Despite a losing record, Penn State has been very successful at one thing in 2003.

Recruiting.

The Lions currently have secured verbal commitments from 18 high school seniors, an achievement that has them ranked with the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation by rivals.com. However, the football program has not garnered a commitment since the second week of August when Butler, blue-chip linebacker Tyrell Sales verballed to the Lions.

None of the prospects are guaranteed to play for Penn State in 2004 until they sign a national letter of intent come February. Until then, other schools routinely maintain contact with the Lions' verbal commitments hoping to court them to join their respective programs and leave Penn State's commitment pool. This may be a problem for the Lions' coaching staff.

Now that Penn State sits winless in the Big Ten with an overall record of 2-5, it seems fitting to question how solid the commitments of the future Lions truly are as they watch a program they plan to be a part of crumble week after week. The question therefore is: has Penn State's poor showing in 2003 caused any players to waver in their desire to dawn the blue and white?

As of now, the consensus is "no."

"It doesn't affect my commitment at all. It's still a strong commitment," Strath Haven linebacker Dan Connor said. "It's still a young team. It shows a lot of hope for the future."

According to Connor, the dismal 2003 season is superceded by the fact that the Penn State coaching staff has elected to give a decent amount of playing time to true freshmen already, a devotion from the staff he feels confident will be carried over into next season. Penn State has already played one-third of its entering 2003 class.

Connor, one of the top three linebackers in the nation said the draw of coming in and making an impact early, especially to a team that is "rebuilding," is an incentive. The record doesn't matter.

"[Early playing time] is definitely a benefit for me," Connor said. "I'd love to get a chance to play freshman year. The coaching staff seems pretty confident on that happening. It's definitely a good thing."

Connor will enroll at University Park this January to get a leg up on his college studies as well as to get integrated into the football training program. Fellow class of 2004 verbal, Shenandoah Valley Senior High School offensive lineman Greg Harrison echoed the sentiments of Connor, saying that the status of his commitment has not changed.

"My opinion is just like all the recruits because we talk," Harrison said. "The more the team struggles, the more excited we all are to get up to Happy Valley. We want to get up there and help. We all see that this team has talent. The young guys have talent. Coach Paterno is playing young players so all the recruits are real excited to get up there."

Despite a losing record, Harrison said the fact that the Lions are experiencing some tough times is underscored by the fact he is part of a highly touted incoming class that has the ability to make an impact early on. Much like Connor, part of his motivation is the fact that the coaching staff has elected to give playing time to some of this year's true freshmen.

However, until both Harrison and Connor sign a national letter of intent, nothing is guaranteed. Other schools know this, and attempt to recruit the blue-chippers. Sometimes this involves some mudslinging.

"The schools that call me right now, they don't use Penn State's record against them," Harrison said. "They don't put any pressure on me. They just want me to take visits. I'm sure there are coaches that are using it against Penn State, but I haven't come into contact with it."