Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said he wasn't expecting anyone of the group of running backs he has returning and coming in to be the next Larry Johnson. However, if you ask Johnson's uncle, the Nittany Lions may have come close with their latest recruit, running back Tony Hunt of T.C. Williams H.S. in Alexandria Va., who announced that he would attend Penn State and sent in his letter of intent yesterday.

Aly Khan Johnson, Larry Johnson Sr.'s brother, is the athletic director at T.C. Williams, the school of Remember the Titans fame and the school Larry Sr. coached before Paterno asked him to join his staff. Aly Khan sees more of his nephew in Hunt than just his 6-2, 220 pound frame that mirrors LJ's measurements.

"If you watch (Hunt) and my nephew on tape you'd swear it was the same kid," Aly Khan said. "He's tough to bring down, and he can turn it on in the open field."

The Lions' pursuit of Hunt, the 11th high school senior to commit to Penn State this season, seemed to hit a major road block in December when it was reported that he had committed to Southern California. However, Hunt had not yet made an official verbal commitment. According to Aly Khan, he had just made a comment during a visit to USC that made school officials believe he was a sure thing.

However, Hunt intended to make all of his official visits, and he did so. Coming into the week, Michigan and Penn State were the last two schools on his list. Though Aly Khan admits he made sure Hunt thought about Penn State and that he didn't make any quick decisions, he said Hunt made the decision for his own reasons.

"I think the fact that Penn State's graduation rate was higher than Michigan's was the thing that made the difference for him," Aly Khan said. "He's a good student, he wants to major in communications, and I think he looked at the whole picture and decided what would benefit him the most. Plus I think he liked the atmosphere at Penn State."

Hunt rushed for over 1,200 yards this season at T.C. Williams, averaging over nine yards per carry. He was named to the George Michaels Super 11, a prestigious all-star team in the Washington, D.C. area.

Hunt is the third running back in the Lions' recruiting class along with Parkland High School's Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw of Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Hunt also played linebacker and safety in college, and could be moved there if he won't see playing time at tailback.

The rest of the Lions recruiting class made their choices official today by signing their letters of intent. The Lions did miss out on two prospects they were recruiting. Defensive lineman Matt Malele from Carson H.S. in California signed with California, and defensive end Elijah Robinson from New Jersey signed with Tulane.

The Lions also added a few players to a strong group of preferred walk-ons. Most notable are the younger brothers of two of this year's Lions. Wide receiver/defensive back Jason Ganter, younger brother of backup quarterback Chris Ganter and son of offensive coordinator Fran Ganter, and linebacker Jamal Felder, younger brother of graduated offensive tackle Gus Felder, will both be coming to Penn State after graduating from State College Area H.S.

The Lions also added three players, all designated as "athletes," whose versatility will allow the Penn State coaching staff to try them at several different positions. Those players are Austin Bleam from Northwestern Lehigh H.S. in New Tripoli, Pa.; Matt Fontana, Lion recruit Paul Posluszny's teammate at Hopewell H.S. in Aliquippa; and Luke Palko, brother of Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko, from West Allegheny H.S. in Imperial, Pa.