The One(s) Who Got Away...

Every recruiting season there are a couple top-prospects that spurn Penn State and commit to some other program. Sometimes it is not surprising, while other times are heartbreaking. In years past some of those names included: Terrelle Pryor (Ohio St.); Deon Walker (Notre Dame); Broderick Green (USC); LeSean McCoy (Pitt); Vidal Hazelton (USC); Chad Henne (Mich.); Kevin Jones (Vir. Tech); and Dan Kendra (Florida St.)--just to name a few. Sometimes these players became stars, while others never had much success.

This year is no exception. With a very successful recruiting season in the books, and an exciting 2009 season ahead of us on the field, it's time to take one final look at "the one that got away."

1. Jelani Jenkins (Florida; Linebacker)--Jenkins is really the only one I care about. Even though linebacker was not a major "need" in this class, Jenkins was one of Penn State's top-three targets this year. He would have been an upgrade at the linebacker position, and that is really saying something with the likes of Lee and Bowman lining up at "Linebacker U."
   
2. Tate Forcier (Michigan; Quarterback)--Frankly, my first choice (and Penn State's first choice, I think) was Kevin Newsome, and we got him. Still, with the lose of Devlin, there's nothing wrong with getting two blue chip quarterbacks. However, neither Forcier and Newsome were going to go to the same school, so I think we ended up on the good side with this one.
   
3. Antone Exum (Virginia Tech; Athlete)--Losing Exum hurts, but not very much. Losing Justin Brown would've hurt more. Exum would have likely come in and played wide receiver right away--and maybe he would have had a shot at quarterback too. In the end, however, Penn State filled this open spot with Shawney Kersey, a trade-off that I am fine with.
   
4. Sam Longo (Ohio State; Offensive Line)--This is one of the few non-surprises. Penn State was high on Longo's list... and then Ohio State woke up and offered this Ohio native a scholarship. As soon as that happened, Penn State didn't have a chance.
   
5. Anthony Lolata (Michigan; Offensive Line)--Lolata looked like he was interested in Penn State, but Michigan offered him as a defensive lineman, which Lolata preferred over offensive tackle.
   
6. Dorian Bell & Corey Brown (Ohio State; Linebacker, Cornerback)--Both Bell and Brown committed to Ohio State last summer, very early in the process. However, until that point, both of these Pennsylvania standouts were high on Penn State's wish list. Both attended Gateway High School in Pittsburgh (Justin King's HS) and played for former Penn State standout Terry Smith--thus, why many Nittany Lion fans had hope early in the process.
   
7. Travis Hawkins (Maryland; Cornerback)--Finally, Hawkins and teammate Jason Ankrah (Nebraska; Def. Line) may or may not deserve to be on this list. Both Hawkins and Ankrah attend Quince Orchard High School in Maryland, where current Penn State linebacker Bani Gbadyu went to high school. However, internet rumors and unsubstantiated reports suggested that Penn State began to back-off each of these prospects for grades, character issues, or both. Either way, landing Hawkins (or Ankrah for that matter) would have been an upgrade at either position.

With that said, the only two that I regret not getting are Jenkins and Exum. Both are high character guys that would have been great for the locker room AND the field. However, it's time to move on. Penn State signed 27 great players and the future is bright in Happy Valley. It is now clear, only 4 years removed from the darkest days in Penn State football history, that this team will not be headed in that direction any time in the near future. Keep recruiting like they are currently and we can expect more Rose Bowl trips in the years to come.