Penn State Making a Run at No. 1 Tight End Prospect, Other Recruiting Updates

Class of 2012 tight end Kent Taylor (Land O'Lakes, FL), who is the No. 1 prospect at his position according to Rivals.com, made visits to three top notch SEC schools last week but has not forgotten about the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The 4-star prospect told Rivals recruiting analyst Chris Nee on Wednesday he plans on narrowing his list of schools down to a top three or five next week.

"I don't know if I am going to go with a top five or a top three yet," Taylor said. "I will probably have a top five in about a week."

The No. 68 overall prospect, who recently made visits to Alabama, LSU and Georgia, is very high on Penn State and says they have already secured a spot among his top schools.

"Definitely, for sure, Penn State and Florida," Taylor said. "After I set my top three or top five, then I will set up some officials and go from there. I know I am definitely going to take an official to Florida and definitely take an official to Penn State."

Taylor will play in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January and is enjoying the recruiting process, which means a decision is unlikely to come until closer to national signing day in February.

In other Nittany Lions recruiting news, 4-star running back Drew Harris (Exton, PA) announced his top three schools on Tuesday and kept Penn State in the mix.

"Penn State, Virginia Tech and Miami are in there, those three I'm looking at," Harris told Brian Mohr of HokieHaven.com. "It's just the fact they run the ball and have an offense that will fit me."

Recruiting is on the back-burner for Harris at the moment as he prepares for his senior season at Downington East High School but plans on watching his top teams closely and will eventually take official visits. Harris plans on visiting the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 14th.

With the upcoming graduation of senior running back Stephfon Green and junior Brandon Beachum departing after the 2012 season the position is a top priority for Penn State's next incoming class of freshmen.

The Nittany Lions have also targeted the nation's No. 78 overall prospect and No. 6 running back, William Mahone (Austintown, OH), who has Penn State in his top four schools along with Michigan State, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh.

A less heralded running back prospect Nittany Lion fans should keep an eye out for is 3-star prospect Akeel Lynch (Athol Springs, NY), who is committed to Boston College but still plans to take an official visit to Happy Valley this fall.

Four-star safety prospect Demetrious Cox (Jeannette, PA) has been having multiple discussions with Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley about potentially getting a chance to play as a true freshman in 2012.

"I think I have a great opportunity at Penn State," Cox told Tim Owen of BlueWhiteIllustrated.com on Wednesday. "They have a couple people leaving, and I think that is definitely a place I can go and compete."

Next week, Cox plans on making his sixth visit to Happy Valley to watch the Nittany Lions during a preseason practice. The No. 14 ranked safety and No. 10 ranked prospect in the state of Pennsylvania will also attend Penn State's game against Alabama on Sept. 10th.

Finally, 3-star offensive tackle Greg Pyke (Baltimore, MD) visited Virginia Tech on Thursday and will visit Georgia on Friday. Pyke also said the Nittany Lions are among his top four schools.

"Maryland and Penn State are in there, I'd say those are my top four schools, those are the ones that stick out more than the others," Pyke told Mohr on Wednesday.

The 6'6", 315-pound lineman will take official visits this fall, but has not set any of them up yet.

Zach Dirlam is a Big Ten Columnist for the new website Sports at Work. Check out his blog, Dirlam’s Dirty Dugout Sports Blog, which features this story along with other articles and video reports on the major sports. You can also follow his blog on Twitter, which will provide you with the latest updates about what will be posted on the blog!