PSU Nittany Lions: Florida Gators
Jake Cooper (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) can still remember those cool Saturday afternoons, sitting on his father's lap and stuffing small fistfuls of chips into his mouth.
The Class of 2015 linebacker, only 6 years old back when he and his father shared a recliner, would stare at the giant football players on TV and listen to his father. "You need to watch this guy," the elder Cooper would tell him, pointing to a Penn State linebacker.
Every Saturday, they'd watch the Nittany Lions. And, with each passing weekend, Cooper became more and more of a PSU fan. There was his neighbor, a PSU kicker in the 1970s whose grilled hot dogs and burgers became a neighborhood staple. Then there was the local standout, Dan Connor, who played for PSU. And, of course, he couldn't forget the time one of his father's friends took him inside the stadium on media day to meet players.
The small kid who sipped sodas while his father opted for other beverages on those Saturdays is a different person now. He's grown to 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds -- but that doesn't mean everything's changed. When asked if PSU remains his top school, he just laughed.
The Class of 2015 linebacker, only 6 years old back when he and his father shared a recliner, would stare at the giant football players on TV and listen to his father. "You need to watch this guy," the elder Cooper would tell him, pointing to a Penn State linebacker.
Every Saturday, they'd watch the Nittany Lions. And, with each passing weekend, Cooper became more and more of a PSU fan. There was his neighbor, a PSU kicker in the 1970s whose grilled hot dogs and burgers became a neighborhood staple. Then there was the local standout, Dan Connor, who played for PSU. And, of course, he couldn't forget the time one of his father's friends took him inside the stadium on media day to meet players.
The small kid who sipped sodas while his father opted for other beverages on those Saturdays is a different person now. He's grown to 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds -- but that doesn't mean everything's changed. When asked if PSU remains his top school, he just laughed.
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2015 RB Baker picks up four huge offers 
April, 22, 2013
Apr 22
6:25
PM ET
By
Brad Bournival | ESPN.com
Jerome Baker (Cleveland/Benedictine) was told his recruitment would start blowing up after a successful sophomore season.
The 2015 running back/linebacker wasn’t expecting anything like this, however. And he surely wasn’t expecting the offers to come from such heavy hitters in the college football world, either.
The 2015 running back/linebacker wasn’t expecting anything like this, however. And he surely wasn’t expecting the offers to come from such heavy hitters in the college football world, either.
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The RN Top 10 will appear throughout the camp and combine season and rank prospects based strictly on their on-field performance at that particular event. It does not reflect their overall prospect ranking.
ASHBURN, Va. – The East Coast and mid-Atlantic states represented well on Sunday as eight players earned invites to The Opening at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C. Defense ruled the day, led by two five-star prospects from Virginia.
10. Nick Scott
Fairfax (Va.) Fairfax |RB| 5-11, 180
Scott stood out among a field of backs who were overshadowed by the prospects at nearly every other position. He earned the attention of coaches for his strong play and versatility but missed the MVP award, which went to Vincent Lowe (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), who also posted the top SPARQ score.
Scott committed to Penn State in February over an offer from Boston College.
ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert’s take: “He’s got a great frame, and what I like about him as a Penn State verbal, he’s a versatile player. He may not run by you, but he does a good job in route-running.”
ASHBURN, Va. – The East Coast and mid-Atlantic states represented well on Sunday as eight players earned invites to The Opening at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C. Defense ruled the day, led by two five-star prospects from Virginia.
10. Nick Scott
Fairfax (Va.) Fairfax |RB| 5-11, 180
Scott stood out among a field of backs who were overshadowed by the prospects at nearly every other position. He earned the attention of coaches for his strong play and versatility but missed the MVP award, which went to Vincent Lowe (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), who also posted the top SPARQ score.
Scott committed to Penn State in February over an offer from Boston College.
ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert’s take: “He’s got a great frame, and what I like about him as a Penn State verbal, he’s a versatile player. He may not run by you, but he does a good job in route-running.”
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#BlueChipBattles: ESPN 150 release edition
April, 19, 2013
Apr 19
12:49
PM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
Student Sports, ESPN, ESPNSpeedy Noil, Adoree Jackson and Da'Shawn Hand are three of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2014.
: RecruitingNation summoned its writers from around the country to outline the recruiting battles for the ESPN 150's top 10 prospects.
Plus, rank the battles in SportsNation.
#TopFBMixtapes: Athlete mixtapes are all the rage in this highlight-crazed era of sports. We reached out to our Twitter followers to find out which 2014 football stars had the best highlight reels on YouTube, then had our staff rank and comment on the top submissions.
Tom Luginbill writes
: After talking to many coaches across the country and hearing their frustrations, here are their five biggest complaints about homemade highlight videos.
De'Andre Thompkins (Swansboro, N.C./Swansboro) can't believe fans already know his name.
He sat inside a restaurant during an NC State visit -- a two-hour drive from his home -- when a short man wearing a Wolfpack ball cap did a double-take from across the room. He approached the 5-foot-11 athlete: "Are you De'Andre?"
He sat inside a restaurant during an NC State visit -- a two-hour drive from his home -- when a short man wearing a Wolfpack ball cap did a double-take from across the room. He approached the 5-foot-11 athlete: "Are you De'Andre?"
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Bama only definite visit for top juco OT
April, 2, 2013
Apr 2
9:11
PM ET
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
Being the champs has its benefits, especially when it comes to impressing recruits.
One of the country’s top junior college offensive tackles, Jermaine Eluemunor (Scranton, Pa./Lackawanna College) was planning several trips and set official visits to Ohio State and Texas A&M, but now the only trip for certain is a visit to Alabama in mid-July.
One of the country’s top junior college offensive tackles, Jermaine Eluemunor (Scranton, Pa./Lackawanna College) was planning several trips and set official visits to Ohio State and Texas A&M, but now the only trip for certain is a visit to Alabama in mid-July.
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Thomas Holley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) grew tired of the questions after every basketball game.
Inevitably, someone would stroll up to him on the hardwood and ask if he played football. Underclassmen weren't supposed to be so big, they'd say. And at about 250 pounds, they sure weren't supposed to move that fast.
"I kept saying no, that I didn't play football, and they'd just look at me funny," Holley said with a laugh. "They're like, 'Stop playing with me.' That's always how it's been for me, everywhere I go. So when I started thinking about it, people were all like, 'You should play football.' "
Football was always a lingering curiosity for the ESPN Watch List prospect, who took up the sport less than a year ago. The defensive tackle played basketball since third grade, and he always wondered about the sport. But his mother wasn't a fan of him playing such a rough-and-tumble game.
Holley didn't press the issue because he was over the league's weight limit in middle school anyway. He couldn't play football if he was over 185 pounds -- and he towered over most of his classmates at 6-foot, 230. But when fan after fan kept approaching him after those high school games, Holley couldn't resist.
He had to try it out. He wasn't even sure if he'd like it -- but what did he have to lose? He recruited his uncle to help persuade his mother into allowing him to play toward the end of his sophomore year. Scholarship offers weren't on his mind at that point, so he just focused on maintaining his weight by shedding fat and adding muscle.
Inevitably, someone would stroll up to him on the hardwood and ask if he played football. Underclassmen weren't supposed to be so big, they'd say. And at about 250 pounds, they sure weren't supposed to move that fast.
"I kept saying no, that I didn't play football, and they'd just look at me funny," Holley said with a laugh. "They're like, 'Stop playing with me.' That's always how it's been for me, everywhere I go. So when I started thinking about it, people were all like, 'You should play football.' "
Football was always a lingering curiosity for the ESPN Watch List prospect, who took up the sport less than a year ago. The defensive tackle played basketball since third grade, and he always wondered about the sport. But his mother wasn't a fan of him playing such a rough-and-tumble game.
Holley didn't press the issue because he was over the league's weight limit in middle school anyway. He couldn't play football if he was over 185 pounds -- and he towered over most of his classmates at 6-foot, 230. But when fan after fan kept approaching him after those high school games, Holley couldn't resist.
He had to try it out. He wasn't even sure if he'd like it -- but what did he have to lose? He recruited his uncle to help persuade his mother into allowing him to play toward the end of his sophomore year. Scholarship offers weren't on his mind at that point, so he just focused on maintaining his weight by shedding fat and adding muscle.
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Recruitment taking off for Bushell-Beatty
February, 15, 2013
Feb 15
3:55
PM ET
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
Only three years into his football career, Paramus (N.J.) Catholic offensive tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty was not too worried about when his first offer would come. He was still new to the game and figured at some point the colleges would come.
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Between calls from the media and college coaches, tailback Nick Chubb (Cedartown, Ga./Cedartown) said he's already overwhelmed with the recruiting process. But he said he's grateful for the attention -- and grateful for his newest scholarship offer.
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Who impressed Luginbill at the UA Game
January, 6, 2013
Jan 6
2:40
PM ET
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
Senior national recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill joins SportsCenter to break down which recruits impressed the most at Friday night's Under Armour All-America Game.
More than 150 of the top underclassmen prospects in the country were in attendance for registration to the Under Armour All-America Combine, several of which are from Georgia.
Massive OL looking to visit Wolverines
ESPN 2014 Watch List prospect Orlando Brown Jr. (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) should have no problem finding a place to play at the next level. At 6-foot-8, 370 pounds, the mammoth offensive lineman boasts offers from 36 programs, although he maintains eight of them are at the top.
Massive OL looking to visit Wolverines
ESPN 2014 Watch List prospect Orlando Brown Jr. (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) should have no problem finding a place to play at the next level. At 6-foot-8, 370 pounds, the mammoth offensive lineman boasts offers from 36 programs, although he maintains eight of them are at the top.
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U.S. Army Bowl: Tuesday notebook
January, 1, 2013
Jan 1
7:52
PM ET
By
William Wilkerson and
Damon Sayles | ESPN.com
SAN ANTONIO – ESPN 150 wide receiver James Quick (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) has drawn plenty of attention for his play through two practices for the East team in preparation for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
He’ll garner even more eyes his way on Saturday when he announces his commitment during the game.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder said he is down to Louisville, Ohio State and Oregon. Though his decision will come Saturday, it could be finalized by Wednesday morning, as he sits down to discuss his options with his parents, who are in town for the event.
He’ll garner even more eyes his way on Saturday when he announces his commitment during the game.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder said he is down to Louisville, Ohio State and Oregon. Though his decision will come Saturday, it could be finalized by Wednesday morning, as he sits down to discuss his options with his parents, who are in town for the event.
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -– Team Nitro and Team Highlight took to the fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports on Monday for Day 1 of practice for Friday’s Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Two powerhouse programs in the Southeastern Conference look to battle it out for one of the standout running backs, and one of the top uncommitted offensive linemen is out with an injury.
Tide and Dawgs at top for RB Kamara
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#BlueChipBattles: Dec. 21
December, 21, 2012
12/21/12
5:29
PM ET
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
ESPN.comReuben Foster (center) is torn between good friends Dee Liner (left) and Tray Matthews (right).No. 1 ILB Reuben Foster has voiced his desire to play with at least one of his SEC-bound friends next season. But will he follow Tray Matthews to Georgia or hook up with Dee Liner wherever the ESPN 150 DL settles? It remains to be seen, but the mystery surrounding his recruitment keeps Foster at the top of our #BlueChipBattles.
Each week, RecruitingNation summons its writers from around the country to compile a list of the top 10 battles for elite football recruits leading up to February's signing day.
Here are this week's top battles
, and you can take a shot at ranking the top 10 recruiting battles on SportsNation.Texas tops in football profit, revenue
December, 12, 2012
12/12/12
4:24
PM ET
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
The University of Texas football program in 2011-12 generated the most revenue and highest profit among all programs, but the rest of the top 10 saw some changes. Michigan football replaced Penn State in second place with $14.8 million more in profits than in 2010-11.
Click through for the top 10 and the story from Kristi Dosh of ESPN Playbook.
Click through for the top 10 and the story from Kristi Dosh of ESPN Playbook.
ABOUT NITTANY NATION
Josh Moyer
Josh Moyer joined ESPN.com in 2012 after covering Penn State football for recruiting website Nittany Network and City Hall for The Citizens' Voice in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Moyer graduated from Penn State and earned his graduate degree at Columbia. Email him at espnjoshmoyer@gmail.com.