Penn State's recruiting class could improve more on Friday

Penn State's 7-6 record in 2010 hasn't deterred rising high school seniors from wanting to play for the Nittany Lions and coach Joe Paterno. Two more verbal commitments on Wednesday brought Penn State's total to 15, and it could reach 16 as soon as Friday morning.

Four-star cornerback/wide receiver Armani Reeves of Catholic Memorial High School (West Roxbury, Mass.) will announce his decision on Friday at 10 a.m., with Penn State expected by many to be the likely choice. Reeves, who is 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, is said to also have had interest in Boston College, Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford.

Reeves is the high school teammate of four-star linebacker Camren Williams, who committed to Penn State in March and has since been trying to convince others, Reeves in particular, to follow suit.

On Wednesday, five-star defensive tackle Tommy Schutt and four-star wide receiver Eugene Lewis verbally committed to Penn State. Scout.com ranks Schutt (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Penn State's first five-star commit for the class of 2012, as the sixth-best defensive tackle recruit in the nation.

Williams tweeted the following from his Twitter account (@CamrenWilliams5) on Wednesday: "Oh yeah #PSUfootballfans this was NOT the good news I was talking about when I said that day was a great day for recruiting. More will come!"

That could be referring to Reeves, and possibly other recruits, as well. If Reeves choses Penn State, it would further bolster a recruiting class that jumped to No. 13 on the rankings on scout.com after Wednesday's additions. He would be the Nittany Lions' fifth four-star recruit. They also have nine three-star commitments.

Some of the nation's top undecided recruits for 2012, including five-star defensive end Noah Spence (Harrisburg, Pa.) and five-star defensive tackle Jarron Jones (Rochester, N.Y.), are also considering Penn State.

Last year, Penn State had the 34th-ranked recruiting class, granted they did have a smaller class because of a small group of graduating players on the team. Even so, this year's recruiting efforts seem to have generated a lot more buzz. Whatever the 84-year-old Paterno and his staff are telling these players, whom Paterno is almost five times older than, seems to be working.

Check back Friday for an update on Reeves and his announcement.

--Jake Kaplan