The Nittany Lions football Class of 2010 is starting to take shape, and it is easy to see that the main priority is linemen.
Though their commitments will not be official until National Letter of Intent Day on Feb. 8, eight high school standouts have given verbal, non-binding commitments to join the Penn State football team next fall.
Last year's class was filled with star-studded, fast athletes, and this year's class is filled with massive earth-movers who will be called upon to fill the spots vacated by seven seniors on both the offensive and defensive fronts.
Six of the verbals thus far are linemen. The most heralded of the bruisers already committed to Penn State is defensive tackle Tom McEowen from Neshaminy High School in Langhorne.
McEowen is preparing for the grind and hard work of college football.
"I get up at 6 in the morning, go to school, hit the weight room and practice, watch film, go home, eat dinner and do homework," he said.
With that determination, it is easy to see how he gained 40 pounds of muscle the summer before his junior year to get his weight up to 280 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. He has been a Lions fan since he was a kid and will join his former Neshaminy teammate and Penn State place kicker Kevin Kelly when he makes the trek north to Happy Valley.
Defensive end Aaron Maybin may not be quite as big as McEowen, but he is certainly quick. Maybin is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound rush end out of Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Md.
The most impressive aspect of Maybin's game is his speed; he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds, fast for his size. Maybin said he plans on using that speed to "wreak havoc and be disruptive in the backfield by beating my man off of the line."
Maybin also said he wants Lions fans to expect "a guy that loves his school and his fans and will bleed, sweat and cry for his teammates."
Penn State has also gained commitments from offensive lineman Doug Klopacz from Montvale, N.J., and defensive linemen Eric Latimore from Middletown, Del., Abe Koroma from Hershey and Olli Ogbu from New Berlin, N.Y. Ogbu is the largest of all of the recruits, tipping the scales at a whopping 320 pounds.
Recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary and the Penn State coaching staff are not just targeting linemen. They have also received commitments from two skill position players.
The highest rated recruit the Lions have nabbed is Chris Bell from Granby High School in Norfolk, Va.
If Granby sounds familiar, it's because it's also the name of the alma matter current Lions left tackle Levi Brown attended.
But no one will be confusing the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Bell with the much larger Brown.
Bell is rated a five-star prospect by Scout.com and brings some height to the receiving corps along with 4.5-second 40-yard dash speed. It is this combination of size and speed that has made him so coveted and will help him be successful in Division I college football.
Throwing the ball to Bell could be quarterback Brett Brackett from Lawrence High School, in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Brackett is big for a quarterback, standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 235 pounds. He threw for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns his sophomore and junior years. He also possesses 4.7-second, 40-yard dash speed, which makes him mobile for a quarterback his size. He could be a good fit with the new-look Lions offense.
"They have some running plays for the quarterback. I can do that," he said.
This year's class may not be getting as much national attention as last year's class did, but the players already committed consider it to be a solid class. And they can't wait to get on the field and help to continue Penn State's recent resurgence.
