By Bill Kurelic, NN Recruiting Analyst

bkurelic@nittanynetwork.com

Jan. 30, 2009

Jay Paterno was recently in northeast Ohio.  He stopped at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and offered a scholarship to junior cornerback/running back Braylon Heard. 

Paterno has also has stopped at Hubbard High School to check on junior running back Andre Givens.

Givens had a big junior season rushing for 1,153 yards and averaging 6.6 yards per carry.  He also had 200 receiving yards and scored 17 times.

Givens moved into the starting lineup at the beginning of his sophomore season.  He played slot back that season in a ‘spread’ offense and had 500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards.

Givens, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, is also on the Hubbard track team.  He has run the 100-meter dash in 10.9 seconds and the 200 meters in 22.8 seconds.

Recruiters are certainly aware of Givens.  Among the schools showing interest are Penn State, Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan State, Michigan, Boston College and Oregon.

“Penn State was at my school, I think it was a couple weeks ago,” Givens said.  “Coach (Jay) Paterno came out.”

Givens said he has not been to Penn State State, but is interested in visiting sometime, possibly in the spring or summer.

The Nittany Lions are one of Givens’ top choices.

“My top five would be Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Illinois,” Givens said.

Do not miss this video of Givens in action, courtesy of our friends at ScoutingOhio.com.