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Paterno's inactivity hurts PSU recruiting
Frank Bodani
Article Last Updated: 01/28/2008 08:44:38 AM EST
Jan 28, 2008 ? There once was a time when Joe Paterno would walk into the home of a Terrelle Pryor and convince him to come to Penn State.
There was a time.
Now, though, the 81-year-old coach rarely, if ever, goes on the road to visit a top-flight recruit like the Pittsburgh-area quarterback.
And now, unless Paterno and the university change their ways, recruits like Pryor will come less and less because they have no idea who the next coach at Penn State will be, even though it's sure to change during their college careers. They don't know when. They don't know who to believe.
It's this lack of recruiting effort at the top, as well as a lack of a clear coaching succession plan, that seem to be dividing the Penn State staff, damaging recruiting and slowly bleeding the program to death.
Which means the Nittany Lions won't produce on the field like they should.
And you have to point the finger at Paterno, like him or not. Recruiting season has reached its final, crucial days where big-time coaches are traveling everywhere to convince high school stars to join them.
But not Paterno.
He is either too old, too frail or simply not interested in visiting recruits' homes to seal deals anymore, and it's damaging the Lions' hopes of attracting national stars - which is a necessity these days. Honestly, the Lions struggle to compete in that regard with Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame and others.
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