I thought there was something wrong with Penn State's release about its invites to the NFL Scouting Combine. Defensive end Maurice Evans was mistakenly left off the list. He makes it eight Lions.

I was a little surprised by a few of the choices/slights. Guard Rich Ohrnberger should have been invited. You could argue that defensive backs Anthony Scirrotto and Tony Davis should have been there, but I could make the same case that they don't. In two years, Scirrotto went from definite draft pick to guy that maybe should have pursued baseball. I can't tell you how many South Jersey guys insist he was better in baseball than football. Who really knows? He still has time to try baseball. Davis had a better year than Sargeant, but Sargeant is faster and that's the most important thing when judging a cornerback in the pros.

Seven Penn Staters were invited to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine to be held in Indianapolis from Feb. 18-24. Defensive end Aaron Maybin, center A.Q. Shipley, wide receiver Derrick Williams, tackle Gerald Cadogen, wide receiver Deon Butler, cornerback Lydell Sargeant and wide receiver Jordan Norwood will likely take part in the week-long event that has often been called a meat market.

For a player like Maybin, who could go in the first round of the draft, it might not be beneficial to attend, so he could skip the combine. If he does he'll likely perform for scouts at Penn State's Pro Day, which is tentatively scheduled for March. 18.

Another recruiting season is over and, guess what, the next has already begun. Nevertheless, Penn State had a pretty good haul for the Class of 2009, especially considering the Joe Paterno obstacle. The Lions missed out on linebacker Jelani Jenkins, but bagged wide receiver Justin Brown. Here's the recap in this morning's paper.

Also, Pat Devlin broke his silence, although not to me. After about 100 phone calls I'm getting the feeling he doesn't want to talk.

Delaware wide receiver Justin Brown has ended the suspense and is going to be a Nittany Lion. The four-star senior made it official at a 2 p.m. news conference at his high school in Wilmington.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Brown picked Penn State over Rutgers. He fills a hole at wide receiver with the departures of Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams. Brett Brackett, Graham Zug and Derek Moye are expected to be the starters next season, but Brown could come in and compete for one of the spots.

Penn State lost out on top-ranked linebacker Jelani Jenkins earlier today -- he chose Florida -- but some consider bagging Brown more important for the Lions. The only other recruit left on the board is Massachusetts defensive back Jim Noel.

As expected, stud linebacker Jelani Jenkins has chosen Florida over Penn State, according to Mike Farrell of rivals.com. The top linebacker left on the board, Jenkins is set to announce his decision at a news conference set for 10:45 a.m. Farrell's sources said that Jenkins already signed and sent his letter of intent down to Gainesville.

Most observers had the 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior headed to the Gators. The Washington Post predicted as much in this morning's paper. As did The Inquirer (wink-wink).

It would have been a nice coup for Penn State, but when Florida coach Urban Meyer swooped into Olney, Md. for some face time with Jenkins it seemed the clincher. Lions coach Joe Paterno, by the way, did not visit the 16-year-old. Jenkins was in State College the weekend before and did spend time at Paterno's house on McKee St.

There are still two potential Penn State recruits that have yet to decide. Wilmington, Del. wide receiver Justin Brown announces at 1 p.m. Massachusetts defensive back Jim Noel is expected to choose sometime today.

UPDATE: Jenkins just announced on ESPNU that it's Florida. Penn State, Notre Dame, Stanford and Southern Cal were the other finalists. He cited all the usual reasons for picking a school -- a good fit, comfort with the coaching staff, academics (huh?) -- but also added that Florida's weather played a factor. If that was the case, State College never stood a chance.

I don't know if this morning's story is fodder for the Joe Paterno critics that think his not visiting prospects hurts Penn State's recruiting. Sure it may hurt a little, but you can't argue with the results over the last four years. This year's crop is pretty good and could get better with a couple of additional snags today.

We'll keep you abreast of all the happenings related to the Lions on National Signing Day. Stayed tuned.

Former Penn State quarterback Pat Devlin will officially be announced as one of Delaware's incoming recruits tomorrow, according to Delaware team sources.

Over a month ago, it was reported here that Devlin was headed to the Blue Hens. But the Downingtown native had not publicly stated so nor had the team confirmed his commitment. Delaware could not comment until Devlin signed a binding letter. He has done so and will start class next week. He will be able to participate in spring practice and will compete for the quarterback position in the fall.

Actually, Devlin is already living on campus and has participated in team meetings for a few weeks, according to a source close to Devlin. Delaware cannot set up an interview with Devlin because of NCAA rules, but he may be willing to talk tomorrow. I'm not sure if he would be willing to talk about his decision to leave Penn State in early December.

Devlin was the backup to Lions quarterback Daryll Clark during the season after a close competition for the position before the season. He was not happy in the No. 2 role, and with Clark back for another season Devlin was looking at another year on the bench.

He came to Penn State a ballyhooed recruit out of Downingtown East. He set the Pennsylvania scholastic record for passing yards and was a Parade all-American. But he was redshirted as a freshman, hardly played as a sophomore and watched as Clark led Penn State to a Big Ten title as a junior.

With national signing day tomorrow, I figured I'd check with recruits to see if Joe Paterno or his three-year contract extension had anything to do with their signing with Penn State. I did not. That's not really news. But in light of comments made by Paterno that the contract was announced to help recruiting, I can't help but think otherwise. Sure, it had to play some part. I'm starting to think it had more to do with Paterno and his people wanting the extension for the 82-year-old's own state of mind. Joe likes to play it cool as if he if he's above such nonsense. I doubt it. He wanted some security and as recruit Eric Shrive said, "To make people leave him alone."

I don't plan on leaving him alone. That contract, with its 'both sides can shorten the deal" clause, is as flimsy as Penn State's schedule next season.

Here's the last part of our look at the coming schedule along with an educated guess of what Joe Paterno might say about the opposing team the Tuesday prior to the game:

Oct. 31 at Northwestern: Aside from the road trip to Madison, Wisc., the game at Northwestern is the most welcomed of away dates for Penn State beat writers. I'm sure travel ling Lions' fans feel the same way. It's Chicago, after all. Joe's take: "I like that Pat Fitzgerald kid. He reminds me of myself a half century ago."

Nov. 7 Ohio State: This may be the only time all season that Penn State plays a ranked team. That should impress the voters. If Penn State was undefeated at this point and ranked no higher than No. 8, I could imagine Paterno's justification for his schedule. Joe's take: "When we scheduled Syracuse a few years back they were doing pretty well. It's hard to predict these things."

Nov. 14 Indiana: Somehow the Big Ten decided to stick it to the Hoosiers and forced them to travel to Penn State for the second straight year. I'm not sure it would have mattered if the game was played in Bloomington. Joe's take: "If we're not careful Akron ... er, Syracuse ... uh, Temple ... hmm, Eastern Illinois ... I mean, Indiana will come here and give us a licking."

Nov. 21 at Michigan State: Penn State has had mixed results in East Lansing. The Spartans, who really weren't that good last year, won't have Javon Ringer. My guess is that a share of the Big Ten title will be on the line, as will a BCS bowl berth. But will it really matter? The Lions don't play for national championships anymore. They play for Paterno's legacy and that silly all-time wins record he's battling Bobby Bowden for. Joe's take: "We've won 50 games in the last five years. I don't know who else could say that." [Florida could, and it has two national titles during that span.]