[Buckskin86]

http://ydr.com/story/psu/35814/?PHPS...e661648b5b1f09

Pair of recruits eyeing PSU
Frank Bodani
Monday, August 2, 2004


The top-rated high school football player in the nation has Penn State on his short list.
So does a kid right behind him.

That shouldn't raise eyebrows.

But it does.

Because we've been through this dance before.

And because even though Penn State is still wonderful for academics and still has that mammoth stadium and still has Joe Paterno ...

It hasn't truly gotten the national, difference-maker type of recruit since LaVar Arrington arrived in 1997.

Maybe Penn Hills High quarterback Anthony Morelli will turn out to be that kind of star.

But Derrick Williams of Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt, Md., is the star in the nation right now.

And cornerback Justin King of Gateway High in Pittsburgh is getting almost as much hype.

Williams is a superstar running quarterback. A wondrous coverman in the defensive secondary. An explosive kick and punt returner.

And most colleges want him at wide receiver — a position he's never even played yet.

He's that good.

King is a lockdown cornerback who is being recruited hard by every football power. National recruiting expert Tom Lemming calls him "the best pure corner in the country."

The Nittany Lions, it turns out, happen to be a favorite of Williams and King.

And it's so important for one or both to come, especially after three losing seasons in four years. It's important because Joe Paterno is near the end now. And to stop the Lions' recent trend: sign too many mediocre recruits early and get burned by the best at the end.

This time, though, the Lions have a couple of strong connections.

Senior defensive end Matt Rice also went to Eleanor Roosevelt High. He and Williams have talked about the benefits of Penn State life.

King plays for Gateway coach Terry Smith, his stepdad. Smith was a former star receiver for the Lions.

Consider this: Paterno showed up at Eleanor Roosevelt on the first morning of spring recruiting, something he rarely if ever did in the past. He couldn't talk to Williams. But he wanted to see his coach — and to send a message.

PSU has stayed close with King, in part, because defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has mailed him one or two handwritten letters — every day. For now, the messages seem to be getting through.

Williams already buys into Paterno's strict academic rules. He is an A and B student — his parents make him earn a 3.0 grade point average to keep his driver's license.

He said he understands the weight that a Penn State degree holds.

And he knows he would make a pretty good pass-catching combination with Morelli.

Both players know it would be an easy ride for their families to see them play.

"Right now, Penn State is a sleeping giant. They just need to have somebody to come wake them up," Williams said.

Paterno knows that too, so he and his staff seem to be pressing a little harder, even being more selective and patient in their scholarship offers.

He's hoping that his final championship team will start with Morelli.

FWIW- Phil Groz (PSU Rivals guru) said on his radio show tonight that he is 80% sure that DW will choose PSU.