Jerry Sandusky Sex Scandal: Allegations Will Cost Penn State Top Recruits

It is one of the worst things to be accused of what former Penn State Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky is being accused of, and it will certainly have a lot of backlash at Penn State. The university will feel the shockwaves of who covered what up, who’s telling the truth to who’s lying and the horrific allegations from these boys. 

The Penn State football program brings a lot of money into the University, just like any other football program on a Division I campus.  However, after these allegations against Sandusky, it will send a ripple wave through the program that will have an impact on future recruiting classes. 

Already, according to Penn State’s page on Rivals.com, “BlueWhite Illustrated,” a recruit for the 2012 class from Pittsburgh (PA), tight end JP Holtz, says that he will be paying close attention to the scandal surrounding Jerry Sandusky.

On the Rivals.com 2012 Team Recruiting Rankings, Penn State ranks at No. 19 with 16 total commitments, with six of those recruits coming in with four stars. 

But, now that this scandal has broken the Penn State football program about as wide open as the Grand Canyon, it looks like it’s going to see these kids rethink about their decision to head to Penn State. 

For now, the recruits have stuck by the program. According to Jarred Shanker of ESPN, it looks as if the recruits are sticking by Coach Joe Paterno and the current coaching staff. 

As Shanker says in his piece on ESPN.com, “Several members of Penn State's 16-player recruiting class were shocked by the news that broke this past weekend about a former football coach, but that doesn't mean they are giving up on the Nittany Lions."

However, what happens when this goes to trial and Sandusky is found guilty? 

What happens if it does come out that most of the Penn State staff was covering up these horrific allegations that were detailed in the report that was made public over the weekend?

Will these recruits stay loyal to the Penn State program? 

Maybe they stay with the program, but how can you trust the Penn State program going forward? 

The solid branch of trust that is cemented when a family sends their child away to school to a football program was broken when this report was released from Pennsylvania’s grand jury’s “finding of fact” on Saturday. 

It can be rebuilt and repaired, but that will not be for a long time. For now, Penn State will lose a lot of recruits and will see their program regress in the near future. 

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