2012 recruiting class is set for Nittany Lions

Bill O'Briens first recruiting class is complete and there are some mixed feelings about how the first year head coach did on his first real task as the leader of Nittany Nation. Penn State was ranked 49th by Scout.com and 50th by Rivals.com in the 2012 team rankings. Under the current circumstances I personally consider it a good job, not a great job, but a good job of salvaging some decent talent in this year's class. So without further delay let's take a look at the 2012 recruiting class for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

**********

Quarterback. I think anybody who watched a Penn State game last season knows they need some serious help in this department. The Nittany Lions picked up three-star quarterback Steven Bench from Cairo High School in Georgia. Bench has the physical intangibles at 6-3 210 pounds and decommitted from Rice to attend PSU. The knock on Bench is that he was obviously committed to Rice before Penn State offered him, but most services say this kid is smart and can throw the football. O'Brien went out and got Bench when rumors of one-time commit Skyler Mornhinweg was keeping his options open. That's exactly what Mornhinweg did and decommitted to head to Gainesville to play for the Florida Gators. Time will tell whether Bench will turn into anything for the Nittany Lions, but I like O'Briens willingness to recruit down south which is hopefully a sign of things to come.

Running Back. One of the best pick-ups in the Nittany Lion's 2012 class in my opinion is Akeel Lynch out of St. Francis, NY. Lynch was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year in New York this past season rushing for 2,131 yards and 25 touchdowns on 213 carries. Lynch was another priority get for Penn State with only three scholarship tailbacks on the team.

Wide Receiver. Probably the most talented player out of the 2012 class of Nittany Lions comes out of this group with Wyoming Valley West's Eugene Lewis. Lewis is a four-star prospect who has played quarterback the last two years at West, but his natural position is at the wideout spot. The 6-2 185 pounder also offers up nice size and joins a Penn State receiving squad that has some talent returning in 2012. The Nittany Lions added three more receivers to the class with two of them possibly moving to defense. Malik Golden (3-star) out of Connecticut and Trevor Williams (3-star) from Maryland were both recruited by other schools to play defensive-back. Rounding out the receivers is Jonathan Warner from the state of Washington. Warner (2-star) is the son of Penn State legend Curt Warner. Warner didn't do much until his senior season so it will be interesting to see how he does in Happy Valley.

Tight End. Penn State grabbed two tight ends in Jesse James and Brent Wilkerson. James (3-star) is huge at 6-8 250 pounds and is from McKeesport, PA. James is already enrolled at State College. Brent Wilkerson (3-star) from Dematha Catholic in Maryland comes in at 6-3 242 pounds, but will most likely move to defensive end as that's the position most schools recruited him as.

Offensive Line. Anthony Stanko and Wendy Laurent are the two "O-lineman" the Nittany Lions are bringing in for 2012. Stanko (3-star) is from Ohio and Laurent (2-star) from the Hun Prep School in Princeton, NJ. Laurent is coming in at 6-4 285 pounds and Stanko is a healthy 6-5 300 pounds.

Defensive Line. Jamil Pollard out of West Deptford, NJ was the only other consensus four-star prospect for PSU in 2012. Brian Gaia out of Maryland is another three-star recruit on most services, but a four-star on ESPN. Derek Dowrey (3-star) (Handley, VA) and Austin Johnson (3-star) (St. Augustine Prep, NJ), and Central Dauphin, PA defensive end Evan Schwan (2-star) were the remaining "d-lineman" signed by Larry Johnson.

Linebacker. With the depth at linebacker this season for Nittany Lions, Valley View's (PA) Nyeem Wartman probably won't see anytime this season unless it's on special teams. Wartman is a solid three-star prospect however, and you know if he did something to catch Vanderlinden's eye than he's got the ability to be a play-maker.

Defensive Back. Daquan Davis (3-star), a teammate of Trevor Williams, Jordan Lucas (3-star) (6-1 195), and Jake Kiley (2-star) are the future as of now of the Penn State secondary. With the the losses of safeties Drew Asterino and Nick Sukay it was important for PSU to pick up some talent in these areas. With his big athletic frame Jordan Lucas is expected to see the most time as a freshman out of this group.

**********

The stage is set for the next big event on O'Briens timeline of coaching and that would be spring practice and of course the Blue White Game. The new era of Penn State football is underway and these 19 young men are the beginning of a fresh start for Nittany Nation.