Jordan Lucas accepts Senior Bowl invite, bowl projections narrow

Senior safety Jordan Lucas has officially accepted his invitation to the 2016 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Lucas battled injury for the second half of Penn State’s 2015 regular season and succumbed to an upper-body injury that sidelined him for the final two games of the year.

His acceptance into the Senior Bowl insinuates that he will be ready to play at that time, though it’s unconfirmed whether he will be able to play in Penn State’s bowl game, to be announced Sunday.

Defensive end Carl Nassib was also invited to the Senior Bowl, but his official acceptance has yet to be announced.

Coaches hit the road

Sunday marked the start of college football’s recruiting contact period. Keep in mind, there are strict rules regarding contact with prospects.

Though the period lasts from Nov. 29-Jan. 30, just six in-person, off-campus visits are allowed per prospect. Prospects are also not allowed more than one visit per calendar week. The quiet period for junior college prospects begins on Dec. 13, and the dead period for all prospects lasts from Dec. 14-Jan. 13.

Penn State’s coaches are hustling all over their respective recruiting territories, in the meantime.

On Friday, head coach James Franklin and offensive line coach Herb Hand took in 2016 quarterback commit Jake Zembiec’s state championship win, in which the Aquinas Institute senior threw for 462 yards and four touchdowns.

The team, by the way, celebrated its 44-19 victory by waxing chest hair. Yeah.

Franklin, Hand and quarterback coach Ricky Rahne paid a visit to the home of Zembiec on Tuesday afternoon, according to the quarterback’s Twitter page.

Another important visit was made by Charles Huff to Penn State kicker commit Quinn Nordin, whose commitment status was cause for concern after the Michigan native went to Wolverines’ games and removed “Penn State Commit” from his bio. Penn State has no specialists on scholarship, and very much needs to sign one, so it’s no surprise Huff’s first stop appeared to be Nordin’s house.

According to his Twitter page, Class of 2016 safety/athlete Khaleke Hudson was paid a visit on Tuesday afternoon. He has been recruited mostly by Terry Smith, but a source said defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, Huff and Smith all visited Hudson this time.

Bowl projections narrow

Sunday will mark the official announcement of Penn State’s bowl selection, but in the meantime, projections have narrowed.

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman has the Nittany Lions facing Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla., while Phil Steele thinks Penn State will see Utah in the Foster Farms Bowl on Dec. 29 in Santa Clara, Calif.

It seems that Jacksonville would be a more logical choice considering proximity, but the official word remains to be seen. The TaxSlayer Bowl Committee can choose whether it wants an ACC or Big Ten team in the game (as can the Music City Bowl in Nashville, where Penn State has also been projected), and gets first pick, which could then decide where the Nittany Lions fall.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Jordan Lucas accepts Senior Bowl invite, bowl projections narrow."