National Signing Day: Penn State Recruiting Needs for 2013

As the faxes start to be received by Penn State and every other college football program in the country on National Signing Day, it is important to remember that the next year will fly by. Which means, it is never too early to start looking forward to the Class of 2013 and start preparing for next year's recruitment class.

For Penn State, the Class of 2012 was kind of a rush due to a late coaching hire and a late start to filling in the assistant coaching staff. As Penn State fell behind with figuring out who would be their next head coach, a number of talented high school prospects swayed away from committing to Penn State, with a few notable players going to rival Ohio State.

Bill O'Brien's staff did pick up a few players who were not previously on the Penn State radar and did so with O'Brien concentrating half of his time with the New England Patriots. But next year will be different. O'Brien will be on the Penn State job 24/7 with no NFL responsibilities, which means he will have more time to work on convincing some top high school talent to give Penn State a look when considering their options.

What areas will O'Brien and the staff need to focus on? Time will tell for sure what the roster will look like, depending on any juniors who decide to leave for the NFL early, transfers in and out etc., but there are some key positions O'Brien will be tested with.

A look at a projected eligibility depth chart shows that Penn State will be projected to lose 14 players from scholarships after the 2012 season. They are:

• QB Matt McGloin
• FB Michael Zordich
• WR Justin Brown, Devon Smith
• OL Mike Farrell, Matt Stankiewitch
• DE Pete Massaro, Sean Stanley
• DT Jordan Hill, James Terry
• LB Mike Yancich, Michael Mauti, Gerald Hodges
• CB Stephfon Morris

The good news is that the quarterback situation could be in decent shape with one more year of Bolden and two years left for Paul Jones, plus an expected incoming quarterback recruit. However, the running back and wide receiver positions look as though they could be in need of quality depth.

Silas Redd will have one more year of eligibility (unless he opts for the NFL) and Chad Dukes will be in the same position. Adding the next great tailback would be a key recruiting move if possible.

Wide receiver has been a weak spot for a few years since the departure of the trio of Jordan Norwood, Derrick Williams and Deon Butler. Under O'Brien's offensive schemes, wide receivers and tight ends will be of the utmost importance.

On defense, the biggest hole to start filling will be the linebacker position—Penn State's trademark position. Whether O'Brien and his staff can continue that trend remains to be seen.

As much as linebacker will need an upgrade in a few years, it is the secondary that could be more of an issue depending on what happens in 2012. The position is extremely young after the graduation losses this season, but if they play well in 2012 then perhaps the need to fill the defensive backfield will be diminished a bit.

Aside from positional needs, O'Brien and his team will focus on winning back the state of Pennsylvania. During his first few days on the job, O'Brien stated that it was necessary for Penn State to bring in the top talent from Pennsylvania. Penn State is currently projected to receive letters of intent from four Pennsylvania student athletes, the lowest in-state recruiting total since 2002.

What positions concern you the most moving forward for the Class of 2013?

Kevin McGuire is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.