Penn State football 2013 recruiting class had 17 letters of intent signed (12 on Wednesday and five early enrollees. )
Despite multiple sanctions, Penn State put together an impressive class and four of the 17 players come from the Keystone state.
Going into the 2012 season, Cedar Cliff’s Adam Breneman was considered one of the top tight ends nationally. But a knee injury during the off-season caused him to miss his senior season. In 2011 he had 68 catches for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead his team. Breneman is a tough matchup for linebackers and has excellent hands.
Council Rock North’s Curtis Cothran finished the season at defensive end with 35 total tackles, 25 solo, five tackles for loss and eight sacks.
In 2011, Central Dauphin’s Zayd Issah was named co-player of the year in Class 4A and his team won the PIAA Class 4A state championship. Issah had a big year his junior year rushing for 1,345 yards on 237 carries and 21 touchdowns. On defense he had 123 total tackles, 69 solo and 14 sacks. His senior year he had 80 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 44 solo and 6.5 sacks. Issah was limited his senior season due to injury.
The Nittany Lions add one of the top lineman in Eastern Pennsylvania, Andrew Nelson the 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman out of Hershey is a strong run blocker, pass blocker and has good footwork. His senior year he had 18 total tackles, five for loss and two sacks. Injuries slowed Nelson down his senior season.
2013 recruiting class
RB Richy Anderson Thomas Johnson
LB Brandon Bell Oakcrest
TE Adam Breneman Cedar Cliff
DE Curtis Cothran Council Rock North
DE Parker Cothren Hazel Green
QB Tyler Ferguson College of the Sequolas
DB Kasey Gaines Grayson
QB Christian Hackenberg Fork Union Military Academy
ATH DaeSean Hamilton Mountain View
OL Tanner Hartman Liberty Christian Academy
ATH Zayd Issah Central Dauphin
OL Brendan Mahon Randoph
OL Andrew Nelson Hershey
DB Neiko Robinson Northview
DE Garrett Sickels Red Bank Regional
DB Anthony Smith Valley Forge Military Academy
DB Jordan Smith HD Woodson
3 Responses
Paul, I couldn’t agree more. These young men are showing great character committing under these conditions. My son will be playing on Saturdays at another school for the next 4 years and obviously his games will be my priority, but I will still be following PSU closely and going to as many games as possible.
Rollie, you are correct. PSU did a great job with this recruiting class considering the position they are in with the NCAA. I’m really happy to see some really good in-state talent staying in-state. Now its up to the fans to show up and be loud each and every week. These kids should be supported to no end for the courage to commit under the current conditions. Good luck guys and PSU football.
I believe Christian Hackenberg’s family is from Tamaqua PA.