I tried to put off this BWR as long as I could, because I’ve never been interested in recruiting and was even less so after I read For the Glory by Ken Denlinger.
How well did Penn State address their needs with this recruiting class?
I didn’t see a lot of skill position players listed, but they got linebackers as always. Really, they need to start playing a 3-8-3 defense or something.
Who was the big fish that got away? The kid you really really wish we had landed?
I’ll dodge this question — how did it work out for some of the players we were supposed to be heartbroken about losing — Dan Kendra, Ron Powlus, Kevin Jones or Chad Henne? You could argue that none reached their potential for whatever reason:
Kendra — KABOOM!
Powlus — no bowl wins
Jones — how years did he play at Virginia Tech, two?
Henne — one bowl less than Anthony Morelli, but there was Tacopants
So, I’m not going to cry about players who might have worn the blue and white.
You’re NCAA President Miles Brand. Take a break from counting your BCS cash for a minute. What would you do to improve the recruiting process?
Tell ESPN that they may need to re-examine certain clauses (I don’t think we feel comfortable with certain kinds of advertisers) in their next broadcast agreement and even threaten to go elsewhere. For the smaller operations, threaten to revoke press passes. Also, limit the amount of correspondence that coaches can have with recruits, i.e. one letter or call a week or something.
I do my part by not blogging about recruiting.
Now you’re Joe Paterno. So I guess prepare to dodge the question. What would you change about Penn State’s recruiting strategy?
I’d let Tom Bradley and Larry Johnson Sr. use one of the university jets more often.
Lightning Round
Where will Terrelle Pryor go to school? Or should he just live off the hype for the next few years and directly enter the NFL draft in 2010?
Pryor will attend Penn State McKeesport. Really, I have no clue.
Which member of this class stands the best chance to make an immediate impact?
Someone who can play defensive back.
Informed recruiting commentary:
There Is No Name On My Jersey
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Tangled Up In White and Blue
The Big 11th
Run Up the Score!