Anthony Stanko, a 290-pound offensive guard from Ohio, gave his verbal commitment to Penn State over the weekend. Stanko is the first member of Penn State's projected class of 2012 and sets the tone for what could be a strong recruiting year for the Nittany Lions.
Stanko made an unofficial visit to Penn State on Saturday after being recruited by quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno.
"I had high expectations," Stanko told Fight on State ($). "I wanted to learn as much as much as I could about Penn State, and see if I would be comfortable going there."
The younger Paterno knows the talent he has to work with at quarterback in the next few years with Rob Bolden and/or Paul Jones, so he knows more than anyone the importance of providing protection for the player under center.
Stanko is not one of the top offensive linemen in the country, but he is still a better-than-average recruit out of the state of Ohio, and judging by the kind of schools that were drawing interest in Stanko, Penn State surely did not pick up a student-athlete lacking in book smarts.
Stanko turned down offers from Northwestern and Stanford (and West Virginia) to have the opportunity to play football at Penn State.
Stanko told Fight on State that he currently has a 3.3 GPA at Howland High School in Warren, Ohio, and he plans to study physical therapy while in State College. Stanko said that one of the keys to committing to Penn State was that the football staff believes in student-athletes being students first.
“Coming into it, I was pretty sure that I wanted to go there, but I wanted to find out about the coaches and what they were about and find out if it was the right fit for me,” Stanko said to The Vindicator in Youngstown, Ohio. “Academics is a big thing for me."
Stanko attended camps at Notre Dame and Ohio State, but neither school had extended an offer to him. He thought the Buckeyes may have had an offer on the table in the future, but Stanko showed that he was ready to move forward with his decision rather than play a waiting game.
"It's the right fit for me and my family, academically and with football...I want to make the fans and alumni proud."
Of course, the thought of playing under Joe Paterno also played a role in Stanko's decision-making.
“I really like that they graduate [so many] players. And from an athletic standpoint, they’re a great team. And to play for a legend like Joe Paterno is going to be a great thing.”
Stanko is projected to be play on the inside of the offensive line and his high school coach, Dick Angle, says that his work ethic will pay off immediately. “He’s pretty seasoned, and a hard-working kid,” Angle said. “He’s great in the weight room. He does all the things you have to do to go to the next level and to play at the next level the way we want him to."
Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter @CFBExaminer.
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