On the same day, the Nittany Lions received verbal commitments from an extra-large running back and an extra-large offensive tackle to block for him.
Start with the runner.
Curtis Dukes possesses an intriguing combination of size (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) and speed (4.45 40-yard dash), but has impressed against questionable competition in upstate New York -- an area not known nationally for producing high-quality football talent.
He choose Penn State on Wednesday over offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Temple, Buffalo and Villanova.
"He's a freak athlete. He's a type of kid you don't see a lot," said Bob Lichtenfels of Scout.com, a national recruiting service. "Sideline-to-sideline he's as good as anybody. He could play linebacker or be a Curtis Enis-type of tailback."
But, "He has hardly any (game) film out there. Hardly anyone knows about the kid. If he went to combines and camps he would be a national recruit."
Earlier in the day, the lineman also picked Penn State.
Adam Gress, a Pittsburgh-area offensive tackle from West Mifflin High, chose the Lions over West Virginia, Michigan, Rutgers and Virginia. The former 240-pound tight end has grown into a 6-foot-7, 285-pound lineman -- with a body frame to add even more weight.
The Lions already have snagged five-star offensive tackle Eric Shrive of Scranton who is 6-7 and 300 pounds.
Gress, a life-long Penn State fan, is only a three-star recruit -- for now.
"I thought he is one of the biggest sleepers," said Tom Lemming, a national recruiting analyst for CBS College Sports. "Shrive got all of the publicity ... but (Gress) could end up being their best offensive lineman. He's big and has long arms and is going to fill out.
"These are not five-star guys, but they're both guys who could go past what many predict," Lemming said of Dukes and Gress. "Neither are dominating players yet, but they could grow into them."
Penn State now has 14 commitments in its recruiting class, which expects to have the full allotment of 25 scholarships.
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