UNIVERSITY PARK — All things considered, Penn State’s 2012 football recruiting class could have been more impressive, analysts agree.
But those analysts also agree there were a lot of things to consider.
The Nittany Lions are expected to receive letters of intent from 18 prospects today, the first day of the national signing period. Jesse James, a tight end from McKeesport, is already taking classes at Penn State after enrolling in January.
It is a group that has seen plenty of turnover since Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse. Joe Pater-no was fired, Penn State closed its 2011 season with three losses in four games and Bill O’Brien was hired as Paterno’s successor.
Penn State’s Class of 2012 might be more remembered for the stars that got away, but some solid pieces — including a few recent recruits landed by O’Brien’s staff — remain.
“It’s not a horrible class,” said Bob Lichtenfels, the East Recruiting Manager for Scout.
As of Tuesday evening, Penn State’s class was rated 46th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten by Scout, 46th and seventh by Rivals and 37th and sixth by 247Sports.
Those rankings would have been higher if not for a few late departures. Linebacker Camren Williams and cornerback Armani Reeves of West Roxbury, Mass., who had both committed to Penn State in August, decommitted and are expected to sign with Ohio State today. Philadelphia quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg, who had committed to Penn State in July, will sign a letter of intent with Florida today.
All three prospects waited for Penn State to hire Paterno’s full-time replacement. But the extended coaching search hurt Penn State’s recruiting efforts, said 247Sports national recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong.
“They didn’t give Coach O’Brien and the new staff much of a chance to fight for some of those guys,” Wiltfong said. “They’ve been very aggressive since they have been in place and done a good job.”
Eight of the prospects expected to sign today, including Attica, N.Y., running back Akeel Lynch, committed after O’Brien, the current New England Patriots offensive coordinator, was hired on Jan. 6.
Some of those late additions made the decommits easier to take. Lichtenfels said Reeves might have been the biggest loss of the class but that DaQuan Davis, a cornerback from Towson, Md., wasn’t far behind. Neither he nor Wiltfong saw a big difference between Mornhinweg and Camilla, Ga., quarterback Steven Bench, who committed to Penn State after an official visit two weeks ago.
“Either one could be a college starter or a college backup,” Lichtenfels said of the quarterbacks.
Penn State had just four four-star prospects according to 247Sports and just one (Plymouth wide receiver Eugene Lewis) according to Scout. As far as sleepers go, Lichtenfels likes Harrisburg defensive end Evan Schwan, who committed last week, and Davis’ teammate at Calvert Hall College, wide receiver Trevor Williams.
Wiltfong sees potential in Archibald linebacker Nyeem Wart-man and Baltimore offensive lineman Brian Gaia, who both committed last summer. He also likes the aggressive approach O’Brien’s staff — which includes two of Paterno’s top recruiters, Larry Johnson and Ron Vanderlinden — is taking with the Class of 2013, handing out several offers early.
“Any time a major program has a coaching change it always brings positive momentum on the recruiting trail,” Wiltfong said. “(O’Brien) certainly has a lot to sell, and he’s got a real quality group of assistants that also has outstanding resumes. That’s on top of the outstanding atmosphere … Penn State’s going to be attractive to 2013 recruits.”
O’Brien has said that getting the top recruits in Pennsylvania is his top priority and will assign an area of the state to each of his assistant coaches. They’ll need to work hard to hold off another new coach who has plenty of momentum going.
In addition to Reeves and Williams, newly minted Ohio State coach Urban Meyer also landed Joey O’Connor, a highly rated offensive lineman from Colorado, and Illinois defensive tackle Tommy Schutt, who both decommitted from Penn State shortly after the Sandusky scandal broke. He also received a mid-December commitment from Harrisburg defensive end Noah Spence, who had been heavily courted by Paterno’s staff and was 247Sports’ top-ranked player in the state.
Meyer officially accepted the Ohio State job less than a month after the charges against Sandusky were announced. By the time O’Brien took the job, much of the damage to Penn State’s class might have been already done.
“The issue of Sandusky was a big deal to a lot of people, it just didn’t get a lot of press because no one talked about it,” Lichtenfels said. “That’s why you have to give O’Brien even more credit.”
Jeff Rice can be reached at 231-4609.
