Penn State Football Recruiting: Meet the Nittany Lions' 4 New Commitments

On the same sad day that the college football world lost Joe Paterno, one of its greatest coaches of all time, the program that the legendary head coach helped turn into a prominent powerhouse, Penn State, picked up four new commitments for its 2012 recruiting class. 

Yesterday was certainly a somber day full of remembrance and reflection in Happy Valley, and with the news that JoePa had passed away, many Penn State fans probably weren’t all that concerned with the team's efforts on the recruiting trail at that point in time.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t change the fact that the Nittany Lions still managed to reel in commitments from four intriguing recruits yesterday.

Paterno’s successor, new Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, not only got to celebrate winning an AFC championship with the New England Patriots yesterday, he was also able to celebrate winning some critical recruiting battles for some key prospects.

The biggest name of the bunch is former Boston College commit, RB Akeel Lynch, who is rated as a 3-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals and widely considered one of the top prospects in the state of New York this year.

Lynch, who ran for a whopping 2,136 yards and won the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year Award, was one of the top running backs in the northeast. The 6’0’’, 205-pound senior from St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, New York will definitely add some valuable depth behind starting running back Silas Redd next year.

Lynch tweeted the following message on his Twitter account last night: “Making my dreams become a reality.” #weare #penn state.

While Lynch was the biggest name to choose Penn State yesterday, there were also a few other under-the-radar recruits who announced their intentions to come to Happy Valley.

CB Da’Quin Davis, a 3-star prospect out of Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Maryland announced his commitment yesterday as well. Davis is one of the top defensive prospects available in the state of Maryland this year, and the 5’9’’, 180-pound senior could develop into a reliable nickel corner in the next couple of years.

Davis’ high school teammate,Trevor Williams, also committed to the Nittany Lions yesterday. The 6’2’’, 190-pound Williams has the potential to play either receiver or defensive back in college and he’s definitely the type of prospect who could surprise some folks in a few years if he develops physically.

The least heralded of yesterday’s commits is WR Jonathan Warner, the son of former Penn State running back Curt Warner.

Warner, who played for Camas High School in Washington, didn’t have any other offers from BCS schools, and he’s only rated as a 2-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals. However, he obviously does have some strong bloodlines, and it will be interesting to see if he can outplay some moderate expectations at Penn State.

All in all, it’s hard to celebrate recruiting victories after such a tragic day, but the four new commitments, which now boosts Penn State’s 2012 class up to 18 total members, definitely help new coach Bill O'Brien take a step in the right direction as he tries to put the finishing touches on his first recruiting class leading up to national signing day on Feb.1.