By Bill Kurelic, NN Recruiting Analyst
bkurelic@nittanynetwork.com
Sept. 21, 2009

The Nittany Lions' recruiting roll continues as they have picked up a commitment from Under Armour All-American defensive lineman Dominique Easley from Staten Island (N.Y.) Curtis.

Easley attended the Penn State-Temple game over the weekend.  He committed after watching the Nittany Lions defeat the Owls, 31-6. 

“The education is unbelievable and Coach (Larry) Johnson is the coach for me because he reminds me of my high school coach,” Easley said via text message.

The 6-foot-3 and 260-pound Easley had approximately 18 scholarship offers including Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Florida, Georgia, Miami, South Florida, Boston College, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Maryland, Oregon, Michigan, Duke and Connecticut before selecting the Nittany Lions.

Easley made 49 tackles including eight sacks during his sophomore season. He recovered two fumbles and returned one for a touchdown as Curtis went 13-0 and won the city championship.  Easley made 51 tackles including 10 sacks during his junior season.

Easley is the No. 41 prospect on the ESPNU 150 and the No. 5 defensive end.

Kurelic’s Comment:  Landing Easley is huge for the Nittany Lions.  It was important for Joe Paterno to land either Easley or Sharrif Floyd, and now he has a shot at both.  Paterno has 18 commitments for his 2010 recruiting class, the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten and a definite Top 5 class nationally.