Penn State’s victory over Illinois and jump to #6 in the polls did more than just excite a fanbase.  It landed two pledges from recruits who liked what they saw from the Nittany Lions.  In the past couple days, LB Glenn Carson and WR Devon Smith both verbally committed to play for Penn State.  Let’s take a look at the two future Nittany Lions.

Glenn Carson was in attendance at the Illinois game Saturday night (my section actually chanted “We Want Carson”) and was very impressed with what he saw.  He said the following to the Press of Atlantic City following his commitment

I think Penn State is going to make me the best linebacker I can be.

Carson attends Southern Regional high school in Manahawkin, NJ.  Rivals ranked him as the #24 MLB in the class of 2013, as the #10 prospect from New Jersey, as the #5 run stuffer in the country, and as a 3-star recruit.  Scout proved more enthusiastic in their expectations of Glenn Carson, ranking him as the #7 MLB in the country and as a 4-star recruit.  The 6’3″, 220 pound Carson is also an accomplished wrestler, and finished second in New Jersey in the 215 pound weight class.  Other offers included Boston College, Maryland, Notre Dame, and Rutgers.  Carson comes from a great football pedigree, as his grandfather and uncle both played in the NFL.  He also is a smart kid, with Scout reporting a 3.45 GPA.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “If you had told me when I was 8 or 9 years old that I would be a Penn State linebacker, I would have been pretty happy, and I am.”

Devon Smith is a Lil’ Wayne lookalike who doesn’t come with as much fanfare as Carson, but was also impressed with what he saw from the sidelines this past Saturday.  Smith received few offers aside from Penn State, with Temple, Akron, and Eastern Michigan being the only other BCS (formerly division 1-A) schools offering him a scholarship.  Rivals ranked Smith as a 3-star recruit, and as the #97 ATH, but as the fastest in the class of 2009.  Scout considered Smith a WR all the way, and also gave him 3-stars, ranking him as the #126 WR.  ESPN gave Smith a 76 ranking, and said this about him:

Smith…is a major sleeper in our eyes with elite speed you can’t coach.

You can basically read anything else you need to know about Smith over at Black Shoe Diaries.  The really interesting thing with Smith, though, is his size and speed.  At 5’7, 145 pounds, Smith has a recorded 40-time of 4.34 seconds.  Which is scary good.  Hopefully, Smith can be our Trindon Holliday, the track star-turned-LSU football player, who’s even smaller at just 5’5, 160.  I doubt Smith will compete for a spot on the Olympic track team, but you never know.

This just goes to show how important big primetime wins can be to a program.  Hopefully we keep winning and the recruits keep pouring in.  We’re at 18 now, but could always use some more big names.

Releated Posts:

1. Levi Norwood granted release from Penn State
2. Lift for Life Lands at a New Level of Largesse
3. When it Rains it Pours (but in a good way): Dominique Easley Commits to Penn State
4. Commit #4: Mangiro Picks Penn State
5. Penn State Releases Official Depth Chart

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