Another week, another disaster for Penn State recruiting.
Over the weekend, Penn State lost out on wideout Je'Ron Stokes, who gave a verbal committment to the University of Tennessee. In this week's edition of Morelli OnLion, we'll take a closer look at the recruiting disaster, put linebacker Sean Lee in the spotlight, look at a future Nittany Lion and have our weekly non-rev roundup.
That's an awful lot of ground to cover, so let's get going.
JeRon Stokes was one of the top prep wideouts in the nation.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated)
Lions Lose Stokes The Nittany Lions lost a big-time recruit over the weekend when Northeast High School's JeRon Stokes verballed to the University of Tennessee. Stokes is a 6-foot-1, 178-pound receiver from the Keystone State.
This is a guy the Nittany Lions needed. And this is a guy that they let get away.
Stokes had offers from all over the map, including UCLA, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, N.C. State, Oklahoma and Rutgers. It was believed that Penn State was in great shape with Stokes, but that turned out not to be the case.
Again, this magnifies the problems that the Nittany Lions are having in the recruiting arena. First, Terrelle Pryor leaves the state for rival Ohio State. Now, Stokes, a four-star recruit according to rivals.com, bolts for the orange and white.
For the record, Stokes was being recruited by Ron Vanderlinden, who is a pretty darn good recruiter. But it doesn't matter how good the assistant coaches are. If the head coach is unable or unwilling to hit the road to lock up these recruits, it doesn't matter.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno says he can work from his home. But you can't recruit from home, as Nittany Lion fans are finding out.
This isn't going to get any better anytime soon.
Linebacker Sean Lee has the look of a leader.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated)
The Look of a Leader During his first three seasons at Penn State, linebacker Sean Lee has enjoyed some memorable moments.
He was thrust into action at the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl, when fellow linebacker Paul Posluszny went down with a knee injury. Lee filled in nicely in that game and made a name for himself.
He also got to play alongside Dan Connor, who holds the all-time tackles record at Penn State.
He watched as Posluszny departed for the NFL, getting selected in the second round by the Buffalo Bills. This spring, he will watch Connor get taken by an NFL team, likely in the first or second round.
They were teammates. They remain friends. And there are some who say that of the three linebackers, Lee is the best of the bunch.
At a recent open practice, Lee laughed off those reports.
"That's an honor, but I don't think that's true," Lee said. "To even be compared to guys who have won so many awards and so many games, that's a great honor."
For three consecutive seasons, a Penn State linebacker has won the Bednarik Award. Lee will try to make it four straight.
Lee, who came to Penn State from Upper St. Clair High School in the Pittsburgh suburbs, had the best season of his collegiate career in 2007. He racked up 138 tackles, including 10 1/2 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and recovered three.
But it was in the Alamo Bowl where Lee really turned it up a notch.
For his effort, he was rewarded with the Defensive MVP award in the game.
With Posluszny and Connor gone, the spotlight will shine brightly on Lee. This season, we'll find out just how good he really is.
He will have to be one of the leaders on the defensive side of things.
And whether or not he's a captain, Lee said that he's ready to lead.
"It doesn't matter if you're a captain or not, you can still lead by example. You can be a good leader. We have a ton of seniors who show great leadership. I don't think it will be a problem at all," Lee said.
In addition to replacing Connor, the defense will have to replace cornerback Justin King, who bolted early for the riches of the NFL.
Last season, Penn State's defense ranked in the top 15 in the nation on rushing defense (seventh), scoring defense (seventh) and total defense (11th).
Unfortunately, the defense will be remembered for a blowout loss to Ohio State and a late-game collapse against Michigan State.
In the past, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has shuffled linebackers from outside to inside. First it was Poz, then it was Connor. Lee, though, doesn't expect to make it three in a row.
"As of now, I'm staying outside. A lot of things can happen, but for spring I think I'll be at outside," Lee said. "We've got a lot of talent at linebacker and I think we're gonna move some of the new kids around and see who can play where."
In Lee's first season, the Nittany Lions went 11-1 and were just two seconds away from being undefeated. During his sophomore and junior campaigns, the squad went 9-4 and won their bowl games, first the Outback, then the Alamo.
It's often said that there's a fine line between winning and losing.
No one knows that better than Lee.
"There's a difference between undefeated and being where we are — it's attention to detail. You can't be just good enough, you can't just make the play for a 5-yard gain. You need to make the tackle for a 2-yard loss," Lee said.
Lee said that while the team has worked hard the past two seasons, it wasn't enough.
That means this year's unit will have to work hard. If they want to contend for a national title come fall, it means extra time on the practice field this spring. It will mean more hours in the weight room this summer.
"You have to expect perfection. If you go in thinking 'we're just good enough,' we're gonna be where we were (9-4)," Lee said. "To take that next step, it's little, but it's extremely hard to get there. You have to concentrate on the details just to get better."
With young linebackers like Chris Colasanti and Michael Mauti earning playing time, Lee realizes that he has to be the lead Lion and take the younger cubs under his wing.
In addition to honing his skills, he has to teach the two about the game — from the ground up.
"Especially when you have young guys, they don't necessarily know how to prepare for a game. As you get older, you start realizing how to prepare and how to pay attention to detail. It's every drill," Lee said.
Future Lion: Matt Stankiewitch Stankiewitch became the first verbal commitment in the Penn State Class of 2008 when he gave his pledge to Dick Anderson while on a visit during the annual coaches clinic in State College on April 14.
The 6-foot-3, 288-pound two-way standout played offensive tackle and defensive line for head coach Chuck Kutz at Blue Mountain in 2007, which finished the season with an 8-5 record and a District 11 Class AAA championship.
Stankiewitch was one of the top performers in Berks County, earning first team all-league on both sides of the ball, as well as earning special recognition as the county's Offensive Lineman of the Year award.
He was also named a first team Class AAA all-state selection as an offensive lineman as a senior. It followed a junior season in which he was named a second team selection. He was recently selected as a representative of Pennsylvania in the 2008 Big 33 Classic against Ohio.
Stankiewitch will likely line up as an interior lineman at Penn State to begin his career. He has been told he will play center, but could easily move to guard if necessary. He was recruited for Penn State by Mike McQueary and took his official visit to Penn State on the weekend of Dec. 7.
Non-Rev Roundup: Women's Gymnastics
Behind sophomore Brandi Personett's second-straight Big Ten all-around title, Penn State took home 3rd place at the conference championship, held in Ann Arbor, Mich. March 29. Personett tied her career high in the event with a mark of 39.525 and also defended her Big Ten vault title and tied for first on the floor.
"Brandi has done a great job for us this year," said head coach Steve Shephard. She has worked hard on being confident in herself, which is one of the things she's struggled with, and as only a sophomore, we're really looking forward to having her for two more years."
Personett's rivals may not be too excited to see the Katy, Texas, native continue to improve. Shephard notes that although Personett is known for her skills on the vault and floor, she is one of only two gymnasts in the conference to perform a one and a half Yurchenko on beam, a maneuver that Shephard says will continue to separate her from her competitors.
"She's a hard worker," said Shephard, "and she does a great job challenging herself."
For the event, the host Wolverines captured their 16th Big Ten title with a 196.750 and Illinois finished second with a 195.750. Penn State's third-place finish came with a score of 195.625.
In addition to writing for gantdaily.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a magazine devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on "Front and Center," which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at
morellionlion@gmail.com.
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