Changing The Landscape
By Tony DeFazio

On the morning of Nov. 6, 1999, Penn State stood atop of the Big 10 Conference. The Nittany Lions were in the late stages of another run at an undefeated season, taking a 9-0 record into a home date with Minnesota; three wins away from their second unbeaten season in the past five. The '99 season was Penn State's seventh in the Big 10; their league record was a glistening 40-12 since they joined the league. Only Ohio State, at 42-10-1, was better.

That afternoon, which began so promising, ended with a shocking 24-23 loss to Minnesota that wrecked the Lions' national title hopes. Two more losses followed, beginning a six-plus year skid that has seen them go 16-27 in the conference, including just 3-13 over the past two seasons. The Lions are 27-36 overall in that span.

The recent on-field slump, combined with some major recruiting scores in the state of Pennsylvania by other Big 10 rivals - especially Michigan - has prompted questions regarding the Lions' move to the Big 10. Recruiting has been the primary area of concern, as players from Allentown to Sharon have left the Keystone State for the maize and blue of Michigan, as well as other Big 10 destinations.

MOVING EAST

When the Michigan Wolverines took the field against Texas in the Rose Bowl last January, more than a quarter of their starting line-up played high school ball in Pennsylvania: quarterback Chad Henne of Reading, Sharon cornerback Marlin Jackson, the Woodland Hills tandem of returner-receiver Steve Breaston and safety Ryan Mundy, Allentown tight end Tim Massaquoi and Belle Vernon linebacker Scott McClintock. Penn State offered all six players scholarships.

Similarly, Ohio State brought in four players from Pennsylvania last year, three of whom were sought after by Penn State. Iowa and Wisconsin each have four Pennsylvania players on their 2005 rosters, Michigan State three, and so on throughout the rest of the Big 10.

"It opened up the east to the rest of the Big 10 and it didn't open up the Midwest to us," says Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. "Definitely that's the case"

Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report thinks Penn State may have made a tactical error when they joined the Big 10.

"It's given other schools more of a chance to get some of the top players in Pennsylvania," Lemming says. "It certainly hasn't benefited Penn State. It was a calculated risk that backfired. It's served the Big 10 well having a power like Penn State in the conference but it has not helped them."

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, an Upper St. Clair High School graduate, disagrees that Penn State's recruiting is hurt by their presence in the Big 10.

"Penn State is a team that can recruit nationally," Ferentz says. "With the historical success they have had for so long under Joe Paterno, Penn State can recruit anywhere."

Ferentz's argument is supported by Penn State's recent recruiting success. Of Penn State's last four recruiting classes, three have been ranked in the top 25 nationally by Rivals.com. Nor does Ferentz think the reason Michigan and Ohio State have done so well in Penn State's backyard has anything to do with conference-affiliation.

"I'm not sure Penn State being in the Big 10 has affected Michigan's ability to recruit in Pennsylvania. Michigan - with their name, their academics and their history of success - can go anywhere, anytime and recruit players. It's more of a historical thing, just like Penn State," he says.

Terry Smith, head coach at Gateway High School, sent all-everything cornerback Justin King to Penn State last year, and has several players from his current team being recruited by division-1 schools. The former Penn State wide receiver can't help but notice the trail of local players headed out of state.

"More and more Big 10 schools are coming into Pennsylvania. Michigan has taken probably the best kids out of western PA lately," says Smith. "But it's been both good and bad. Bad because they're taking our best kids out of state, good because it's giving the local kids more opportunities to earn scholarships."

IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORS

Lemming believes the influx of Big 10 schools recruiting in Pennsylvania has been positive for other schools in the area, such as Pitt and West Virginia.

"It's helped those schools," he says. "I thought Pitt and the rest of the Big East would be left for dead when Miami and Virginia Tech skipped town, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how well Pitt has done. They've got great facilities and an aggressive, personable recruiting staff with (new head coach Dave) Wannstedt in place, and they've become more formidable than Penn State as recruiters."

Not everyone sees it that way. Smith thinks that indirectly, at least, Penn State's entry into the Big 10 has made things more difficult for schools like Pitt and West Virginia.

"West Virginia just got a commitment from Anthony Leonard, the linebacker at McKeesport," he explains. "That's often the kind of kid that West Virginia does very well with, but now they find themselves seeing the sort of kids that they once got commitments from going to Indiana or Kentucky."

Ferentz, for all the success his Iowa team has had with western PA players, only sees himself as a bit player in Pennsylvania, finding players who have slipped between the cracks.

"The kids we've pulled out of Pennsylvania aren't really kids we've beaten Penn State for, at least for the most part," he says. "So I don't think we're impacting recruiting in Pennsylvania all that much. Now, with Dave Wannstedt's arrival at Pitt I think that will have an impact."

WINS AND LOSSES

Mike McQueary, former Penn State quarterback, is currently the team's receivers' coach and recruiting coordinator. He acknowledges that Penn State's presence in the Big 10 provides local kids with more of a connection to the conference than they had in the past, but he doesn't see it as a major factor.

"It probably hasn't made a tremendous difference," he says. "Wins and losses have more to do with recruiting than anything. Some people tend to make recruiting more complicated than it really is."

Joe Butler, who's run the Metro Index scouting service for over 20 years, is in full agreement. Butler also thinks the landscape of the state is another reason the Michigans and Ohio States are so active locally.

"First of all, it's winning that breeds success - joining the Big 10 doesn't affect it as much as winning does," notes Butler. "Pennsylvania has opened up a little, but to be honest those schools will come if the players are here. It doesn't matter what conference Penn State is in, if there are good players here then schools will come in after them."

North Hills High School head coach Jack McCurry concurs. "When you have good players, you'll have traffic. We've always had traffic here."

Pitt recruiting coordinator Greg Gattuso, a former Nittany Lion defensive tackle, has yet another theory.

"I'm not sure if the Big 10 has as much to do with it as the access to the internet and all the scouting services and so forth that exist today. There is just so much more information about the entire process than there used to be," Gattuso offers. "The accessibility of information for kids has changed so dramatically. It's no longer just regional like it used to be. A kid can grow up in Montana and be a Florida State fan and know just about everything there is to know about the program - he can order their merchandise, listen to their games, read their website and watch them almost every week on satellite."

MIDWEST OPPORTUNITIES

While Tom Bradley hasn't seen the Midwest open to Penn State's to the level he might have liked, Penn State has more than held their own in America's heartland. Consider that, over the past seven years, less than half (47%) of Penn State's recruits are from Pennsylvania. A considerable number, 14%, hail from areas traditionally considered "Big 10 Country" (Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana).

While Michigan and Ohio State have indeed taken players out from under Penn State's nose, it's worth noting that of the 11 local players currently at Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa, just one - Iowa receiver Ed Hinkel - was offered a scholarship by Penn State.

Meanwhile, there are 14 current Lions from the Midwest. Gerald Cardogan, an offensive tackle from Portsmouth, Ohio, and linebacker Tim Shaw of Livonia, Michigan, both chose Penn State over the Wolverines; while Ohio natives Isaac Smolko and Chris Harrell were recruited by Ohio State.

McQueary keeps his eyes on what everyone else in the Big 10 is up to recruiting-wise. He knows the perception is that Penn State is losing kids to their Big 10 rivals at an alarming rate - whether it's true or not.

"You have to be very aware of your strengths and what is not perceived as a strength, and aware of your opponents and what their strengths and perceived weaknesses are," he says. "We try not to negative recruit, and we make it a policy not to negative recruit, but we have been more aggressive. No doubt about it.

"You'd be foolish not to know the climate of recruiting and what's happening around you."