior year due to injury, but he has great ability and great pedigree. Levi is about 4 inches taller than his brother and has the ability to add a little weight and be a real contributor. Like his brother he isn't blazing fast but his hands are excellent. He will be a very solid possession receiver once he adds the necessary bulk. Norwood will most likely grey shirt and not enroll until January of 2011. This is a good thing though because he will have a chance to work out, add weight and separate himself (class wise) from the other receivers on the roster. The impact will not be immediate, but expect to know his name in the future.
Fullback - The fullback position is still relevant at Penn State and the Nittany Lions added an excellent prospect to their stable of guys like Joe Suhey and Curtis Dukes. The fullback in our offense has to have the ability to block, run the ball on occasion and show the capability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Zack Zwinak 6'2 230 lbs 4.5 40 speed Frederick, MD **** - Zwinak was another member of the Army American bowl this past January in San Antonio, Texas. He played linebacker in the game, but it is projected by many that he ends up at the fullback at PSU. He was the Maryland Gatorade player of the year and is really a very good athlete. His running style is very similar to that of Toby Gerhart from Stanford. He is a big back with a unique combination of size and speed. He is a freak athlete and will definitely be a part of our offense in the future. Although he may not carry the ball a ton in our offense, you can guarantee he will be a factor in both the blocking schemes as well as in the passing game. He is a gifted fullback and may be the best natural fullback we have had at Penn State since Aaron Harris.
Tight End - With the loss of Quarless and Shuler in the same year there was a need for us to add depth to the position which right now is fairly green. Next year expect to see Andrew Szcerba, Mark Wedderburn and Gary Gilliam compete for playing time with Szcerba most likely winning the job. If Brackett does not stick at QB, you might expect to see him transition from WR to TE as well. We added two potential tight end prospects, but it is more likely that we will see only one of them stay at that position. I will address Kyle Baublitz further when I talk about the DE's but for now I will focus on Kevin Haplea.
Kevin Haplea 6'4 226, 4.75 40 yard dash - Annandale, NJ ***- Another of the early enrollees Haplea has given himself a chance to get on campus early and begin building up the necessary muscle to be a major college tight end. He has a great skill set and more than adequate speed for a modern tight end in our offensive scheme. Haplea has a good base to add the necessary muscle and maintain his speed and skill at the position. Most tight ends don't come in and play right away, but with the early enrollment he will have a chance to learn the ins and outs of our offensive scheme and start to ascend his way up the depth chart. He was rated a 3 star prospect by Rivals and had offers from all the major college programs. Look for him to be a factor after a redshirt freshman season.
Offensive Line- As I have stressed in previous blogs and reviews, Penn State has recently changed its philosophy with offensive line recruiting and began to recruit only the real big boys standing above 6'4 with the exception being the center position. This year we continue that trend and although it wasn't as much of a priority Penn State landed several very solid prospects that add athleticism and size to an already deep stable of lineman.
Miles Dieffenbach 6'5 277 lbs - Pittsburgh, PA ****- Dieffenbach was a surprise commitment to Penn State considering he grew up loving Pitt as a native of the city. It all changed for him on an unofficial visit to Happy Valley where he had a sudden change of heart and fell in love with Penn State. He projects as either a guard or center for the Nittany Lions and will most likely start his career at the center position. He is a big kid as the new trend continues with good strength and a good body to add positive weight to. If he can come in at about 290 pounds, he may have a chance to make the two-deep as a freshman. Dieffenbach should be considered a big center and thus a hot commodity as a player. Don't expect this to happen right away as with most freshman offensive lineman he will probably redshirt and take some time to develop.
Luke Graham 6'5 260 lbs - Harrison City, PA *** - Graham is another in the line of big kids the Lions have gone after to play on the offensive line. He grew up a Penn State and his father is an alum. Graham projects at the guard spot on the offensive line. He has a big frame at 260 he has a good amount to grow and the ability to add good weight. You can definitely expect a kid like this to redshirt and grow in the weight room. He may not be on the two deep his freshman year but with added weight and maintaining his athleticism he will be a factor for us in the future.
Thomas Ricketts - 6'6 265 - Wexford, PA **** - Ricketts is the son of a former Pittsburgh Panther and Pittsburgh Steelers Thomas Ricketts, Sr. He has great size and a great frame to be an offensive tackle. As of right now he is a little light for the position but he will redshirt and have the appropriate time to add weight and good muscle. He has a nasty streak and was another excellent pick up for Penn State. Another kid who grew up a Pitt fan but fell in love with the Nittany Lions when he came out and made a visit to the school. Ricketts might have the best technique of all the lineman Penn State recruited. What Ricketts does particularly well is maintaining and keeping contact with his block. Again expect a guy like this to redshirt his freshman year but be a factor after he learns the offense and gains the proper weight.
Khamrone Kolb 6'6 300 lbs Burke, VA ***Kolb is another among the "Big Boys" that Penn State has been recruiting to play offensive line over the last three years. He probably projects at the right tackle position and is said to be fairly athletic for a kid his size. There is no doubt he could probably move inside and play one of the guard positions if necessary. Like most offensive lineman, he will be redshirting his freshman year. I like his size and the fact that he is said to be pretty nimble. In other words he is not just some fat kid they plan on sticking in there to get beat like a rented mule. Kolb has as much potential as any other kid we have recruited to play offensive line, and with some time in the weight room to strengthen up and learn the system he could be a contributor at some point in his career.
DEFENSE - The defensive side of the ball for Penn State loses a lot of elite, high impact talent, but there is some solid, steady experience and some future stars that remain. There was a need for defensive ends, defensive tackles, linebackers and corners in this year's class and we did a great job grabbing some very high end talent to meet those needs. You can't say enough about how good Sean Lee and Navarro Bowman were during their time here at Penn State and although the well is never dry. There is a lot of talent at linebacker but for the most part it is untested, raw and in some cases recovering from major injuries. It never hurts to add depth and in the case of linebackers we got top of the line talent. The loss of Odrick hurts and there is talent behind him in Devon Still (if he stays healthy) but the Lions added some depth at DT as well. Finally, the corner position loses AJ Wallace and Knolwedge Timmons, there is young talent currently on the roster and several members of this class, including Alex Kenney who was discussed above, can be major contributors in the near future.
Linebackers= I will start with the most tradition rich position at Penn State. While we lose Lee and Bowman we added two studs who may make an impact right out of the gates.
Mike Hull 6'1 225 lbs Canonsburg, PA ****- Scout rates Hull as their number one linebacker in the entire country. As far as rivals is concerned he isn't rated quite as high but he is up there. My feelings on Hull are that he is going to be as good as advertised if not better. His father Tom was a linebacker at Penn State. He is a western Pennsylvania kid with the toughness and athleticism to be just like Poz, Lee and Connor before him. He is a star in the making and alongside Mike Mauti, Gerald Hodges, Khari Fortt, Nate Stupar and others he will be a part of the deepest talent pool of backers we have ever had at Penn State. Hull has great instincts and always seems to be around the football. He can probably play all three linebacker positions, but at his current size he is best suited for an outside spot. He is a sure tackler and just great all around football player. When they made Mike Hull it was almost as though he was born to be a Penn State linebacker. He was the first commitment in this class and based on his performance in the Army All American Bowl and other All Star games this winter I think he may be the first to get on the field in this class. There is tough competition at linebacker, but I think he is just too talented to not at least see special teams work in the fall.
Khari Fortt 6'2 220 lbs 4.58 40 time Stamford, CT **** - Like Silas Redd Fortt is a Stamford, CT native, he is an Army All American, a rivals top 100 selection and an early enrollee for the spring semester. Khari Fortt is an extremely gifted athlete and will also fight for early playing time especially as an early enrollee. I am very excited to see what this kid can do, in fact I see him in the Navarro Bowman type role, but with the ability to play at an even heavier weight than Bowman. He is a tall, long and very muscular. Very few linebackers have the body structure of Fortt coming out of high school. He should be able to play at around 245 pounds. He already has the size, speed and ability to play as a freshman. For him it will be just a matter of winning a starting job or a backup job. The talent is there and so is the determination as is evidence by his desire to get to school early and prove himself. Fortt can be a force for many years to come in the Penn State Linebacking crew.
Dakota Royer 6'3 221 4.66 Manheim, PA **** - Royer was recruited as a linebacker at Penn State but most services project him to be a defensive end. He played in the Under Armor All American Game and played mostly at DE. At this moment he is very undersized for the position but he has the type of athleticism and speed off the edge like Aaron Maybin. Now I am not saying he is as good as Maybin who ended up being a freak, but he brings that same type of speed element that Maybin did. It is my guess that he will redshirt, add weight and transition to the standup rush end position that we have seen used with Tim Shaw and Jerome Hayes over the last several years. Royer can really help us establish a mean pass rush with his speed off the edge. Adding weight and maintaining his quick first step could make him a huge headache for opposing offensive lineman. Ultimately I expect Royer to be a defensive end in the Aaron Maybin mold.
Defensive Line - Losing Jared Odrick hurts any team. Odrick was special and is probably a late first, early second round pick in the NFL. However, the line is not barren. Ollie Ogbu, a two year contributor/starter returns on the interior as does Devon Still, who was a force towards the end of the 2009 campaign. If Still stays healthy, he has the size and potential to be every bit as effective as Odrick. There is depth on the interior as long as guys like Brandon Ware get their weight down and get out of the dog house and Jordan Hill continues to progress and improve on a surprising and impressive freshman campaign. The defensive End position is loaded with talent next year but again adding talent is a good thing. Although we lost out on 5 Star Dominique Easly who was verbally committed to PSU for several months, the staff did a good job of adding talent and size to the unit.
CJ Olaniyan 6'5 230 lbs Warren, MI 4.65 40 **** - CJ is a big athletic guy who brings some speed and nice size to the defensive end position. I was pretty excited when we stole this kid out of the hated state of Michigan. He is another guy who could be an effective pass rusher at the DE position. He needs to add weight just like most freshman do, but as I said previously he has a huge upside and can be a gem of the class if he lives up to the hype. Look for him to redshirt based on his need to get bigger and the depth at DE that we currently boast with guys like Crawford, Lattimore, Stanley and Massaro and Latham already on the roster. There is an outside chance though that he outshines guys like Latham and Massaro and works his way into the rotation like Sean Stanley was able to do last year.
Brad Bars 6'3 225lbs Nashville, TN ** - Bars is pretty much an unknown in this class. Penn State didn't even offer this kid until about two weeks prior to national signing day. Larry Johnson made a visit down to Nashville after reviewing this kid's film and offered him a chance to play DE at Penn State. He comes from a good pedigree as both his father and his uncle played for Notre Dame. He goes to a well respected football school down here and played Linebacker in high school. I did not hear much about this kid even though I live down here, but from what I understand he was offered a scholarship because we lost out on guys like Easley and Mike Thornton. Bars supposedly is a very hard working, blue collar type player and from all of his quotes was very enthusiastic about getting the opportunity to play at a program like ours. He didn't have the best offer list, but I trust if LJ made the trip down and offered him a scholarship the staff sees something in this kid they liked. My guess is he will be a special teamer most of his career with a shot to fight his way on to the depth chart in his later years at school.
Daquan Jones 6'4 302 Lbs Johnson City, NY *** Although some sites have Jones listed as an OL prospect, he played both offense and defense in high school and with the lack of depth at the DT position in this class, it is my guess that he will be a defensive tackle. Jones played in the Offense/Defense All American Bowl and was dominant as a DT. He has good size already and may have a chance to come in and fight his way into the rotation as early as this year. With Larry Johnson as his teacher he has the potential to be an excellent Defensive Tackle. He has a good frame and does not appear to have much baby fat on his body. If he builds up the necessary strength I could definitely see him being an early contributor like Jordan Hill was this past season.
Evan Hailes 6'1 305 Chesapeake, VA **** Hailes is another early enrollee at Penn State. He played in the ESPN Under Armor All American Game and played his high school ball for a national powerhouse called Oscar Smith high school. Hailes is built like a bowling ball. He has a short, stocky tree trunk type body that looks real hard to move with his natural leverage. His size and strength will allow him to battle for playing time early on as long as he comes into camp in shape. He reminds me a lot of Anthony Adams at Penn State. A short, powerful kid with the potential to be a great run stuffer. He has a good motor and the fact that he is on campus early could also lead to early playing time. Hailses had a great offer list and chose Penn State very early in the process. He is definitely a guy I am looking forward to seeing in this year's blue white game. Playing time behind Still and Ogbu is available and I want to see if Hailes can grab the opportunity by the horns.
Kyle Baublitz 6'4 254 York, PA **** - Baublitz is listed as both a TE and DE prospect, but from all the things I have heard he will start his career as a Defensive End at Penn State. The kid is built like a Mack truck and was athletic enough to play middle linebacker in high school and absolutely dominate. Baublitz is probably strong enough to play now, but with a year in the weight room learning the system he should come out and compete for a sport in the rotation his redshirt freshman season. He may even grow out of the defensive end position and into the defensive tackle spot. He is a very physical player with a great mean streak. I think Baublitz can be a high impact player at Penn State. The fact that he had over 130 tackles from a middle linebacker spot in high school demonstrates that he has a nose for the ball and the athletic ability to play in space.
Defensive back - There is probably a greater need at CB than was actually addressed in this class, but it is yet to be seen if some redshirt freshman like Kersey of Felder will be moved to the defensive side of the ball. It is also unknown if a guy like Kenney is going to start his career at DB after showing this past season that will 12 interceptions in high school he is more than capable at corner. That being said, the Lions recruited only one true defensive back. I think Shyquawn Pullium is a steal in this class.
Shyquawn Pullium 6'1 178lbs 4.5 40 yard speed - Erie, PA - *** Pullium is a three star kid who had an excellent senior campaign and he really seems to standout on film. I think he has a perfect body type to play corner in our system. Grades may be an issue with him qualifying and they may also be the reason why he was only given a two star rating. If he pushes himself he will qualify and be eligible to enroll in June. He will add to an already thin secondary which badly needs corner depth. He has good size for a corner and based on our cover 2 scheme he has more than adequate speed. I feel like he can be a real steal in this class. It took us a while to offer him a scholarship (grades related and SAT related), but Penn State was really the only place he ever wanted to go. He is a very good athlete and with a redshirt season he may be even better than expected. I expect to hear from Pullium in the future as an impact player on our defense.
Overall Assessment - I give Penn State an A- for this years recruiting class. We filled many needs and went out and got some top end talent. We have two potential stars at qb and a running back who I feel can be great at Penn State. I like the solid numbers we added on the offensive line and the staff continues to add speed to an already fast group of athletes. We missed the boat on a couple of guys that we had within our grasps, but with the way recruiting has evolved over the last 5-10 years kids are constantly playing cat and mouse and constantly changing their minds up until the last second. We held on to some really important and impressive prospects and I look forward to watching some them becoming the new stars at Penn State. This is an exciting time for Penn State football. While next year may be a down rebuilding year for the program, it appears it will only be a slight hitch as we have begun to regain prominence and have started to reload instead of constantly rebuilding.
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