Once again, Penn State has a battle on its hands with USC.
Of course, the Rose Bowl matchup didn't go so well for the Nittany Lions, who fell behind dramatically by halftime before losing by a more respectable score.
But now the competition moves on to head-to-head recruiting, which at least shows that the Penn State staff is getting more seriously involved in top-line talent, no matter where it is from.
So that's a good sign for Penn State fans.
The only difficulty is actually beating out the Trojans, yearly national title contenders, on signing day.
The latest involves San Diego-area receiver Kenny Stills and Connecticut linebacker Khairi Fortt.
Penn State coaches have been recruiting both hard for months now, only to see USC offer each within the past week or two. Of course, the scholarship offers made both take notice in a big way.
Fortt, who Rivals.com ranks as the No. 2 outside linebacker in the nation, seemed to be favoring Penn State -- at least until recently.
"We did get the offer from USC, and Khairi is definitely interested in USC," father Guy Fortt told USCFootball.com. "You put 11 players in the league -- four being linebackers -- and it's self-explanatory.
"Khairi ... has the makings of a great linebacker, especially with the brains and tutelage of (USC assistant coach) Ken Norton," Guy Fortt said.
The Fortts told USCFootball.com that they plan on visiting some Southern schools on their own next month and could wait to see USC on an official visit later.
At least Fortt is basically in Penn State's traditional recruiting area. Stills is another matter.
Penn State coaches identified him as a high-level prospect months ago during an apparent recruiting outreach into California. The receiver earned offers from most every Pac-10 school early on, though he only recently received one from the Trojans.
"It definitely stopped me in my tracks, and I was very appreciative that the hard work had paid off for me, I kind of see it that way," Stills told BlueWhiteIllustrated.com, when asked about his USC offer. "But it hasn't really done anything as far as me making my mind up or anything. It's just more that they've gotten themselves into the picture with an offer."
Stills told BlueWhiteIllustrated.com that he expects to be visited soon by Penn State assistant Kermit Buggs and hopes to make an official visit to State College in the fall.
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