Miles Dieffenbach committed Tuesday

Miles Dieffenbach was considered a lock to play football for Pittsburgh.  His father, George, is the women’s tennis coach at Pitt, and so naturally, he’s from the area.  So when Rivals announced that Tuesday that he’d slipped through a crack in “Wanny’s Wall” and committed to Penn State, it was a shock to just about everyone.  Even Miles himself could hardly believe it.

“I wasn’t really holding out for it. I mean, I grew up a Pitt fan all my life and always hated Penn State, so when they offered me, I wasn’t really that into it,” said Dieffenbach. “But then I visited and it was different from what I thought. I loved it, and the tables turned…They have everything that I want,”

I find this news to be even more encouraging then the commitment of guys like Luke Graham and Mike Hull who grew up dreaming about playing for the lineups.  This kid grew up dreaming about beating the Lions, and even though he had plenty of offers to try and do just that-offers from Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Florida State represent just a few of the schools Diffenbach’s list-Penn State’s recruiting flipped him over to “the dark side.”

Here’s what they’re saying about the newest future Nittany Lion, who was the OL MVP at the Nike recruiting camp in Happy Valley last month:

Scout.com lists the 6’4, 277 pound Dieffenbach as a center, and as a damn good one, giving him a four-star rating and the #3 national rank at the position.  Rivals is a little less bullish on Dieffenbach, giving him 3 stars and ranking him as the 38th best offensive tackle in the nation.  Up until last week, Dieffenbach was listed on Scout as a guard, so the one thing we already know he’s got is versatility.  Oh, and smarts, too.  Dieffenbach reports a 3.48 GPA and is a National Honor Society member.

ESPN lists Dieffenbach as a ESPNU Top 150 player, and raves about his potential (there’s also a highlight video):

He has good size and is built to be both a solid run or pass blocker…Possesses very good strength and at worst stalemates players of equal size and strength…Dieffenbach is a mature offensive lineman that understands the game and takes real command form the center position which is illustrated in the way he plays. Gives excellent effort every play. He has few weaknesses and should be a major contributor at the next level largely because of his versatility and athleticism.

This is just another example on the phenomenal class Penn State is bringing in for next year.  We’ve said it before, this class has to be about quality over quantity, and so far, the coaching staff has exemplified that quality.  It’s only the beginning of June, and it already seems to be shaping up as one of the best classes Penn State has brought in in a long time.  And doesn’t it just feel better that we’re beating Pitt to do it?

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