STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- No juniors committed to Penn State Saturday --- but those attending Saturday’s Big Ten battle certainly came away impressed.
Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt running back Jameel Poteat, an ESPNU 150 Watch List prospect, didn't even make it inside the stadium before fans started yelling his name. On his way past the Bryce Jordan Center, where Penn State plays its basketball games, someone screamed, "Hey Poteat! Come to Penn State!"
Even as Poteat was recounting his story on the Beaver Stadium sideline, another fan painted in white yelled, "Forget Pitt! Come here!" Poteat just smiled: "I didn't expect that."
Poteat didn't think people would recognize him; he had never attended a Penn State football game before. But, he said on the field he was having a great time.
"This is just crazy," he said.
Also enjoying their time were Maika Polamalu, a 6-foot athlete also on ESPNU's 150 Watch List, and Matthew Digby, an offensive tackle from Norwich Free Academy in Bozrah, Conn.
Polamalu, who attends Pottsgrove (Pa.) High School with fellow Lions targetTerrell Chestnut, was used to the environment of a Big Ten game. After all, his father is a Penn State graduate --- and Polamalu said he always feels comfortable in Happy Valley.
"It's like a second home here," said Polamalu, who has a verbal offer from Penn State.
For Poteat, the experience was entirely new. On Thursday, he said he was most looking forward to the atmosphere. His Bishop McDevitt high school team recently squared off against State College Area, and he said that crowd was incredible.
He said he could only imagine how one of the largest crowds in the nation would act. And, on Saturday, he didn't seem disappointed — he almost missed the opportunity to attend the game, after all. Poteat temporarily misplaced the contact information to pick up his credentials earlier in the week but got everything squared away by Friday.
Poteat said he wants to put off making a decision until he breaks down the depth charts of the schools he's interested in. Playing time is important, he said, but Silas Redd --- a 2010 four-star running back recruit from Connecticut in attendance --- explained to him why he chose Penn State.
"He liked how everything was," Poteat said. "It caught me."
Juniors Get Taste Of Spotlight
