Once his angst passed yesterday, Pat Devlin's sense of magnetism took over.
Devlin, the Pennsylvania all-state quarterback at Downingtown East High, made an oral commitment to Penn State after an enjoyable if somewhat stressful weekend visit to the Happy Valley campus. He said it's likely he will make it official next Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA signing period.
"I'm real excited about going to Penn State," Devlin said. "I can't wait to get up there and show everybody what I can do."
Maybe Devlin didn't realize the profound effect his name has already had on Penn State's program.
In the days following his call to Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, Devlin has become a hero to Penn State fans and chat-room cheerleaders. He's also become a pied piper, as his decision to switch allegiances from Miami to Penn State seems to have caused a chain reaction of similar switches that has pushed Penn State's 2006 recruiting class into a top-five ranking from two national scouting services.
One player Penn State is pursuing, Pottsgrove running back Brent Carter, said last night that he "wasn't 100 percent sure" of his college choice.
Carter said his decision would come down to Virginia or the Nittany Lions, and that he might announce his choice as early as today.
Meanwhile, Penn State received commitments from two more highly touted prospects after Devlin's switch.
In a news conference at an ESPN Zone restaurant in downtown Baltimore yesterday, Phillip Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 346-pound defensive lineman from Maryland, announced he had chosen Penn State over Maryland.
This came shortly after Antonio Logan-El, a 6-6, 306-pound offensive lineman, had announced on ESPNews that he was changing his commitment from Maryland to Penn State.
It was easy to say that news of Devlin's crossing over into Nittany Lion land had at least lined the recruiting road that Penn State assistant coach Larry Johnson Sr. had paved for those top linemen prospects.
"Penn State has been the star of the de-committers this year," said Tom Lemming, a national football recruiting expert for more than 25 years and now football recruiting editor for College Sports Television. "Others are doing it, but Penn State's the star."
