We all know that 4 and 5 star recruits get all the publicity and hype, but what if I told you that 3 star recruits have been very vital to Penn State over the past couple of years.
2011:
Most of this class has graduated, with the exceptions of Anthony Zettel, Kyle Carter, Ben Kline, and Matt Zanellato.
3 stars from this class include:
Adrian Amos-S/CB
Allen Robinson-WR
Kyle Carter-TE
Deion Barnes-DE
Ben Kline-LB
Allen Robinson went from 3-star to national sensation after his grab on the 1-yard line in the final seconds of regulation against Michigan in 2013, which resulted in the Lions tying the game up and winning in 4 overtimes. Robinson was a back to back All-B1G selection, and 2013 All-American, and now has a pretty good NFL career going in Jacksonville. He finished with 177 rec, 2479 recieving yards and 17 TDs. Adrian Amos lead the Lions’ secondary for most of his career, and is now starting his NFL career after being known as one of the best lock down corners in college with 7 career interceptions. Kyle Carter often got over shadowed by Jesse James, in his career he has 4TDs and 927 receiving yards. Barnes compiled 14 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss in just 3 seasons of action. Ben Kline is a backup linebacker who’s biggest contributions to the team may be off the field with the extraordinary work he does for cancer research. He still brings great leadership to a very young linebacker group.
2012:
This was the last class before sanctions hit the program, and the prize of the class was 4-star Geno Lewis. The 3-stars of this class aren’t half bad either, they include:
Austin Johnson-DT
Jesse James-TE
Jordan Lucas-S
Nyeem Wartman-White-LB
Trevor Williams-CB
Akeel Lynch- RB
Brian Gaia-OG
Brent Willkerson-DE
Austin Johnson helps lead the best defensive line in the nation. His big body and athleticism help his recover and score on a 71 -yard run on a fumble in September. Johnson, a redshirt, has 102 career tackles with 14 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries and 3 passes batted down. Jesse James was one of Hackenberg’s favorite targets before moving on to the NFL this past year. James had 1005 career receiving yards with 11TDs and did great charity work with Lift for Life. Jordan Lucas is the veteran in the Lions secondary and has a productive career with 158 tackles, 10 for loss also with 4 sacks and 3 INTs. Wartman-White went down for the season in the opener and has most likely now finished his college career. He compiled 109 total tackles with a sack and interception. Trevor Williams has 68 career tackles and 4 interceptions, he is the starting corner back this year. Lynch lead the team last year with 678 rushing yards and was looking for a follow up performance when an injury put his season on hold against San Diego State in September, however, he does have a year of eligibility left. He currently has 262 yards and 2 touchdowns this season. Brian Gaia is helping hold down the offensive line that has struggled and will face a tough test against Ohio State this week. Brent Wilkerson was recruited as a defensive end, but moved to tight end and had his first catche of the season on Saturday.
2013:
Ah, the Christian Hackenberg class. This class was hit hard by sanctions, but it wasn’t the 5 star QB that was the only star from this group.
3 stars include:
Daesean Hamilton-WR
Brandon Bell-LB
Andrew Nelson-OT
Hamilton came onto the scene last year and exploded for 82 receptions 900 yards and 2 TDs, receiving All-B1G freshman honors. He has 2 scores and 207 yards this year, and is Hackenberg’s favorite target. With Wartman-White’s injury, Bell is the leader of the linebackers. He is having a good season with 23 tackles and a sack. In his career he has 94 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 3 sacks and a pick. Andrew Nelson is a veteran on a rather young and inexperienced offensive line, Gaia and Nelson are the most experienced on the line and are helping improve the unit.
2014:
This class consists of much of Penn State’s offense with Blacknall, Godwin, Thompkins, and Gesicki, but as of late, some 3 stars have been making an impact.
They include:
Marcus Allen-S
Johnathan Thomas-RB
Nick Scott-RB
Mark Allen-RB
Grant Haley-CB
Jason Cabinda-LB
Trace McSorely-QB
Marcus Allen has asserted himself as a starter in the Lions’ secondary. He’s missed a few games this year, but acts as the energizer bunny when he does play. As a freshman, he had 58 tackles, this year in only 5 games he has 30. He’s looking for his first career interception, which we hope comes this weekend. The running backs, Allen, Thomas, and Scott have done a good job filling in for the injured Barkley and Lynch. Scott completed a 32 yard pass in the SDSU and Allen had a 13-yard nifty screen for a score in the game as well. The trio combined for 111 yards in the Indiana game and Scott had a nice game against Army as he rushed for 54 yards and a TD. The three former 3 stars are doing their part until Barkley heals. Grant Haley is the starting cornerback in the secondary and has 2 career interceptions and 30 career tackles. Like Bell, when Wartman-White went down, Cabinda answered the call. He had the game of his life against Army when he had 14 tackles, 2 for loss and 2 sacks, one of which was the game saver as Army threatened in the final seconds. As a freshman he had 17 tackles in 5 games, this year he has 46 in 6 games. Jason is well on his way to being a star at Linebacker U. The final 3 star from this class that we focus on is Trace McSorley. Have you heard of him? Well he did complete a pass at the end on the Indiana game and he also is the heir to Hackenberg. McSorely doesn’t have stats I can tell you about, but I can tell you that you should look forward seeing him in the near future.
As you can see, it’s not always the big time recruits who make it big time on Saturdays and Sundays. Plenty of 3, 2, and 1 star players can still make a big impact on a team. Heck, Carl Nassib was a walk on. For all the recruits out there who are “only” a 3 star, don’t let that discourage you. Plenty of 3 stars make it to the NFL, and the guys I listed above are great examples. For all you fans out there, next time coach Franklin tweets, “We are… Better” and you find out its “only” a 3 star, I hope you look back at this article so you get excited for that new guy coming to State College.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
