January 22, 2012 will forever be remembered as the day Penn State lost the face of its community. In the twilight of one Nittany Lion story, however, dawn broke on four new ones as recruits Akeel Lynch, Da'Quan Davis, Trevor Williams and Jonathan Warner committed to play football for new Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien, according to various reports by Sean Fitz of Lions 247.
Lynch is a 6-foot, 205-pound running back recruit from Athol Springs, N.Y. He is rated as a three-star prospect and is the No. 29-rated player at his position and No. 3-rated player in his state according to Rivals.com. ESPN gives him a scout's grade of 75 and describes his game this way.
Potential sleeper, Lynch is a shifty, well-built back with quality running skill and load-carrier attributes. Sturdy, consistent runner without a lot of flash but moves the chains for good production. Has a solid build and very good body composition for a running back prospect.
Rivals reports Lynch had offers from a number of schools including Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa and Boston College. Below is his highlight tape.
Davis and Williams are teammates from Calvert Hall in Towson, Md.
Davis is a 5-foot-11, 172-pound quarterback who earns a two-star ranking, according to Rivals.com. ESPN gives him a Scout's grade of 76, and breaks him down like this:
Davis just needs a bit more size and explosiveness to be considered a household name on the recruiting trail. He has very good instincts, fundamentals and overall coverage skills. Lacks ideal height, bulk and strength but he finds the ball naturally in coverage and shows flashes of good lock-down skills.
His Rivals lists Marshall and West Virginia as schools that also offered him scholarships, in addition to Penn State.
Here is Davis' highlight tape.
Williams, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver and a 3-star recruit according to Rivals. His ESPN Scout's Grade comes in as a 74 and that outlet offers this on him.
Williams is a nice blend of size and athleticism. He is a strong runner with nimble feet, but he is not a blazer. He has enough speed to be a competent threat down the sideline due to his size and he possesses elusiveness to be able to be a factor
His offer sheet included Bryant, Morgan State, Toledo, Virginia Military Academy and West Virginia.
Here is Williams' highlight tape.
Both Williams and Davis were recruited by defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr., according to their profiles.
Warner, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound wide receiver from Camas, Wash. is a legacy recruit, the son of former Penn State All-American running back Curt Warner. Rivals rates him a two-star prospect. Below is his highlight video.