STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State commit Tom Ricketts, a three-star offensive guard according to ESPN Scouts Inc., wasn't quite ready for the first photo Saturday. He grinned and said he'd rather not smile; he wanted to be business-like and maybe, someone offered, a bit intimidating.
He burst into a laugh immediately afterward. This wasn't the high school senior’s first visit to University Park, he said, but the senior at North Allgeheny (Pa.) Senior High School was still surprised at all the noise.
"This is amazing, just overwhelming," he said of the crowd of 110,033. "I've never seen anything like it."
Ricketts could compete with fellow offensive line recruits Miles Dieffenbach (four-star), Khamrone Kolb (three-star), and Luke Graham (three-star) for playing time next year when two starters (Dennis Landolt and Ako Poti) graduate.
The offensive line was admittedly not at its best against Ohio State ("Whenever you don't play as well as you do, it's a little frustrating," Landolt said.), but four-star quarterback recruit Robert Bolden wasn't likely worrying about its future.
Before the game, the Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s product said he felt even more at ease after experiencing the atmosphere of a Penn State rivalry game. Plus, he said, this is something he gave a lot of thought to.
"No way I'm decommitting," he said, adding he decided to don the Blue and White because he felt it was the best fit offensively.
Canonsburg (Pa.) Canon-McMillan’s Mike Hull, a three-star middle linebacker and the Nittany Lions’ first commit in the class of 2010, talked less about fitting in with the defense -- and more about fitting in with the team, in general. He said he already knows a lot of players, and he's a big fan of the 82-year-old head coach.
"Everyone's really down to Earth, and Joe Paterno's funny," Hull said. "He’s got a lot of stories."
Added Stamford (Conn.) King’s Silas Redd, a four-star running back: "I can't wait to get here."
Other Nittany Lions commits made it to the game as well including Kolb, Dieffenbach, Graham, Khairi Fortt, Alex Kenney, Luke Graham, Dakota Royer, Kyle Baublitz, Daquan Jones, Evan Hailes, and Kevin Haplea.
Loss Doesn't Dissuade Commits
