Penn State Football: Sanction Reductions Will Have Immediate Recruiting Impact

In the summer of 2012, the NCAA levied unprecedented sanctions against Penn State University and its football program. 

On Tuesday, the NCAA took another unprecedented action toward Penn State in the form of sanction reductions (per NCAA.com).

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"Beginning next academic year (2014-15), five additional initial scholarships will be restored to the university's football team," Penn State said in a release Tuesday. "This amount will continue to increase until they reach the full allocation of 25 initial in 2015-16 and 85 total football scholarships in 2016-17." 

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At this time, only the scholarship reductions have been lessened. However, the NCAA did not close the door on additional sanction reductions. 

What is the immediate impact?

Penn State is currently on a bye week and the majority of the staff will be out of town this weekend on the recruiting trail. Because of the NCAA's announcement today, that staff is armed with an additional five scholarships and the possibility of a "lifted" bowl ban to use to lure new targets. 

The same can be said about old targets who decided against the Nittany Lions because of the sanctions. When 5-star defensive back Jabrill Peppers committed to Michigan, he had this to say to NorthJersey.com:

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“If Penn State wasn’t on all those sanctions, this decision would have been a lot more difficult. I really, really liked Penn State."

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His comments were the most prominent, but he is not alone in his line of thinking. 

Along with the new angles Penn State can use to recruit, they also have the advantage of scheduling in their corner. Getting recruits on campus for official visits is a huge step in the recruiting process. The bigger the game, the better the experience. 

Two weeks from this Saturday, Penn State hosts Michigan in a night game, which has been announced as the annual all-stadium white-out game. That environment rivals any other in college football. You can be sure Penn State will try to get as many high-profile recruits on campus for that as possible.

Tuesday's events could help on the recruiting front in the long-term as well. Despite the fact that he turned down all suitors last winter and re-negotiated his Penn State contract, there are those who feel head coach Bill O'Brien could be lured to another job. That sentiment is based largely in part on the theory that he could compete better elsewhere. It's evident that the Massachusetts native is happy in State College, and now with a more level playing field, it's less likely that he could be pulled away.

That notion of stability should play very well in the recruiting field. 

At this point, it's impossible to tell when the postseason ban will be lifted, if it will be lifted at all. However, the NCAA's willingness to open that door, while not ruling out the possibility of it being lifted as early as this season, is very telling.

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