Today's annual national letter of intent day for high school football players has somewhat of a family atmosphere for Penn State. Of the 17 athletes expected to sign, three already have brothers on the Lion football team and another is the son of a former Lion letterman.

Included in that group are Phil Collins, a 6'1", 190-pound wide out/defensive back from Cinnaminson, N.J., Phil Yeboah-Kodie (6'3", 205), a defensive back from Montreal, Canada, John Sacca (6'0", 190), quarterback/defensive back from Delran, N.J., and Danny White (6'4", 190), a QB from San Diego, Calif.

For Collins and Yeboah-Kodie, brothers of Gerry and Frank, respectively, the decision to come to Penn State was almost no decision at all. Lion quarterback Tony Sacca was, however, caught off guard when his brother announced his intent to attend Penn State.

"I was surprised, but it's where he wanted to go. I knew he liked it here, but I thought he'd head to N.C. State or Syracuse," Sacca said. "I didn't say anything to him about it; it's his decision all the way."

John Sacca played quarterback in high school, but also made some all-state teams as a defensive back. Although he may eventually end up in the defensive backfield, Tony thinks John will get a shot at quarterback.

White will most likely get a shot behind center too. The son of Jack White -- Paterno's starting signal caller in 1966 -- Danny threw for more than 3,100 yards and 24 TDs this past season.

Also among the expected signees is Pennsylvania's most highly-recruited high-school athlete, Kyle Brady. Brady, from Cedar Cliff High School, had narrowed his choices to Miami, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia and Penn State.

"I was very close to going to West Virginia, who guaranteed I would be a starter for four years," the 6'5", 249-pound tight end told the Associated Press. "(But) Joe said a couple of things when he was here last week that really made sense.

"He talked about life after football and about playing before 84,000 people and playing schools like Notre Dame and Southern Cal."

While Brady did not verbally commit to Penn State until Monday, several other players made their intentions known weeks ago. No player is bound by a verbal commitment, though. Only when the athlete signs a written commitment will he be bound to attend the University.

Although recruiting is anything but a science, one thing is known about Paterno's incoming class -- it will be one of the smallest in recent years. Penn State has 18 grant-in-aids to give.

With 12 of 22 starters from the team's regular-season finale with Pitt returning next year, Paterno has a young team and was looking to fill a few key spots with this recruiting class. For example, the Lions are loaded at running back and of the known verbal commitments only two played running back as high-school seniors.

Conversely, the team has been decimated at quarterback with the unsure status of Tom Bill and departure of Doug Seig. As a result, four quarterbacks are included in the known verbal commitments.

Here is a look at the athletes expected to sign today:

-- Quarterbacks: White, from San Diego, Calif.; Brian Gelzheiser (6'2", 210), from Baldwin High in Pittsburgh; Kerry Collins (6'5", 220), from Wilson High near Reading and Sacca.

-- Running backs: Geoff Kerwin (6'0", 203), from Kearny High in New Jersey; Derek Bochna (6'0", 185), from Mapletown.

-- Receivers/defensive backs: Brady; Jeff Perry, also a tight end, from Conway, N.H.; Collins and Yeboah-Kodie.

-- Linemen: Greg Troxell, Long Island, N.Y.; Vince Stewart, Long Island, N.Y.; Perry Prichard, Twinsburg, Ohio; Greg Troxell, Philipsburg, N.J.; Mike Bass, Port Bryon, N.Y., and Paul Greeley, Wilkes Barre.

-- Kicker: Craig Fayak, Belle Vernon.