PSU Nittany Lions

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.

Every week, NittanyNation will pose five questions to a recruit, player, alum or coach about all things Penn State.

This week's subject is Chris Gulla, a kicker out of Toms River (N.J.) North who decided to accept an invitation to become a preferred walk-on at Penn State. He chose Penn State over Maryland, Rutgers and South Carolina.

He can also punt, but Penn State is currently focusing on his field-goal kicking.

NittanyNation: Was it an easy decision for you to walk-on to PSU, or was it something you were struggling with for awhile?

Chris Gulla: It wasn't much of a difficult decision for me; that's where I always wanted to play. I got accepted into the business school and I have a great chance at playing time, which is awesome.

Most of my family is actually from the Lehigh Valley, and they're huge Penn State fans, so I've pretty much been raised a Penn State fan. They offered me the preferred walk-on a long time ago. I kicked for them over the summer and that's when they offered me. I just wanted to keep all my options open [in case of a scholarship]. I couldn't be happier with my decision.

NN: What do you like most about Penn State?

CG: It's a combination. Playing at Beaver Stadium is an incredible experience, and so's having a great education with a great networking system. That's hard to pass up.

Walking out of the tunnel, you can't even really picture it until you actually do it. It's going to be really great for the next four years running out on that field.

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Welcome to NittanyNation's mailbag! We asked you to tweet your questions this week, and we've selected three to answer in-depth -- starting with the question we received most.

Jim Murphy (@JimMurphy13) writes: How many of the '6 recruits to keep eyes on' do you think will commit and which ones? What's the likelihood of a Trey Johnson and Garret Dooley visit?

Josh Moyer: Well, with just two scholarships remaining, at least one commit will likely come from that list. All of the big names Penn State's after -- Johnson, Dooley, Tyler Boyd, David Williams -- are long-shots ... but, then again, the Nittany Lions weren't four-star WR DaeSean Hamilton's first choice either. Until he visited.

Penn State's got a lot of options here, and it seems to be following the Bill Belichick line of reasoning with the NFL draft: Forget need for the most part; take the best player available. Ideally, the staff seems as if it would prefer a defensive back. After all, they've visited cornerback Myles Willis (Atlanta, Ga./Marist) twice in the last three weeks and Willis thinks an offer is on the way. Deondre Singleton also remains a viable option. But I couldn't see them turning down, say, a Boyd-Williams combo.

But, as you mentioned, visits at this stage are critical. They won over Hamilton and, apparently, they're pretty convincing on those visits. Johnson will not make an official, though, and he seems to be the biggest long-shot of all. Ohio State's the favorite there. Dooley's still considering a visit -- I'd put that at a coin flip; all depends on how he likes the new staff -- and, although the odds are for him to remain committed to Wisconsin, Penn State instantly becomes the favorite if he chooses to decommit.

Of the four long-shots, I think Penn State has the best chance with Williams or Dooley. It should definitely be an interesting January.

Dan Mealing (@SpiderCat79) writes: Seems like people picked PSU to finish below .500 this year. Didn't happen. Now they say next year should be easier for Bill O'Brien. You?

Josh Moyer: I can see the thinking in that because most of the team remains intact. But I'm sorry to say I disagree with it being easier next season. I predicted a 7-5 record in 2012 and -- at this point -- I think a 6-6 or 7-5 record in 2013 is more likely.

Why do I feel that way? Well, Matt McGloin was the most valuable player to this team. Yes, even more valuable than Michael Mauti. He threw 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions, several of which first deflected off his receivers. He was incredibly efficient, a great leader, and his shoes won't be easy to fill.

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Over this past week, NittanyNation has counted down the five Penn State players who weren't named to the All-Big Ten teams and are poised for breakout seasons in 2013.

The No. 1 breakout player: LT Donovan Smith, rising redshirt sophomore

When Smith was first recruited by Penn State, the staff playfully pulled out the chair he was about sit on. "That was Levi Brown's chair," former assistant Bill Kenney told him.

Kenney and the staff explained how Brown was picked fifth overall in the 2007 draft, and they emphasized just how much Smith's playing style reminded them of the Arizona Cardinal.

Kenney may no longer be with the team, but it's still pretty evident this staff still thinks highly of Smith -- and that he has a bright future ahead of him. At 6-foot-5, 316 pounds, Smith is already close to the prototypical size for an NFL tackle. And, even though he's been on campus for just two years, he's already dripping with NFL potential.

The Maryland product was limited in 2012 because of a combination of injuries. He missed a lot of preseason practice with a lingering hamstring injury, missed two games and also saw limited time when he broke his hand and was forced to wear a cast.

Smith wasn't 100 percent for nearly his entire redshirt freshman campaign. If he stays healthy, with another offseason of training under Mac McWhorter and Craig Fitzgerald, he could be the next big -- pardon the pun -- thing in State College.

He's flexible, athletic, powerful and has put in the work. He's added about 51 pounds since high school, and it's a distinct possibility he could be the best player on the line next season. He's likely to leave Penn State with a few All-Big Ten selections -- and next year could only be the beginning.

Quotables: "He's an excellent young player. He's a left tackle that's athletic and big and tough, and you know he's had some bumps and bruises over the last couple games." -- Bill O'Brien

During the next week, NittanyNation will count down the five Penn State players who weren't named to the All-Big Ten teams and are poised for breakout seasons in 2013.

The No. 2 breakout player: LB Mike Hull, rising redshirt junior

Hull mulled a transfer before the season but eventually decided to stay -- thanks, in part, to Michael Mauti -- and contributed heavily toward Penn State's defensive success in 2012 as the No. 4 linebacker.

With the graduations of Mauti and Gerald Hodges, Hull will play an even larger role in 2013. He could be the next great athlete at Linebacker U and possesses a rare blend of speed and strength. Granted, a lot of Hull's teammates could say they're fast and strong ... but not like Hull.

The 6-foot standout maxed out at 405 pounds on the bench press during the summer, the heaviest repetition among all players. When he first arrived at Penn State, longtime defensive coordinator Tom Bradley even tried him out at safety because he ran a hand-timed 4.5 -- and a laser-timed 4.6 -- but he played more naturally at linebacker.

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Josh Moyer talks with 2013 wideout Gregg Garrity (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) about his recruitment and whether he might follow in his father's footsteps and play for Penn State.

Bill O'Brien reeled in another coaching honor on Wednesday by becoming the Maxwell Football Club's Coach of the Year, according to a Penn State spokesman.

O'Brien's name has been a fixture on award lists since he helped Penn State overcome the sanctions and move on to a surprising 8-4 record. Despite losing 10 offensive starters, O'Brien's up-tempo offense thrived under a former walk-on, third-string fullback and backup wideout.

The offense averaged about 10 points more a game in 2012, and the secondary overcame depth issues during a season when the Nittany Lions rebounded from two opening losses.

O'Brien's newest award might not be his last either. The first-year head coach is also a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year.

He was a nominee for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, but Notre Dame's Brian Kelly picked up that honor.

This week, NittanyNation is counting down the five Penn State players who weren't named to the All-Big Ten teams and are poised for breakout seasons in 2013.

The No. 3 breakout player: CB Adrian Amos, rising junior

He's frequently been named one of the best athletes on this team, and it's easy to see why. He has the versatility to play cornerback and safety -- and as a true freshman, under an old-school coach who sparingly played rookies, Amos saw action in 12 games.

The defensive back started every game this past season and nearly earned a spot on the All-Big Ten team. He was an honorable mention, and even bigger things are expected from him in 2013.

With Stephon Morris' graduation, Amos will play an even bigger role. And with another year of experience under the safeties' belts, defensive coordinator Ted Roof could decide to call for more man coverage -- a strength of Amos.

A member of the "Supa Six," Amos led the secondary in interceptions (2) and earned a reputation as a hard-hitter. He boasts a great combination of speed and smarts and should make an even bigger name for himself in 2013 as one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten.

He quickly landed on the radar in 2012, but his sophomore season wasn't quite a breakout, not like Allen Robinson. But next season? Well, it would be a surprise if he didn't earn a spot as a member of the All-Big Ten's first- or second team.

Malcolm Willis may be known as the quarterback of the secondary, but Amos should be the star.

Quotables: "He's having a great season. I believe he's one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten. In the summer time, I thought he was going to be special. I'm just glad it's coming true." -- Morris

Former Barnstable High quarterback D.J. Crook has accepted a preferred walk-on spot at Penn State, he confirmed to ESPNBoston.com this afternoon.

Crook did a post-graduate semester this past fall at Worcester Academy, after a record-setting career as a four-year starter at Barnstable. He was initially offered a walk-on spot two weeks ago by head coach Bill O'Brien, but had to wait until he was officially accepted into the University yesterday before making his decision.

Read more from ESPNBoston.