Donning the colors of cardinal and gold yesterday, key Penn State football recruit Broderick Green drew ire from Nittany Nation after announcing his intent to play for USC -- and not the Blue-and-White.

After offering the Trojans a soft verbal commitment, Green reconsidered and later visited both Penn State and Ohio State. And, for a while, it seemed like Scout.com's No. 12 tailback in the nation might soon become a Nittany Lion.

But in front of 1,000 people at Pulaski Academy's gym yesterday, Green put those hopes to rest -- despite the Trojans already boasting the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked tailbacks in the nation.

Green couldn't be reached for comment yesterday, and his high school football coach, Kevin Kelley, declined to comment on his reasoning for choosing USC. But Kelley didn't shy away from discussing just how special his star running back really is.

"I've never seen another athlete like him in my 15 years of coaching," he said. "He's quick, but definitely that bigger back, sort of like LenDale White."

Despite missing out on a key prospect, Penn State's otherwise-impressive 2011 recruiting class is still widely considered to be among the top 25.

The Lions boast a dozen four-star recruits, including big names like offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski, linebacker Nathan Stupar and the headliner of the group, Chris Colasanti, who is the No. 4 middle linebacker in the country.

Colasanti may be a name renowned around the country, but the small-town Michigan native spoke softly yesterday when asked how it felt to headline Penn State's recruiting class.

"That's really an honor. I didn't realize that was the case. But, truly, that's an honor," he said, making certain to tack on the word "sir" to each sentence -- despite speaking with someone just three years his senior.

The four-star recruit's Paul Posluszny-like demeanor was further cemented when he cited the coaching staff's honesty as one of the deciding factors in his commitment. According to Colasanti's high school coach, Al Fracassa, Joe Paterno acknowledged he wasn't sure how much longer he'd coach -- and Fracassa said his player was impressed with Paterno's straightforward attitude.

And, of course, the campus didn't hurt either.

"I come from a small town; I live about an hour [and] 15 minutes away from my high school," Colasanti said. "There's a lot of trees and woods and everything, and I really fell in love with the campus and how it brought about the [downtown], too. It's really beautiful."

If familiarity with the surroundings is a reason to commit, then four-star recruit and fellow linebacker Stupar was a lock to sign of a Letter of Intent.

Stupar, a State College native, is the highest-ranked prospect from the area in a long while. Scout.com ranks Stupar as the eighth-best strong-side linebacker in the country. And, appropriately enough, he took only one other official visit (to Tennessee) before officially becoming a Lion.

"I had like 10 other offers, and just through the process I was thinking of taking my five official visits, and one day it clicked," he said. "I just didn't want to miss the opportunity."

Penn State is obviously renowned for its linebackers, like Colasanti and Stupar, but the area in which it needs help the most -- offensive line -- got a definite upgrade this offseason.

A trio of four-star prospects inked LOIs with the Lions. Among them the highly sought after Wisniewski, the No. 5 offensive tackle in the country.

Wisniewski's name might sound familiar to some Penn State faithful. His father, Leo, played line for Penn State. And his uncle, Steve Wisniewski, started for the Oakland Raiders.

"Early in the process, my dad was neutral, helping me to learn about the recruiting process," he said. "But toward the end, he was putting the pressure on -- but it was my decision. I was definitely sure Penn State was the best place."

Wisniewski said, in the end, the decision was between Penn State and Boston College, but he opted for the Blue-and-White because it was closer to his friends and family.

He's still unsure what his freshman year would entail -- he didn't rule out redshirting -- but said he was just glad the recruiting experience was over.

"It has its positives and negatives," he said. "It can be a distraction if you let it, the fact you're still in high school. But there's good things. You get exposed to some different places, and that's definitely a positive. You get to meet a lot of people.

"It's not that bad."

And for the Lions, losing out on one top prospect may have put a damper on the recruiting class, but it's far from average. This is the third straight crop Penn State has put together and Colasanti, Stupar and Wisniewski are planning on living up to the hype.

"I've been talking to Chris Colasanti, Chaz Powell, Josh Marks ...," Stupar said. "We're gonna be a great group of guys."