By Bill Kurelic, NN Recruiting Analyst

bkurelic@nittanynetwork.com

May 27, 2009

Joe Paterno would love to dominate his home state on the recruiting front this year, something he hasn’t done in recently. 

So far, so good with the class of 2010. 

Paterno has commitments from two of Pennsylvania’s top 10 prospects – and the other eight have yet to commit elsewhere.  Paterno also has a commitment from my No. 11 prospect, offensive lineman Luke Graham (Harrison City/Penn-Trafford).

Here is a rundown of my current class of 2010 top 10 and where the Nittany Lions stand with each right now:

1. RB Corey Brown (Springfield/Cardinal O’Hara)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Florida, Boston College, Michigan State, Florida State, Pitt, Maryland, West Virginia, Miami and others
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Brown seems to be favoring Florida, Rutgers and Ohio State, though he is not close to selecting a college.

2. LB Mike Hull (Canonsburg/Canon-McMillan)
Schools considering:  Committed to Penn State
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Hull committed to the Nittany Lions in November over scholarship offers from Michigan, Pitt and West Virginia.

3. DE/LB Dakota Royer (Manheim/Manheim Central)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Pitt, Notre Dame, UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Oregon 
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  After watching Royer hang out with PSU commit Silas Redd and Khairi Fortt - both Connecticut natives - at the Penn State NIKE Camp, I like the Nittany Lions’ chances with both Royer and Fortt.

4. DL Sharrif Floyd (Philadelphia/George Washington)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Florida, Miami, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin, Pitt, Temple, West Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse and a few others
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Floyd plans to take all five official visits and says Penn State will be one of the five. 

5. WR Alex Kenney (State College/State College)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Illinois, Stanford, Virginia, Northwestern, Temple, Minnesota and a few others
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Kenney is not a Penn State slam dunk, but I still like the Nittany Lions’ chances.

6. QB P.J. Jones (McKees Rocks/Sto-Rox)
Schools considering:  Committed to Penn State
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Jones’ committed to Penn State over scholarship offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Stanford, Iowa, North Carolina State, Duke and a few others.

7. DE Kyle Baublitz (York/Central York)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern, West Virginia, Boston College, Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland and some others
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Baublitz would like to select his college before the end of the summer.  He says he is currently wide open on his choices. 

8. QB Anthony Gonzalez (Bethlehem/Liberty)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Pitt, Illinois, Maryland, Florida State, West Virginia, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Clemson and a few others
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  Paterno would like a quarterback tandem of Gonzalez and Jones in his 2010 recruiting class.

9. WR/DB Brandon Ifill (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Michigan, Pitt, Maryland, Minnesota, West Virginia, Purdue, Connecticut and some others
Penn State offer?:  Yes
The Skinny:  This is going to be a tough one for Paterno to win.  Maryland currently leads Pitt and Michigan.

10. OL Miles Dieffenbach (Pittsburgh/Fox Chapel)
Schools considering:  Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, Ohio State, Boston College, Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan State and a few others
Penn State offer?:  No
The Skinny:  Dieffenbach is interested in Penn State, but the Nittany Lions have not offered.  Pitt is the odds-on favorite.