Penn State Scandal: Are the Lions' 2012 Recruits Standing by the School?

When this sex scandal that involved Jerry Sandusky was made public last week, we knew it was going to affect several things. We knew that head coach Joe Paterno was going to have to step down, and instead he was fired. We knew it was going to cause a lot of heat from the media and it has. So much so, that when Penn State students took to the streets to riot, they flipped over a news van in anger.

We also knew that it was going to affect recruiting and well, that hasn't exactly happened yet, according to reports.

Lineman Anthony Stanko said he stands behind his verbal commitment to Penn State, and he isn't going anywhere.

“I stand behind my commitment to Penn State. I look forward to the top level of education I will receive at Penn State and am proud of the history and traditions they hold." Stanko said.

Linebacker Nyeem Wartman had his father speak for him and he's still committed to the program.

"He's still committed. I talked to him the other day about it. It's not a good situation up there right now, but he's true to Penn State. He likes the school and the education he's going to get, and he was happy with his decision," Howanitz said. "We don't know what's going to happen."

When the news first broke, Penn State's top recruit Noah Spence tweeted that he would probably be crossing off Penn State from his list. But later his father went on to say that Penn State is still very much a possibility. 

“We still have a great deal of respect for Penn State, a great deal of respect for Joe Paterno and [defensive line coach] Larry Johnson and a great deal of respect for Coach [Tom] Bradley [the Lions' defensive coordinator],” Greg Spence told PennLive.com.

“The allegations are horrendous and I was very upset to read any allegations like that, that had Penn State’s name tie to it, but we just have to sit back and let things play out.”

Letting things play out could be what all of the other recruits are doing as well. Maybe they are waiting to see what happens with Sandusky and if the allegations are true or not before they make a decision that will effect them the rest of their lives.

Or maybe the recruits are all rallying together behind Penn State and are committed to being the class that will help rebuild this program back to where they used to be.

Whatever the case may be, the fact is we thought this would really effect recruiting and so far it hasn't. Maybe things change or maybe they don't.

All we know is as of right now, Penn State's football program looks to be in much better shape than it could have when this scandal shook the college football world.

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

Bleacher Report is your home for college football for the 2011 season. From scores, news, analysis, live blogs and updates on your favorite teams and the big national games every week, keep it on Bleacher Report for the very latest in college football news.