Mornhinweg picks Penn State

Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg became Penn State's first skill position commitment in the Class of 2012.

The 6-foot-3, 190 pound prospect choose the Nittany Lions over Tennessee, Alabama, Illinois and Stanford on Tuesday afternoon. The former Cardinal commit visited Penn State in the beginning of the month, which he says went a long way in making this decision.

"That second trip was really great," said Mornhinweg. "I got to hang out with the coaches and also the players. Mark Arcidiacono, who actually went to St. Joseph's Prep with me, and also Mike Zordich. The guys were really great and I got to meet with coach Joe Paterno and Jay Paterno and the whole staff. That second trip was really (important), especially seeing what great guys they were."

Mornhinweg will be staying much closer to home now, compared to his previous commitment, but the three-year varsity starter said distance never had much of an impact.

"For me, distance is not really an issue. If Penn State were out of state, I'd still be choosing Penn State, even if it was clear across the country. Penn State is Penn State."

Mornhinweg is also one of St. Joseph's top defensive back's, with multiple scouts believing he could possibly play free safety in the Nittany Lion secondary if things weren't to work out on offense. According to his high school head coach Gabe Infante, Skyler's commitment to Penn State will have no impact on how much time he sees on defense this fall.

"Sky and myself are very similar in a way that we're both really really big competitors," said Infante. "I know that it'd be tough to keep him off the field and I know we're going to do whatever it takes to win. I know that Sky wants to do that as well, so were going to make our decisions based on what's best for a our football team and I know that Sky would want me to do the same.

"Last year at times, he wanted to be out there in every possible situation to help win every game for us and I wouldn't want it any other way. It's what makes him special, it's what's giving him the opportunity to go to Penn State and made him such a high recruit in this country and that's the way we're going to go about our business. We're just going to find ways to help our team win and if that means Sky is playing the secondary, that's what it means. I know he wouldn't want it any other way and so would I."

Mornhinweg is the son of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. He completed 110 of 229 passes last season for 1,546 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning first-team all-Catholic League Class AAAA honors. In his career, he has amassed over 3,000 yards passing with 32 touchdowns through the air. He has also rushed for more than 500 yards in his career, adding an additional 13 touchdowns on the ground.

"I'm really excited for my senior year and now I'm really excited to get up to Penn State and get working there. It's great to find a great place to go to school."

Mornhinweg's ranked 29th overall in the state of Pennsylvania and was given a three-star rating by Rivals.com.