Penn State receives three more commitments, reports say
Three high school football players, including one who decommitted from Penn State last summer, have given oral commitments to Nittany Lions coach Bill O'Brien, several recruiting web sites said.
Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien received oral commitments during the weekend from three high school recruits, according to several recruiting web sites. One came from a linebacker who had decommitted from the Nittany Lions during the summer.
Zayh Issah, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker from Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, committed to Penn State on June 29, or less than a month before the NCAA sanctions were assessed. He withdrew his commitment on Sept. 7 but reinstated it after O'Brien hosted visits for recruits on Saturday.
Two other players to commit were 6-1, 180-pound cornerback Anthony Smith of Randolph, N.J., who competed this season for Valley Forge Military Academy, and 6-1, 235-pound linebacker Jonathan Walton of Daphne, Ala.
Issah is rated four stars by Scout.com, which ranked him No. 19 at his position in the nation, and three stars by Rivals.com. Smith is not rated by either service, while Walton comes in at two stars by both.
The weekend commitments increased Penn State's total for 2013 to 16, which is one more than the 15-scholarship limit imposed by the NCAA beginning next year and continuing through 2016.
However, players who enroll in January would count toward the 2012 limit of 25 scholarships, not the 2013 maximum. Smith and tight end Adam Breneman of Cedar Cliff (Pa.) High School, considered No. 1 at his position in the country, are expected to enroll in January, and other commitments may follow.
--Joe Juliano