Penn State Football: 5 Big Names the Nittany Lions are Hoping To Land

Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is off to a hot start on the recruiting trail, having landed three four-star recruits and a five-star prospect for 2013 only two months into the job.

Moving forward, here are five recruits that O’Brien and his staff will likely be focusing on to keep that momentum going.

No. 1 Brendan Mahon

Offensive Guard

6-foot-5, 302 pounds

Randolph (N.J.) High School

Four-star

With a quarterback already in the fold, the most important aspect to protecting that investment is a solid offensive line. Mahon, who is friends with Penn State verbal commit Garrett Sickels, is rated among the top 200 players in the nation by Rivals.com and the 26th-best offensive guard in the class. Mahon is considered to be a Penn State lean but has offers from several schools including Alabama, Florida, Miami and Temple.

No. 2 Dorian Johnson

Offensive Tackle

6-foot-6, 280 pounds

Belle Vernon (Pa.) High School

Four-star

With offers from Alabama, Notre Dame and about 10 other schools, Johnson is one offensive lineman that Penn State needs to land. With room for three or four offensive lineman, Penn State should be looking to live up to the promise of winning its own state. Johnson is rated the 12th-best tackle in the 2013 class by Scout.com.

No. 3 Alex Anzalone

Outside Linebacker

6-foot-3, 220 pounds

Wyomissing (Pa.) High School

Four-star

With more than 30 offers, Anzalone’s stock has quickly risen in the past month. He is ranked the 10th-best linebacker in the country by Scout.com. He visited Penn State for Junior Day and visited again this weekend after cancelling his trip to Michigan. He has offers from schools such as Stanford, Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma. Adam Breneman has already said he’ll be in Anzalone’s ear, but Anzalone isn’t expected to pick a school until all of his visits are through.

No. 4 David Williams

Running Back

6-foot-1, 185 pounds

Philadelphia (Pa.) West Catholic High School

Four-star

The top running back in the state and the 18th-best back in the 2013 class by Scout.com, Williams carried the ball 100 times for 924 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore. As a junior, Williams produced more than 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns on 230 carries. He has offers from five different Big Ten schools, including Ohio State and Wisconsin.

No. 5  Robert Foster

Wide Receiver

6-foot-3, 170 pounds

Monaca (Pa.) Central Valley High School

Five-star

Rated the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the 2013 class by Scout.com, Foster would be a huge pickup for Bill O’Brien’s coaching staff. As a junior, the explosive Foster finished the season with 37 catches for 584 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is believed to be a favorite of Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, but Foster visited Happy Valley for Penn State’s Junior Day last month and reportedly was impressed. It is likely a long shot that Foster ends up playing in blue and white, but if Penn State’s class continues to grow in size and stature, anything is possible.

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