Scandal could hurt Penn State's recruiting

Now that the Penn State coaching staff is in turmoil, it's reasonable to think that the recruits - and potential recruits - are having second, third, and fourth thoughts about playing for a staff they might know nothing about.

For example, when the child sexual abuse scandal went public last week, undecided top prospect Noah Spence tweeted: "Um psu might be a no no for me ewwww.";

Then, Thursday night during a conference call with interim coach Tom Bradley and assistant athletic director Mark Sherburne, offensive lineman Joey O'Connor of Windsor, Colo., announced that he had de-committed from Penn State.

Skyler Mornhinweg, a Penn State recruit from St. Joseph's Prep, chose not to react at all.

"I'm sure he'll come out and speak one of these days, and I think it will be quite a while," said Marty Mornhinweg, Skyler's father and offensive coordinator for the Eagles. "I think that's a mature way to handle it, no comment. There's some things going on [at Penn State] that are more important than what we're talking about here."

Mike McQueary, Penn State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, has been one of the central figures in the scandal.

Mark Brennan, the editor at Fight on State, said the recruits he has contacted have been reluctant to talk about the situation.

That's "completely understandable," he said. "They're 16- and 17-year-old kids. They're probably smart not to talk about it."

As for whether the scandal will hurt future recruiting, Brennan said, "The charges are so volatile. I don't know if we're going to have a good grasp on this for a while."

Bob Lichtenfels, of Scout.com, said Penn State's future recruits will pay close attention to how the coaching situation is resolved.

"If they make a big splash and hire somebody big, things could be OK," Lichtenfels said. "If they don't get a big-name guy, it could really hurt them. This could play out a number of ways."

Coaches who talk to current recruits - such as Mornhinweg - should be reassuring, Lichtenfels said.

"You tell them to hold steady, stay the course, and let's see how this thing plays out," he said. "If you're still on the payroll, you assume the same responsibilities.

"I don't want to make light of what happened, but Penn State can endure something of this magnitude. It can endure things better than a lot of schools. You still have the program's tradition and history. That alone is a recruiting draw."

Still, Lichtenfels said, there is work to be done.

"The Penn State people have to mend fences with a lot of people," he said. "They need to regain the trust of the alumni, the student body, and fans in general."

Said Bob Farrell of Rivals.com: "Initially, it's going to slow them down. . . . I think this will affect general student enrollment more than it will hurt football recruiting."