Kenney commits to PSU

Jeff Rice

Alex Kenney approached his official visits to Penn State a little differently than his fellow prospects. Taking a tour of campus wasn't necessary for someone who practically grew up there.

CDT file photo/Nabil K. Mark

State College’s Alex Kenney, who rushed for 671 yards and seven touchdowns as a Little Lions junior last season, committed to Penn State on Tuesday to become the Lions’ 13th commitment of the Class of 2010.

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The State College Area High School wide receiver committed to his hometown university Tuesday, citing a desire to be close to his family and to join one of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting classes.

“I was just looking for an opportunity to play,” Kenney said Tuesday night. “The coaches feel I could get on the field early. I knew what the graduation rate is, knew that Penn State offers a good education, knew the campus pretty well.”

Kenney, whose father, Larry, is a kinesiology professor at Penn State, is the Nittany Lions’ 13th commitment of the Class of 2010, the third wide receiver recruit in that class and the first Little Lion to accept a scholarship offer from the school since Nathan Stupar came aboard in 2007.

Last season, he was one of the most explosive weapons in a Little Lion offense that averaged better than 31 points per game. Kenney rushed for 671 yards and seven touchdowns on 52 carries and caught 16 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns, earning second-team all-state honors.

“I wasn’t sure where he was going to go since he had 20 offers,” said State College coach Al Wolski. “I always thought we was learning toward Penn State, but he did take his time and explore several other places in the South and in the Big Ten.”

Kenney also gave serious consideration to offers from Boston College, North Carolina, Michigan State and Virginia, visiting the latter several times, but said Tuesday that none of those schools “felt the same way.”

“My family’s here,” Kenney said. “If I were to have a bad day, I could always come back to my house, hang out my with sister or my brother.”

The Nittany Lions get a player ranked in the top 100 nationally at his position by both Rivals and Scout. Kenney will have a chance to play alongside fellow receiver Adrian Cox-son and quarterbacks Paul Jones and Robert Bolden, who are all top-10 prospects at their position and, like Kenney, attended Penn State’s senior camp last month.

“I’m very excited because I get the opportunity to play with some of those kids I met at senior camp,” Kenney said. “I was impressed with the quarterbacks as well as the receivers.”

Also at that camp was Levi Norwood, Kenney’s former Little Lion teammate, who committed to Penn State that weekend. The two have traded text messages since Norwood moved to Texas last year (his father, former Penn State safeties coach Brian, is the defensive coordinator at Baylor) but used the camp to catch up.

“We’ve known each other since third grade, and been friends ever since then,” Kenney said. “We’re excited to play together at the next level.”

Kenney, a sliver medalist in the 100- meter dash at the PIAA Track and Field Championships this spring, has entertained the idea of running track for the Nittany Lions in the spring.

“I would like to, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to be missing spring practice and give someone else the opportunity to move in front of me on the depth chart,” Kenney said, adding that he planned to talk to the Penn State football coaches about the prospect.

Kenney said Penn State’s coaches have talked about using him in the slot and in the backfield as well as split wide, as they did with Derrick Williams. Kenney is about the same dimensions (6-foot, 195 pounds) as the Detroit Lions receiver, who accumulated 4,156 career all-purpose yards at Penn State.

But that’s a year away. And the stress that comes with choosing a school is behind Kenney.

“I’m very relieved,” he said. “I’m ready to focus on my high school team rather than where I’m going to college.”