2013 Recruiting class

Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien had gotten things rolling last spring with his new program, getting verbal commitments from 14 recruits for the 2013 class before the Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked the school and its football program to their core. A number of those original commits have since backed out, choosing to attend other schools in the wake of severe NCAA sanctions imposed July 23.

The following is a list of the recruits who have, thus far, chosen to stay and their commitment dates (follow the links for more information about each):

Christian Hackenberg (2/29/12)
Garrett Sickels (3/04/12)
Adam Breneman (3/09/12)*
Brendan Mahon (3/17/12)
Curtis Cothran (3/27/12)
Andrew Nelson (4/15/12)
Neiko Robinson (6/3/12)
Brandon Bell (6/13/12)
Zayd Issah (6/29/12, recommitted 12/9/12)
Jordan Smith (8/11/12)*
Kasey Gaines (9/19/12)
Tanner Hartman (9/25/12)
Richy Anderson (10/28/12)*
Parker Cothren (11/20/12)
Anthony Smith (12/9/12)*
DaeSean Hamilton (12/9/12)
Tyler Ferguson (12/14/12)*

* Enrolled at Penn State in January 2013. These players are eligible to play in the spring, and their scholarships count against 2012 totals.

National signing day is Wednesday, when recruits can sign their letters of intent and officially commit to play for a college. We’ll track the progress of the Nittany Lions’ 2013 class here throughout the week.

Withdrawn commitments
After the NCAA blasted Penn State with penalties, including reduced scholarships and a four-year bowl ban, the following recruits withdrew their commitment or committed to another team:

Greg Webb (committed 4/05/12, decommitted 7/21/2012)
Ross Douglas (2/29/12, committed to Michigan 7/24/2012)
Zach Bradshaw (6/27/12, committed to Virginia 8/7/12)
Will Fuller (6/5/12, committed to Notre Dame 8/5/12)
Dorian Johnson (committed 6/24/12, decommitted 8/7/12)
Jonathan Walton (committed 12/9/12, decommitted 1/13/13)

Sanctions taking toll on Penn State recruiting

Past recruiting posts