Penn State Football: Bill O'Brien'S Recruiting Plans Worth Getting Excited for

After surviving the 2012 recruiting season—which was months shorter for Bill O'Brien's coaching staff—things look promising for Penn State in the 2012-13 recruiting season. O'Brien seems to have a grand vision that will change the way Penn State attacks recruiting, and his ideas should be worth some buzz in the Penn State community over the next year.

"We've got to do a great job in that 300‑400‑mile radius of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New England," O'Brien said during a conference call with the media on Wednesday (transcript here).

O'Brien, who is in Indianapolis preparing for the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, was not in State College for National Signing Day. He admitted he did not pay much attention to the letters of intent as they trickled through the fax machine in the Penn State football offices, and knows that it is important to pursue recruiting in Penn State's traditional recruiting grounds.

Penn State welcomed a total of four Pennsylvania recruits in the Class of 2012, the lowest in-state total dating back to 2002.

"

Really the majority of our roster should come from there, O'Brien continued, discussing regional recruiting. Then what we want to do is use or connections where we've coached; maybe Georgia, Florida, Alabama, to try to get some guys that we think fit at Penn State and are willing to make the travel; the parents are willing to travel.

"

Penn State managed to recruit a quarterback out of Georgia. Steven Bench was a late addition to the Class of 2012, giving Penn State a solid verbal after OBrien and his staff were set. It is O'Brien's hope that this is the start of plucking some talent out of the southern states, a region few Big Ten teams tend to venture in to successfully, if at all.

"With Steven Bench, we had a good connection with the high school coach there," O'Brien said. "We watched him on tape, felt good about his production at high school."

Bench may not be an elite quarterback. He may not even get to play soon with the quarterbacks currently on the roster, but if he shows that this staff is prepared to recruit in SEC and ACC territory, it could be a preview of what is to come over the next year.

"

We're going to change our system, how we grade, evaluate players, what type of players we want, O'Brien explained. The other thing to me that's really important is that we get out in the spring and get the clinics, the high schools in May for the evaluation period, get our staff out there, let the high school coaches meet our staff up and down the East Coast, but primarily in Pennsylvania, number one, then Ohio, New Jersey, New York, New England, get out there and make sure that our staff is out there.

I think we got a great staff and we've got a lot to sell with Penn State.  That's going to be our number one priority.

"

O'Brien has previously stated the importance of recruiting in the south as well, mentioning the value of getting in to the states of Texas and Florida. Many members of his coaching staff have previously worked with him at stops at Georgia Tech, Maryland and Duke, where recruiting in the south was routine. Offensive line coach Mac McWhorter is a respected recruiter in Texas after being a member of Mack Brown's coaching staff with the Texas Longhorns.

The message is clear: O'Brien is ready to start winning back the top talent in Pennsylvania and Penn State's usual pipeline states, and is more than equipped to take the Penn State recruiting trail to the south.

Perhaps the best recruiting tool O'Brien will have is his ability and willingness to travel, something his predecessor Joe Paterno cut back on in his later years.

"

I think this is about Penn State, O'Brien said. I believe that we've got to get out there and talk about Penn State. Our staff has done a great job of that in the last three weeks since they've been hired. We've been out in Pennsylvania. We've been out recruiting.

"

It is indeed a new era in Penn State, and it is a challenge that O'Brien is ready to tackle head-on, just as soon as he gets through with a possible Super Bowl championship.

Having a Super Bowl ring might just be the best recruiting tool of all in Year One on the job.

Note: All quotes provided through transcript from Penn State University Athletics.

Kevin McGuire is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.