Featured News
February 02, 2006
A Return to Reloading
By Mike Clark
As memories of 2005 echo pleasantly as a backdrop to a fading January, the Penn State faithful got their first glimpse of the future of the football program. Unanimously they liked what they saw. The nearly twelve month courtship of high school players throughout the northeast culminated in 24 Letters of Intent being signed and faxed to waiting coaches and staff. Of the players who committed most are recognized nationally as blue chip recruits, leading several services to label this a top ten class. Some even go on to speculate that it could be the best class Penn State has seen in many years.
Yet what marks this a truly special group is the solidarity shown by many throughout the process. Credit Aaron Maybin, rated a four star defensive end by Scout, for being an unofficial ambassador of the team. His influence helped sway the decision of several others, continuing a trend begun two years ago with Greg Harrison and followed last season by Derrick Williams and Justin King. This commitment and leadership is what has many so excited, wondering just how great Penn State can become over the next few years.
Of course, little of this would have been accomplished without the effort and dedication of the coaching staff. Credit Mike McQueary, the staff’s recruiting coordinator, for forming and administering an effective game plan that saw his best recruiters focus on athletes within a small area. Less effort was spent targeting players outside northeast, especially with the wealth of talent coming out of that region this year. Credit also the work of defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Sr. for his efforts with players such as Maybin, Jared Odrick and Antonio Logan-El. His knowledge of high school football Maryland led to the Lions receiving commitments from seven of the top ten players in that state. Much like Tom Bradley, lauded for his work in Western Pennsylvania in 2005, Johnson has become a staple of the Nittany Lions recruiting effort.
Following is a list broken down by position of the class of freshmen entering Penn State in the fall of 2006:
Quarterback:
Brett Brackett: Lawrenceville, NJ, Scout 3 star
Pat Devlin: Downingtown, PA, Scout 4 star
Running Back:
Brent Carter: Pottstown, PA, Scout 3 star
Evan Royster: Chantilly, VA, Scout 3 star
Wide Receiver:
Chris Bell: Norfolk, VA, Scout 5 star
Tight End:
Andrew Quarless: Uniontown, NY, Scout 4 star
Offensive Line:
Lou Eliades: Oakhurst, NJ, Scout 4 star
Doug Klopacz: Montvale, NJ, Scout 2 star
Antonio Logan-El: Forestville, MD, Scout 5 star
JB Walton: Indian Head, MD, Scout 4 star
Defensive Tackle:
Abe Koroma: Hershey, PA, Scout 3 star
Tom McEowen: Langhorne, PA, Scout 4 star
Jared Odrick: Lebanon, PA, Scout 4 star
Ollie Ogbu: New Berlin, NY, Scout 2 star
Phillip Taylor: Brandywine, MD, Scout 4 star
Johnnie Troutman: Pemburton, NJ, Scout 3 star
Defensive End:
Maurice Evans: Middle Village, NY, Scout 4 star
Eric Latimore: Middletown, DE, Scout 3 star
Aaron Maybin: Ellicott City, Md, Scout 4 star
Linebacker:
Navorro Bowman: Forestville, MD, Scout 4 star
Bani Gbadyu: Gaithersburg, MD, Scout 3 star
Secondary:
Cedric Jeffries: Egg Harbor, NJ, Scout 3 star
Travis McBride: Mckeesport, PA, Scout 3 star
AJ Wallace: Pomphrey, MD, Scout 4 star
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