ESPN College Football Recruiting

When it comes to producing talent, several states may rank ahead of The Keystone State, but few seem to personify the old-school mentality of the game. Pennsylvania seems to exude that blue-collar, lunchpail attitude that fits so well with the game of football.

The state is rich with history, from its Western Pennsylvania quarterback tradition, to the great Steelers teams of past, to even the old Tom Cruise movie "All the Right Moves." It just seems to represent the game of football so well. It's naturally home to some good defensive prospects, with four ranked in the ESPN 150, and a quick glance at their positions lets you know where Pennsylvania is strongest this year -- all four are linebacker prospects.

One is Michigan commit Christian Wilson (McKees Rocks/Montour), one is Ohio State commit Andrew Sweat (Washington/Trinity), and the other two Shayne Hale (Monroeville/ Gateway) and Brenda Beal (Bethlehem/Liberty) are uncommitted. The deep linebacker talent does not end with those four, as the state has several other good linebacker prospects like David Posluszny (Aliquippa/ Hopewell), the younger brother of former Penn State great and current Buffalo Bills linebacker Paul.

Andrew Sweat, Linebacker
Trinity (Washington)
Verbal: Ohio State

Penn State has built a well-deserved reputation for being known as "Linebacker U," but the Nittany Lions lost out on a chance to get a guy who could have fit well in that legacy.

But what is Penn State's loss is Ohio State's gain, a school which in its own right has turned out a few decent linebackers.

Sweat personifies the Pennsylvania blue-collar perception but also blends it with excellent athletic ability. He is a linebacker prospect who looks the part and plays with a "seek and destroy" attitude, which should make fans in the horseshoe very happy. He will play consistently downhill and is big and physical enough to play through a blocker, but what helps land a prospect like Sweat among the nation's best is that he is more than just a battering ram.

Top '08 Pa. prospects -- defense
Name	Pos	Grade
Andrew Sweat	ILB	83
Shayne Hale	ILB	81
Christian Wilson	OLB	81
Brendan Beal	ILB	81
Jewhan Edwards	DT	80

The ESPNU High School All-American is also athletic and fluid enough to slip blocks and quickly change directions and chase down the ball. In a self examination of his own game, Sweat will tell you his strengths are his instincts and his pursuit of the football. Watching him play it is hard to argue, but many great players are hardly satisfied with their strengths and push to get better.

Said Sweat: "I need to improve all areas to become the player I want to be."

Jewhan Edwards, Defensive tackle
Roman Catholic (Philadelphia)
Considering: Penn State, West Virginia, Minnesota, Syracuse

The City of Brotherly Love has not produced great football talent the last few years, but Philly is home to a big, talented defensive tackle this year.

At around 300 pounds, Edwards is a monster with the ability to be a disruptive force in the interior of line not only because of his size, but also because of his quickness off the ball. He will display the ability to explode out of his stance and get penetration. His size allows him to push through and at times carry blockers to the ball. He can be disruptive, but can also take on blocks, hold his ground and eat up space.

We feel Edwards is among the better defensive tackle prospects in this class. His size, coupled with his initial quickness, make him an intriguing prospect. He has interest in Penn State, West Virginia and Minnesota, and holds offers from all three; Syracuse has also offered and is very interested.

Edwards' grade situation may be keeping some other programs at a distance, but if the four previous schools mentioned are the only ones who pursue him, it is likely one of them will get lucky and snatch a very good and promising player.

Temple, 10 commitments
Be honest -- how many of you forgot that the state of Pennsylvania has a third Championship Bowl Subdivision (i.e. Division I) program. Well if you said yes,you are probably not alone.

Unfortunately for the Owls, they are better known for their basketball and being the alma mater of Bill Cosby than they are for football. The last time they went to a bowl game was in 1979, and the Owls have a lot of work to do to get back into the mainstream conscious of the college football public.

All not is not completely bleak though in Temple nation as they head into year two of the Al Golden era. An independent for several years after being banished from the Big East, Temple is now a member of the MAC. Being tied to a conference should help bring some stability and an identity to the program, which will hopefully in return help some in recruiting.

All nine prep commitments are from the Northeast. One verbal is from a good guard prospect, Wayne Tribue (York, Penn. / Central York), a physical kid with some upside. There is still a lot of work to do, but at least it seems like the ball is in motion.

Eastern Pennsylvania
Souderton (2-0) at North Penn-Lansdale (2-0), Friday 7:30 p.m.
Both teams are unbeaten after two games and ranked in the Top 10 of Philadelphia area schools. North Penn, No. 6 in the ESPN Super 25's East Region rankings, has already disposed of Philadelphia Catholic League heavyweights St. Joseph Prep and Cardinal O'Hara. In a 30-16 win over O'Hara, Mike Katch ran for two TDs, while Tyler Smith added two scores, including one off a 47-yard interception. Souderton blanked Quakertown, 42-0, last weekend. -- Lawlor

Craig Haubert is recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc. Drop Craig a line in his mailbag.