Penn State Football: The Top 6 2012 Recruiting Targets You Can Kiss Goodbye

If you haven't heard yet, the Penn State Nittany Lions are in a lot of trouble. Former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of sexual child abuse. This is a serious case that doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon and will tarnish the legacy of the University.

While everybody has been talking about who will replace legendary coach Joe Paterno, we also have to look at how this will effect recruiting.

Here are a few Penn State recruits that the Nittany Lions could lose to this scandal.

Cornerback: Davonte' Neal

Neal has great speed and although his main position is cornerback, he's more than capable of playing receiver despite his small 5'9" 175-pound frame. He is a shutdown corner and one of the top recruits at the cornerback position.

During his junior season he caught 11 touchdowns and on the defensive side of the ball, he recorded 21 tackles and five interceptions.

It would be really easy for him to leave considering he has offers from Notre Dame, LSU, Auburn and Miami among other schools.

Defensive End: Noah Spence

Spence is the Nittany Lions top recruit as he is probably the fastest defensive end in the country. He has a strong motor, is great at shedding blocks and his quickness off the ball is unmatched.

In his junior year he had 101 tackles, nine forced fumbles and 22 sacks.

Other than Penn State, Spence has offers from Notre Dame, USC, Michigan and Tennessee among other schools.

Quarterback: Devin Fuller

He's the No.6 quarterback in the 2012 class according to Scout.com.

Fuller is your typical dual-threat quarterback that can hurt you either with his arm or his legs. During his junior year he completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,886 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also ran for 2,306 yards and an extra 32 touchdowns.

Did I mention he played defense as well and had three interceptions and 65 tackles?

He has offers from LSU, Alabama, Nebraska, Florida State and Notre Dame among others.

Running Back: Wes Brown

Brown rushed for almost 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns his sophomore year and already has a ton of offers on the table. His small 6'0" 190-pound frame makes him great for a change of pace back, but he has the ability to grow into an every down back by the time he arrives on campus.

He has offers from Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami and Cincinnati among others.

Wide Receiver: Jordan Payton

Payton already backed out after committing to USC, so I can imagine Penn State could be off the table as well for him. He is a bigger receiver at 6'2" 205 pounds and has the speed and quickness to help this Penn State passing game.

He missed two games his junior year and still had 61 catches for 907 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He has offers on the table from Arizona State, Florida, Michigan, Arkansas and Oklahoma among others.

Offensive Tackle: Ryan Watson

Watson is a beast at 6'3" 265-pounds and is very quick at the line of scrimmage. He is very aggressive and has great body control as he's able to change direction very quickly.

He's one of the top offensive lineman in the 2012 class.

He has offers on the table from Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Stanford and Wisconsin among other schools.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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