Moments ago, Wheaton (Md.) Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins officially committed to Florida. A five-star, and scout.com's top-ranked weakside linebacker was down to Florida or Penn State and chose the national-champion Gators.

Landing Jenkins would've been a huge coup for the Nittany Lions, but in recent days sources close to Jenkins were telling several media outlets he was leaning toward Gainesville.

The Collegian's Matt Brown is in Maryland covering the Jenkins press conference and will be filing from the crab state. Make sure to check the Collegian's website and tomorrow's print edition for his in-depth coverage.

Ok, now that the whole sleeping thing is done, the letters of intent are flowing into Happy Valley.

And the honor of earliest riser for Penn State's recruiting class of 2009 goes too . . . Mark Arcidiacono, who faxes his letter to the Penn State coaching staff at quarter til eight Wednesday morning.

Here's a quick look, with some YouTube clips, of Penn State's official commitments thus far.

Mark Arcidiacono, OT, 6-5, 285

The big offensive tackle from St. Joe's Prep School in Philadelphia is a four-star prospect according to scout.com. He was a first team all-state, all-Philadelphia and all-Catholic League offensive tackle during his senior year for the Hawks. Is expected to provide depth almost immediately along an offensive line losing three starters.

Glenn Carson, LB, 6-3, 220

The Manahawkin (N.J.) Southern Regional linebacker is a scout.com four-star prospect. He's expected to make his mark in the middle with his 220-pound size and 4.6 speed. Carson is also one of the top wrestlers in New Jersey. Here's his bout in last year's New Jersey state championships (he's the one in black knee pads). Carson finished runner-up in the 215-pound weight class.

Jordan Hill, DT, 6-3, 280

Pennsylvania's Class A Co-Player of the Year, Hill led his Steel-High Rollers to their second consecutive state title. A scout.com three-star prospect, Hill finished his senior season with 117 tackles, 41 for loss and 12.5 sacks, pretty insane for a defensive tackle. He played as a 260-pound linebacker and fullback up until his senior year, but his future will be with his hand in the dirt as a defensive lineman. The competition level of class A football is a concern, but his got good size and great speed and athleticism for a lineman (Hill was a part of Steel-High's state-title winning basketball team last season) Here's his highlight film.

Christian Kuntz, WR, 6-4, 190

Kuntz has his senior season at Trinity (Camp Hill, Pa.) High cut short by a torn MCL. But he finished his junior year with 1,239 yards and 18 touchdowns playing mostly as a running back. But with his size, the logical move will be to wide receiver, where the Lions recruited him to play. While Kuntz's YouTube football highlights are hard to come by, here's him finishing second in the 2008 PIAA class AA 110-meter hurdle finals.

Curtis Dukes, RB, 6-2, 235

A four-star prospect according to scout.com, Dukes has a good combination of size (235 lbs.) and speed (4.5, 40) for a running back. The Indian River (N.Y.) High School senior finished with 1,226 yards on only 81 carries (15.14 yards per carry) and 17 total touchdowns in nine games. Take a peek.

Devon Smith, WR/KR, 5-7.5, 145

While slight in stature, Smith is one of the fastest players not only in Maryland, but in the country. He reportedly ran a 4.19 40-yard dash at the Maryland Crab Bowl all-star game, and officially lists his 40 time at 4.34. On top of that he's recorded the fastest 55- and 60-yard dash times in the country this indoor track season. Here's his 98-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the Crab Bowl.

Kevin Newsome, QB, 6-3, 213

The Lions needed a quarterback, badly. They brought in a good one. Just six days after former Lion Pat Devlin left the team, Portsmouth, Va. native Newsome signed with the Lions. With Devlin gone and the graduation of Paul Cianciolo, Newsome should figure into the Lions' gameplan right away. He will likely be the backup to current starter Daryll Clark. Newsome's style of play closely resembles that of Clark's. Take a look here.

Gerald Hodges, S, 6-3, 210

Hodges did a little bit of everything in high school. An impressive athlete with size and speed, he could be counted on quickly to fill the voids left by the departed Anthony Scirrotto and Mark Rubin. Check out this vid. Hodges plays 'Q', returns punts, hell, he even kicks the ball. It's not the best highlight reel, however, due to some poor editing. Fast forward to 4:45 to see the best moment -- a good ol' fashioned slobberknocking.

Brandon Felder, WR, 6-3, 165

Penn State lost a great deal of offensive firepower with the graduations of Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler and Derrick Williams, but incoming freshman Brandon Felder should add depth to Mike McQueary's receiving corps. He'll also join Brett Brackett (6-foot-6) and Graham Zug (6-foot-2) as another big man in the group. Here's Felder using his height to go up and get the rock. And another.

--Wible & TJ

Well, er, kind of. It's officially national signing day, so it's time to find out who's going to become the Nittany Lion stars of the future.

Nothing's official as of yet, but come tomorrow morning the faxes will start streaming in to the Lasch Football Building and the class will officially come together. As of right now, based upon verbal commitments, Penn State's class of 2009 is shaping up to be a pretty good one.

Looking at the verbal commitments the Nittany Lions have picked up, the class appears solid. But while verbal commitments are not binding, coach Joe Paterno already has four of his players of the future on campus.

Kicker Anthony Fera, offensive line Ty Howle, defensive back Gerald Hodges and quarterback Kevin Newsome all skipped their final semesters of high school, opting to enroll early in Happy Valley.

This allows them the chance to get acclimated to the challenge of juggling classes, college life and football responsibilities before being forced into the pressure cooker that is the regular season.

With kicker Kevin Kelly graduated, Fera has an opportunity to contend for early playing time and with only one other scholarship quarterback (Daryll Clark) on the roster, the heralded Newsome is expected to be Clark's backup from day one.

Check for more updates throughout the day Wednesday, with Penn State still in the hunt for five-star linebacker Jelani Jenkins from Maryland, who will make his announcement just before 11 EST and Delaware receiver Justin Brown, who his expected to choose between Penn State and Rutgers sometime between 2-3 EST.

-- Wible