1996 Recruiting Class

1. Brad Jones, LB/FB, Monessen, PA. 6' 4", 225 lbs., 4.6 sec. in the forty. Played FB, LB, and DL in HS. Picked Penn State over Notre Dame, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh.
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2. Aaron Gatten, DB, Washington, PA. 6' 1", 200 lbs., 4.5 sec. in the forty. Has a rare combination of size and speed. As a junior, won the PA 100 and 200 meter championships and the 189 lb. wrestling championship. Rated as the #1 DB prospect in the East by BlueChip Illustrated. Picked Penn State over Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Purdue.
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3. Marc Kielmeyer, OL/DL, Westerville, Ohio. 6' 6", 254 lbs., 4.8 sec. in the forty. Rated as Ohio's #2 OL prospect, and one of the top 10 prospects in the state. Rated the #7 HS All-American on the DL by SuperPrep. Rated as the #1 DL prospect in the Midwest by BlueChip Illustrated. Played off. guard and def. end in HS. Attended the same HS as former Lion Ki-Jana Carter. Selected Penn State over Ohio State.
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4. Karel Smith, DT, Akron, Ohio. 6' 3", 286 lbs., 4.85 sec. in the forty. Bench presses 470 lbs. and leg lifts 600 lbs. Played center, guard, and def. tackle in HS. Rated a top 250 prospect by G&W Recruiting Report. Picked Penn State over Ohio State and Tennessee.
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5. Jason Wallace, OL/DL, Lansdale, PA. 6' 4", 255 lbs., 4.8 sec. in the forty. Played both sides of the line in HS. May do the same at PSU, though expected to start out on the offensive side. Chose Penn State over Syracuse and North Carolina.
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6. John Blick, OT, Brodheadsville, PA. 6' 7", 310 lbs., 5.0 sec. in the forty. Rated the top OL prospect in the Northeast by most recruiting services. Rated the #28 HS All-American on the OL by SuperPrep. Picked Penn State over 30 other schools that offered scholarships.
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7. Anthony King, DB/WR, Norfolk, Virginia. 5' 10", 185 lbs., 4.3 sec. in the forty. Rated as the #17 recruitable prospect in VA by the Roanoke Times. As a junior, ran a 10.48 100 meter and high jumped 6' 6". Played RB, DB, & QB in HS. Recruited to play cornerback, but might start out as a wide receiver. Selected Penn State over North Carolina, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.
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8. David Macklin, RB/DB, Newport News, Virginia. 5' 11", 190 lbs., 4.4 sec. in the forty. Rated as the #8 recruitable prospect in VA by the Roanoke Times. Played RB and DB in HS. Unknown which position he'll play in college. Picked PSU over North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Virginia.
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9. Chance Bright, OT, Meadville, PA. 6' 8", 315 lbs., 5.2 sec. in the forty. One of the top 3 OL prospects in PA, along with John Blick and Imani Bell. Selected Penn State over North Carolina and Northwestern.
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10. Derek Fox, DB, Canton, Ohio. 6' 1", 185 lbs., 4.40 sec. in the forty. Played QB and Cornerback in HS. Has a 44" vertical leap. Comes from a long family of Ohio State grads, who he surprised by picking Penn State. Expected to play cornerback in college.
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11. Marcus McFee, LB/FB, Richmond, Virginia. 6' 1", 254 lbs., 4.8 sec. in the forty. Rated as the #40 recruitable prospect in VA by the Roanoke Times. Played middle LB, FB, and kicker in HS. Likely to play either LB or FB in college. Selected Penn State over Virginia, Florida State, North Carolina, and Army.
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12. Eric Sturdifen, LB/FB, Richmond, Virginia. 6' 2", 223 lbs., 4.5 sec. in the forty. Was a four year starter at outside LB. Expected to play OLB or Strong Safety at PSU. Rated as the #3 recruitable prospect in VA by the Roanoke Times. Named the Virginia defensive player of the year. Rated the #7 HS All-American at LB by SuperPrep. Picked Penn State over Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Tennessee.
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13. Justin Kurpeikes, LB, Allison Park, PA. 6' 4", 225 lbs., 4.7 sec. in the forty. Considered one of the top 2 LB prospects in PA. Rated as the #24 HS All-American at LB by SuperPrep. Played FB and LB in HS. Recruited to play middle LB. Selected Penn State over Pitt, Boston College, Michigan, and West Virginia.
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14. Titcus Pettigrew, WR, Clemmons, North Carolina. 6' 2", 194 lbs., 4.4 sec in the forty. One of the three finalists for USA Today's HS Offensive Player of the Year. North Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year. Rated as the #2 HS All-American at WR by SuperPrep. Only classwork or injury should prevent him from becoming a star. Selected Penn State, in part, with the understanding that he can play collegiate basketball. Picked PSU over Florida State, Ohio State, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
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15. Mike Cerimele, FB/LB, Allentown, PA. 6' 1", 235 lbs., 4.6 sec. in the forty. Likely to start out as a fullback. An avid weightlifter, who selected Penn State over Notre Dame, Florida State, Boston College and Wake Forest.
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16. Imani Bell, DL, Philadelphia, PA. 6' 4", 295 lbs., 4.9 sec. in the forty. Played both OL and DL in HS. Rated as the #34 HS All-American at DL by SuperPrep. One of the top 3 OL prospects in PA. Recruited to play defensive line. His father, Bobby Bell, was the Detroit Lions 1971 1st round pick. Picked Penn State over Wisconsin, Syracuse, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, and West Virginia.
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17. Garrett Watkins, TE/OLB, Coraopolis, PA. 6' 4", 220 lbs., 4.55 sec. in the forty. Played WR, TE, and OLB in HS. Expected to play OLB or TE in college. A surprise recruit, Watkins took an unofficial visit to PSU in December. JoePa interviewed him for 1.5 hrs., and offered him a scholarship 4 days later. Selected Penn State over Wisconsin, Maryland, Boston College, and Northwestern.
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18. Mac Morrison, MLB, Port Orchard, Washington. 6' 1", 215 lbs., 4.6 sec. in the forty. Three-time state champion in the javelin. Rated as the #19 HS All-American at LB by SuperPrep. Named the #2 player in Washington by the WA Newspapers Association. Played LB and FB in HS. Recruited as a middle LB. Chose Penn State over Nebraska and Washington.
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19. Joe Dawkins, RB, Hackensack, New Jersey. 5' 11", 180 lbs., 4.3 sec. in the forty. One of the fastest HS prospects in the nation. State champ in the 100 meter as a junior, running 10.31 sec. and breaking Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis' HS record. Rated as the #13 HS All-American at RB by SuperPrep. Named the #4 HS player as an Athlete on the BlueChip Illustrated 1995 Post-Season Dream Team. Played WR, FB, TB, and Cornerback in HS. Recruited as a tailback. Picked Penn State over Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Rutgers.
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20. Courtney Brown, DE, Monks Corner, South Carolina. 6' 6", 240 lbs., 4.5 sec. in the forty. Rated as the #1 HS All-American at LB by SuperPrep. Named the #1 HS player at DL on the BlueChip Illustrated 1995 Post-Season Dream Team. South Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year. Most services listed him as the #1 DL prospect in the nation. Selected Penn State over Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and South Carolina.
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21. Rashard Casey, QB, Hoboken, New Jersey. 6' 3", 190 lbs., 4.5 sec. in the forty. A consensus top 5 QB prospect. Rated as the #2 HS All-American at QB by SuperPrep. Named the #2 HS player at QB on the BlueChip Illustrated 1995 Post-Season Dream Team. New Jersey's Gatorade Player of the Year. Has the talent to play QB, WR, RB, Cornerback or Safety. Recruited to play QB. Picked Penn State over Michigan State, Miami, Arizona, and North Carolina.
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22. Kenny Watson, RB, Harrisburg, PA. 6' 0", 180 lbs., 4.45 sec. in the forty. Is considered the best running back to come out of central Pennsylvania since Ricky Watters. PA state champion at 400 meters as a junior. Selected Penn State over North Carolina, Syracuse, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Miami.
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