National Signing Day is two days away, and Penn State’s 2012 recruiting class is all but complete, provided there are no surprises on the first day high school football seniors can sign their letter of intent.
The NCAA caps the number of scholarship players on roster at 85 each year. Penn State has 65 returning scholarship players in 2012, thus it has 20 available scholarships it can offer for the 2012 class.
Penn State has 18 verbal commitments in the 2012 class. Jesse James, a three-star tight end from McKeesport, enrolled in January and already submitted his letter of intent, meaning if all 18 verbal commits sign Wednesday, Penn State has room for one more commit.
At the top of the list is Demetrious Cox, a four-star safety from Jeannette, Pa., who holds offers from Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State, among others, including Penn State.
ESPN and Lions247, a Penn State football website, reported on Twitter that Cox would make his decision 6:30 p.m. Monday in the cafeteria at Jeannette High School. However, it’s unlikely Cox chooses Penn State, according ESPN Midwest recruiting coordinator Jared Shanker, who dubbed the chances of Cox choosing the Nits at just 20 percent.
It’s been that kind of recruiting season for Penn State, which went through a six-week coaching search that resulted in just two assistants being retained under new coach Bill O’Brien. There is also the uncertainty of NCAA sanctions because of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.
Penn State has the No. 8 class in the Big Ten among average star rating, according to Rivals.com, ahead of only Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern.
Four stars (2 total: 1 offense, 1 defense) — WR Eugene Lewis, Plymouth, Pa.; DT Jamil Pollard, Westville, N.J.
Three stars (10 total: 7 offense, 3 defense) — LB Nyeem Wartman, Archbald, Pa.; TE Brent Wilkerson, Hyattsville, Md.; WR Trevor Williams, Towson, Md.; OL Brian Gaia, Baltimore, Md.; ATH Malik Golden, Cheshire, Conn.; DT Austin Johnson, Richland, N.J.; DB Jordan Lucas, Worcester, Mass.; RB Akeel Lynch, Athol Springs, N.Y.; OL Anthony Stanko, Warren, Ohio; QB Steven Bench, Cairo, Ga.
Two stars (6 total: 2 offense/4 defense) — DB Da’Quan Davis, Towson, Md.; DT Derek Dowrey, Winchester, Va.; ATH Jake Kiley, New Hampton, N.H.; DT Wendy Laurent, Princeton, N.J.; DE Evan Schwan, Harrisburg, Pa.; WR Jonathan Warner, Camas, Wash.
And, here’s the returning scholarship breakdown by position:
Quarterback (3): Matt McGloin (RS Sr.), Rob Bolden (Jr.), Paul Jones (RS Soph.)
Running back (2): Silas Redd (Jr.), Curtis Dukes (RS Jr.)
Fullback (2): Michael Zordich (RS Sr.), Zach Zwinak (RS Soph.)
Wide receiver (10): Justin Brown (Sr.), Devon Smith (Sr.), Curtis Drake (RS Jr.), Bill Belton (Soph.), Alex Kenney (RS Soph.), Brandon Moseby-Felder (RS Jr.), Shawney Kersey (RS Jr.), Christian Kuntz (RS Jr.), Allen Robinson (RS Fr.), Matt Zanellatto (RS Fr.)
Tight end (4): Kevin Haplea (Jr.), Garry Gilliam (RS Jr.), Kyle Carter (RS Fr.), Jordan Kerner (RS Fr.)
Offensive line (14): Miles Dieffenbach (RS Soph.), Ty Howle (RS Jr.), Matt Stankiewitch (RS Sr.), Mark Arcidiacono (RS Jr.), Frank Figueroa (RS Jr.), Khamrone Kolb (RS Soph.), Angelo Mangiro (RS Fr.), Eric Shrive (RS Jr.), John Urschel (RS Jr.), Nate Cadogan (RS Jr.), Mike Farrell (RS Sr.), Adam Gress (RS Jr.), Ryan Nowicki (RS Fr.), Donovan Smith (RS Fr.)
Defensive line (13): Deon Barnes (RS Fr.), Kyle Baublitz (RS Soph.), Pete Massaro (RS Sr.), Shawn Oakman (RS Fr.), C.J. Olaniyan (RS Soph.), Sean Stanley (Sr.), Luke Graham (RS Soph.), Anthony Alosi (RS Fr.), Evan Hailes (RS Soph.), Jordan Hill (Sr.), DaQuan Jones (Jr.), James Terry (RS Sr.), Anthony Zettel (RS Fr.)
Linebackers (9): Glenn Carson (Jr.), Khairi Fortt (Jr.), Gerald Hodges (Sr.), Mike Hull (RS Soph.), Ben Kline (RS Fr.), Michael Mauti (RS Sr.), Dakota Royer (RS Soph.), Michael Yancich (RS Sr.), Brad Bars (RS Soph.)
Defensive backs (6): Stephon Morris (Sr.), Derrick Thomas (RS Jr.), Mike Wallace (RS Jr.), Adrian Amos (Soph.), Stephen Obeng-Agyapong (RS Jr.), Malcolm Willis (RS Jr.)
Special teams (2): Anthony Fera (RS Jr.), Sam Ficken (RS Fr.)
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