Other examples will be on display Saturday when Penn State (1-2) hosts Temple (1-1) at Beaver Stadium. Two vaunted quarterback prospects will be on the field. Neither will start at quarterback.
Kevin Newsome, Scout.com's No. 10 overall quarterback in 2009, was poised to succeed Daryll Clark in orchestrating Penn State's spread HD offense. Instead, Newsome spent only two years in State College. He played in 15 games and attempted 24 passes before transferring to Tidewater Community College and then, eventually, Temple.
Newsome has yet to take a snap for the Owls and is a third stringer behind Chris Coyer and Juice Granger. He has practiced as a wide receiver recently in an effort to get him on the field.
Similarly, Paul Jones was a four-star recruit. After redshirting as a freshman, then sitting out last season to focus on academics, the 6-3, 260-pound Western Pennsylvania native was poised to break through this season.
Instead, Jones was beaten out by Matt McGloin in spring practice and has been passed on the depth chart by freshman Steve Bench. Now, Jones is starting to practice at tight end.
"There's no exact reason why guys like Bolden, Jones, and Newsome didn't pan out," said Brandon Huffman, a national recruiting analyst for Scout.com.
Each player had potential, but something - could be developmental or could be a case of not understanding how to utilize their talent - didn't click under Joe Paterno's offense. Paterno's son, Jay, was the quarterbacks coach from 1999 to 2011.
"When you have guys that are highly touted, it could be that they were overrated," Huffman said. "Or it could be that they just weren't a fit for the offense. They were so enamored by the school, but their specific skill set didn't transfer to that particular style."
The most recent Nittany Lions quarterback to appear on an NFL roster as a quarterback is Downingtown native Pat Devlin, though Devlin played only two seasons at Penn State.
Frustrated by a lack of playing time and a lack of development, Devlin transferred to Delaware. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent.
Penn State's quarterback woes might change soon. A new coach with a new style is in charge.
Bill O'Brien, who coached Tom Brady in New England, is much more hands-on with his quarterbacks. It's a big reason five-star recruit Christian Hackenberg is committed to Penn State for 2013.
McGloin's 8-1 touchdown-interception ratio is the best in the Big Ten Conference.
"I probably spend more time with the quarterbacks than I do with other positions on the team," O'Brien said.
Quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher works on the details. O'Brien, meanwhile, considers himself "the big-picture kind of guy."
