BlueWhiteIllustrated.com - Lions' recruiting success hits all-time high

May 29, 2009

Phil Grosz
BlueWhiteIllustrated.com Publisher

Note: This article appears in the latest, special 'Freshmen of Influence' issue of Blue White Illustrated, which you can read now at BlueWhiteOnline.com!

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By Phil Grosz
Blue White Illustrated

Recruiting is the lifeblood of every athletic sports team at Penn State in its 29-sport intercollegiate athletic program.

For all 25 years Blue White Illustrated has been in existence, I've had the privilege of providing to our subscribers my analysis of Penn State's football recruiting efforts.

Over the last quarter of a century, I've had the privilege of presenting to our subscribers more than 200 prep All-American football players through our Up Close and Personal series with each of the last 25 Penn State football recruiting classes.

It's been a process I have thoroughly enjoyed over the last 25 years, because when we established our "Up Close and Personal" series in Blue White Illustrated back in 1984, it was the only publication where avid Nittany Lion football fans could obtain accurate and comprehensive information about Penn State's football recruiting efforts.

To many of our subscribers back in the 1980s, it was the most enjoyable aspect of our publication and the cornerstone on which Blue White Illustrated was established.

Interest in recruiting skyrocketed at the beginning of this decade with the growth and expansion of the Internet.

Not only were Blue White Illustrated subscribers followers of Joe Paterno's football recruiting efforts each and every year, Nittany Lion fans wanted to be informed about the entire Penn State sports recruiting scene.

Our subscribers wanted to know when Ed DeChellis' recruiting classes would make the Nittany Lion basketball program a legitimate Big Ten and NCAA tournament contender.

Could Coquese Washington re-establish with her recruiting efforts Penn State's dominant position in Big Ten's women's basketball after what happened at the tail end of Rene Portland's tenure at Penn State?

Now, with the hiring of Cael Sanderson as Penn State's new wrestling head coach, interest in Nittany Lion wrestling recruiting information is at an all-time high.

Also, I'm happy to state with the success of Penn State's men's and women's volleyball programs and the tremendous job Beth Alford-Sullivan had done with the men's and women's track programs, interest in the recruiting efforts of the so-called Olympic sports at Penn State is at a level never seen here before among the staff of Blue White Illustrated.

That's why I'm truly thrilled with the decision our staff made at the beginning of this decade to produce at the end of each May in our first edition of each volume of our publication our special Freshmen of Influence issue.

In this edition we annually provide to our readership not only the biographical sketches of Penn State's football recruits in our Up Close and Personal series, but how successful programs like men's basketball, women's basketball, wrestling and the Olympic sports here at Penn State have fared with their recruiting efforts.

It is the reason why our Freshmen of Influence issue annually ranks as one of our five favorite editions each year, along with our Preseason Football Preview Issue, Bowl Preview Issue, Football Signing Day Issue and our Blue-White Game Preview Issue.

On the recruiting front, I'm pleased to inform our subscribers that we have a whole bunch of good news to report not only with Penn State football for its Class of 2010, but for the entire Penn State intercollegiate sports program.

That is particularly true with what most of our subscribers would consider to be the four premier sports of football, men's and women's basketball, plus wrestling at Penn State.

Joe Paterno and his staff are off to their best start in recruiting this decade with its senior prep Class of 2010.

Already with approximately nine months left until signing day (Feb. 3, 2010) for the Class of 2010, Paterno has received verbal commitments from five prospects, four of which have received a four-star ranking by Rivals.com.

Among those four-star recruits are: Pennsylvania's top-rated quarterback Paul Jones from Sto-Rox High School in McKees Rocks, the Northeast's top-rated running back, Silas Redd from King & Low Heywood Thomas High School in Stamford, Conn., ACC Country's top-rated wide receiver Adrian Coxson from City College High School in Baltimore and the WPIAL's top-rated defensive player in linebacker Mike Hull from Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg.

Add offensive lineman Luke Graham from Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City to Hull and Jones and one could easily make the argument that Penn State has already received verbal commitments from the three top-rated players in the WPIAL.

But the good news on the recruiting front for the Class of 2010 doesn't end with Coxson, Graham, Hull, Jones and Redd.

Paterno and his assistant coaches have already extended scholarship offers to 50 members of the Class of 2010. Thirty-seven of those 51 extended scholarship offers to members of the Class of 2010 have four-star status according to Rivals.com.

That's good news by itself because it illustrates Penn State is attempting to recruit the best of the best, but even more uplifting than that piece of information is the Nittany Lions' recruiting position with a significant number of those four-star rated recruits.

Personally, I believe Penn State is the team to beat for the following Rivals.com-rated four-star prospects: quarterback Barry Brunetti from University School in Memphis, Tenn., offensive lineman Khamrone Kolb (6-6, 300) from Lake Braddock High School in Burke, Va., tight end Kevin Halpea (6-4, 235) from North Hunterdon Regional High School in Annandale, N.J., defensive lineman Kyle Baublitz Central York High School in York, Pa., defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd from George Washington High School in Philadelphia, defensive end/linebacker Dakota Royer from Manheim Central High School in Manheim, Pa., linebacker Khairi Fortt from King & Low Heywood Thomas High School in Stamford, Conn., athlete Alex Kenney from State College, Pa., and fullback/linebacker Zach Zwinak from Linganore High School in Frederick, Md.

It should be noted that Zwinak is Rivals' top-rated fullback, Baublitz is Rivals' top-rated tight end, Halpea is Rivals' 18th-rated tight end, Floyd is Rivals' fourth-rated defensive tackle, Fortt is Rivals' second-ranked outside linebacker, Royer is Rivals' 13th-ranked weakside defensive end and Kenney is Rivals' 44th-rated wide receiver.

All this clearly illustrates why Penn State is in its best position with football recruiting with its Class of 2010 this decade, with nine months still to go until signing day.

The news on the men's basketball recruiting front is even more surprising. Despite the fact Penn State's Class of 2009 won't be ranked among the top 25 recruiting classes in the country, DeChellis has been able to recruit his best class during his six-year tenure at Penn State.

I'm almost convinced it might be the best recruiting class in Penn State basketball history.

The reason for that type of analysis on my part is easy to understand when you examine the quality of recruits in DeChellis' Class of 2009.

Headlining the four-man group is point guard Tim Frazier from Strake Jesuit High School in Houston. Frazier was TexasHoops.com's No. 1-rated prospect in the state of Texas and the Houston Chronicle's Player of the Year.

The other three members of DeChellis' Class of 2009 are: power forward Sasa Borovnjak from Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, N.C., wing forward Bill Edwards from Middletown, Ohio, and shooting guard/small forward Jermaine Marshall from Red Land High School in Lewisberry, Pa.

Borovnjak was a top 15-rated prep school performer by Max Preps and he was the leading scorer in West Carolina, averaging 26.1 points per game, 12.1 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per game, playing against Oak Hill Academy and some of the best prep school competition in the country.

Edwards finished the 2008-09 season rated the top wing forward in Ohio for the Class of 2009. Averaging just over 25 minutes of playing time per game, Edwards totaled 18 points per game, led the conference in rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game) and assists (2.6 assists per game), shot 42 percent from beyond the arc, 52 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the foul line.

Marshall, despite the fact he missed the entire 2008-09 season with a torn patella tendon in his right knee, ended up still rated by ESPN as the 26th best small forward prospect in the Class of 2009.

Add to that the fact DeChellis has landed a verbal commitment from shooting guard Taran Buie (6-1, 160) from Bishop Maginn High School in Albany, N.Y., the brother of present Penn State point guard Taylor Battle, it is easy to understand why this has to be DeChellis' best recruiting effort.

Buie is a consensus Class of 2011 All-American prospect and is a consensus top 60-rated prospect among recruiting services.
On paper, Washington has recruited one of the 10 best recruiting classes in the country.

Washington's four-member class of 2009 is highlighted by third-team Parade All-American shooting guard Alex Bentley (5-9) from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Ind.

It also contained 6-5 center Nikki Greene from Diboli, Texas. Greene led Diboli to a Texas Class 3A No. 1 ranking and a 35-2 record, averaging 14.8 ppg, 15 rpg, 4.8 apg, 7 blocks per game and 5 steals per game. HoopGurlz.com rated Greene as the fifth-best center prospect in the country.

Rounding out Washington's Class of 2009 was 6-foot-3 guard/forward Marisa Wolfe from Ford City, Pa. and 5-11 shooting guard/forward Gizelle Studevent from the Bishop's School in LaJolla, Calif.

On the wrestling front, it took only a week from Sanderson's hiring to produce startling results in recruiting.

Sanderson was hired on April 17 and by April 24 both Andrew and Dylan Alton from Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pa., verbally committed to Penn State.

Andrew and Dylan are twin brothers and are rated the No. 1 wrestlers in the country at 140- and 145-pounds respectfully in the Class of 2011.

If 135-pound national champ David Taylor from St. Paris Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio, and 215-pound state champ Lou Macchiaroli from Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, Ariz., who have been released from their scholarships from Iowa State following Sanderson's resignation, end up at Penn State, Sanderson's hiring could give Penn State legitimate wrestling national championship aspirations in 2011.

As I stated at the beginning of this Phil's Corner, I've had the privilege of monitoring Penn State's recruiting efforts for the past quarter of a century and without question this is the best position the Nittany Lions' football, men's basketball, women's basketball and wrestling recruiting efforts have place themselves in the same year.

Over the next four years, Penn State football, men's and women's basketball and wrestling should be reaping the benefits of stellar Class of 2009 and 2010 recruiting efforts.

Phil Grosz is the publisher of Blue White Illustrated.

Here's a look at this issue's table of contents:

4 - Mailbag
5-6 - Phil's Corner
7 - Cover Story: Jack Crawford
- He hasn't even been playing organized football for very long, yet true sophomore Jack Crawford is poised to become one of the Nittany Lions' starting defensive ends this fall.
8 - Feature: Michael Mauti
9 - Feature: A.J. Wallace
10 - Feature: Brett Brackett
11-12 - Football Recruiting
- BWI recruiting analyst Sean Fitz and publisher Phil Grosz examine the latest news regarding Penn State's recruiting efforts for the class of 2010.
13-28 - Special Freshmen of Influence Section
- For the most detailed, analytical look at the latest recruiting classes from men's basketball head coach Ed DeChellis, women's basketball head coach Coquese Washington, and wrestling's Cael Sanderson, be sure to pick up this very special pull-out Freshmen of Influence section! Plus, Up Close and Personals with TE/DE Garry Gilliam, DT Jordan Hill, and CB Stephen Obeng-Agyapong!
29 - Football Commitments
- BWI's Sean Fitz examines the Nittany Lions' three newest commitments: WR Adrian Coxon, RB Silas Redd and OL Luke Graham.
31 - Nike Camp Rundown
- Some of the best performers at this year's May State College Nike Camp have already made their verbal commitments to the Nittany Lions.
32 - Wrestling Recruiting
- Cael Sanderson makes his mark early by landing 2010's Alton twins, Andrew and Dylan, the No. 1-rated 140 and 145-pounders in the country.
34-36 - Ed DeChellis Q&A
- BWI Web editor Nate Bauer sits down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with DeChellis. In this interview, DeChellis talks about his latest recruiting pull, losing Jamelle Cornley and the rest of the Lions' seniors, and more! Where are the Nittany Lions headed next season after their NIT Championship run? Find out here!

Plus, as always, don't miss Varsity Views, Scorecard and The Tail End!

To order a subscription, click here.

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