Just moments ago, during a break in the action at the Army All-American Bowl, Donovan Smith made his college decision public. As expected, he will join the Blue and White, choosing Penn State over his other two finalists, UCLA and N.C. State. In choosing Penn State, the 6-6, 280 pound offensive tackle becomes the 12th member of Penn State’s 2011 recruiting class.

“”It looks like I’m going to be playing in State College.”

In addition to those three schools, the Maryland native Smith received scholarship offers from West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Michigan State, among others. Rated a 4-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals, Smith is a good get for Joe Paterno and his staff, even if this was one that most saw coming from a mile away. Penn State hasn’t typically had much success in snagging commitments at these nationally televised all-star games, but Smith has been reported as a Nittany Lion lock for a while.

Given Penn State’s struggles along the offensive line in recent years, it’s encouraging to see them focus on that position in this year’s recruiting. Smith joins Angelo Mangiro and Anthony Zettel as highly sought after linemen who have committed to Penn State. Since the regular season ended, Penn State’s recruiting efforts have certainly picked up, and with a number of other, key, undeclared prospects still available, one can only hope this momentum continues into Signing Day.