When Penn State secured commitments from two recruits who had very strong Pittsburgh ties, it was considered that much more impressive, because we were prying them away from Pitt’s backyard.  Well, as it turns out, nobody is going to return the favor to Penn State, at least not in the case of WR/ATH Alex Kenney, who finally came out and announced that he would attend Penn State, ending the rampant speculation and confirming perhaps the worst-kept secret of this recruiting class.

For Kenney, who attends State College Area High School, a trip to Penn State is also a trip to visit his father, who works as a history professor.  That’s why even though the commitment represents yet another fine member of the Penn State Recruiting Class of 2010, the fanbase isn’t getting too worked up about it.  Frankly, if he hadn’t picked Penn State, that would’ve been news.

But let’s not trivialize the importance of Kenney’s commitment.  In addition to football, Alex Kenney excels in track, where he can put his freakish speed to use.  Scout.com lists Kenney with a 4.37 time in the 40-yard dash, and Rivals isn’t too far behind, citing a 4.41 time.  The recruiting services grade him as a 3-star and 4-star prospect, respectively.

ESPN‘s Scouts Inc. is bullish on Kenney as a prospect, putting him on the ESPN 150 watchlist, and saying:

Kenney is a skilled athlete blessed with great speed and the ability to win footraces in the open field. He is a hybrid slot receiver/running back that is capable of turning a simple toss into an 80-yard highlight. He has multi-purpose back size and must continue to get bigger. He is a smooth glider that runs very softly. He weaves and jump cuts with fluid movements. He’s a slashing player with quickness. Shows good initial burst when he hits the hole. He is not really much of a dancer, but rather a no-nonsense runner who can cut on a dime and has a great first step. He has great change-of-direction abilities, excellent vision and does a tremendous job of making tacklers miss. He very smoothly weaves his way through traffic as opposed to sharp quickness. He is so smooth and at times doesn’t look as if he’s moving all that fast, until he gets into the open field and then it’s off to the races. (Ed. note: sound like anyone on the current Lion roster?  Hint: he played lacrosse in high school) He is definitely one of the faster scat players in this class. He has very good hands and ball skills and appears just as comfortable in the passing game as he does running the football. His quickness as a route-runner creates real separation and he can accelerate to track the ball. Has quick hands and tucks fast. He lacks great bulk and strength at this stage, but he is tough to get your hands on. Also shows great potential as a return specialist.

FightOnState caught up with Kenney following his commitment, which came during a meeting with Wide Receiver’s coach Mike McQueary, and it seems Alex Kenney is most excited about the opportunity to team back up with Levi Norwood.  Funny how we’re bringing in groups of friends: Tom Ricketts and Miles Dieffenbach, DaQuan Jones and Evan Hailes, now Kenney and Norwood, and, hopefully, Silas Redd and Khairi Fortt.

“That means a lot to me,” Kenney said of re-joining Norwood at PSU. “We’ve been playing together since third grade, so it’s going to be a pretty crazy feeling being together again.”

The 6’0, 190 pound wide receiver, who could also play defensive back as a Nittany Lion, held offers from Pittsburgh, Boston College, Michigan State, Illinois, Stanford, UNC, Northwestern, and Virginia, among countless others.  You can tell from those offers that not only is Kenney a phenomenal football player, but he’s no slouch academically.  He’ll fit in well with the Penn State tradition of success with honor, and it’s surely one he’s familiar with, having lived in the shadow of Penn State for years.

Once again, it’s another fine commitment for the coaching staff to secure, though this one might have been a little easy compared to the challenges they’ll have in convincing Marcus Lattimore, Sharrif Floyd, and Fortt.  Still, we here at NittanyWhiteOut want to welcome Kenney aboard, as the 13th member of what is shaping up to be the best recruiting class in school history.  Congratulations, Alex.

Oh, and I think attendance at State High is going to be skyrocketing for football this year, with Penn State fans wanting to get a first-hand look at the speedster.  Come this fall, we here at NittanyWhiteOut will make the trip and get you a scouting report on Kenney.  But until then, this highlight video and the ubiquitous dancing monkey is going to have to tide you over.

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5. Come on Down: Khairi Fortt Commits to PSU

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