As a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, Villanova is the highest profile Division I FCS school in Pennsylvania. Thanks to its basketball prowess, it could be considered a comfortable fourth in overall athletic stature, behind Pitt and Penn State, with only Temple's status as an FBS football program keeping the Wildcats from climbing into third.

But despite its larger presence, Villanova didn't utilize its influence on Pennsylvania football prospects last year. Villanova signed five prospects from the state in its 2014 recruiting class; only Lehigh (4) and Penn (2) took fewer Keystone State products.

For whatever reason, Villanova didn't connect with local products last year. We're coming up on the end of June, with much to be decided for the 2015 class, and it's already a different story. Villanova has three commitments from Pennsylvania so far, and this is traditionally a quiet time for FCS schools. The general rule of thumb is that FBS schools get the first pick of recruits, and then FCS schools swoop in late to grab the highly valued prospects falling through the cracks.

The Pennsylvania FCS schools have made a habit of that approach the last few years. Out west, Robert Morris and Duquesne have grabbed players with MAC offers who saw their situation change at the last minute. The three Patriot League schools - Bucknell, Lafayette and Lehigh - play the long game, especially now that they can offer athletic scholarships. They generate interest, stay in contact and wait to finally sway those athletes who wish for a higher academic challenge to go along with their football.

And in Philly, Villanova waited out the likes of Rutgers, Maryland and Temple to grab the players who slipped through the fingers of those FBS schools. But this year, the Wildcats aren't waiting. Is it a coincidence? Or has something changed in Andy Talley's 30th year as head coach?

In the case of West Chester Henderson DT Bryan White, he was probably just waiting for the Villanova offer. White's brother, T.J., is a linebacker for the Wildcats. His father is a former Villanova defensive lineman. Legacies tend to decide early, so it's no surprise that White pounced on the offer.

For Archbishop Wood's Jarrett McClenton and Lancaster Catholic's Keegan Sheedy, it was more about the overall fit. Both had options at the FCS level. Sheedy and McClenton both sat on the offer for a little bit before pulling the trigger, so they weren't rash decisions. Players are also committing earlier across the country, to the point where the NCAA is considering installing an early signing period.

Maybe Villanova is just benefiting from that trend. There's also this: Recruiting can be cyclical. And with this year's crop of prospects a bit deeper in the east, Villanova might be mining the state a little bit more than last year. Either way, Villanova is in good shape with three quality Pennsylvania players on board. And it's going to be interesting to monitor how the Wildcats do through the 2014 season and into Signing Day next February.

I noticed that he is transferring from North Carolina State. Any idea where he is heading.

Archbishop Ryan running back Samir Bullock was one of the most productive backs in the state last year, but the 2015 prospect had a few things working against him on the recruiting trail as he began the offseason.

He was a 5-foot-7, 165-pound feature back and he caught all of three passes last year out of the backfield. At his size, running out of the Power-I in college seems unlikely. He needed to do more and show he can do it in front of college coaches.

Bullock hasn't shied away from the work. And now it's paying off, including a big day on Monday. Maine, Rhode Island and Robert Morris all offered him on Monday, joining Bryant and Delaware. While these are all FCS offers, they're still Division I, and they represent Bullock's rising stock.

Bullock had 2,055 rushing yards in 11 games as a junior. He did that on 261 carries, or about 23.7 per game. That's not a terribly high workload, although he capped the season with three straight 30-plus carry games. A good season from Archbishop Ryan could mean a pretty impressive yardage total for Bullock as a senior.

Considering the burst of offers on Monday, recruiters may still be catching up to him. We'll see where the rest of his summer takes his recruiting profile.

Mount Carmel TE Christian Kelley picked up his first offer this week.

Brown, out of the Ivy League, offered the 6-foot-1, 232-pound Kelley on Tuesday. The two-star recruit has a ton of interest out of the Ivy League and the Patriot League at the FCS level. Bucknell, Lafayette, Penn and Davidson have all visited him multiple times. Yale is also interested.

Kelley also visited UMass for junior day and also has some interest from the likes of Eastern Michigan and Rutgers. He caught 21 passes for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also lined up at linebacker and had 3.5 sacks to go with 56 tackles.

All seven Division I FCS schools in the state have rosters littered with Pennsylvania natives.

Each of the seven takes a slightly different approach to recruiting. Robert Morris, St. Francis, and Duquesne have fewer scholarships to spread around. Villanova plays in the more competitive CAA and can pursue a few higher end prospects that could have FBS options. And Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette have to make sure they target athletes who can handle the academic rigors of the Patriot League.

Lafayette seems to be particularly aggressive early on for the Class of 2015. The Leopards hosted their junior day this weekend and had an interesting invite list.

Among the visitors:
Mt. Lebanon LB Ben Bruni [/URL]- The two-star prospect is in excellent academic standing and has a lot of interest from Patriot League schools. He's also generated interest from Villanova, Toledo, Ohio and Temple, all despite having a quieter junior season due to injury. He could be a sleeper as the camp circuit heats up.

Emmaus LB Andrew Davidson - Another two-star prospect, Davidson stopped in for the junior day just a week after visiting Rutgers. He's also visited Penn recently. At 6-foot-2, 210, he has the size to play any linebacker spot, though he's being looked at more of as a middle linebacker.

Exeter Township QB Chase Yocum - The younger brother of Delaware QB Kyle Yocum, Chase has a lot of the same skills. He's a little bit shorter, which may make his overall athleticism more important. Chase threw for 1,095 yards and ran for 878 yards while scoring 18 touchdowns. He can also play a little bit of defense and could end up in the secondary if QB doesn't work out.

Conwell Egan DE Wyett McLeod - The 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive end showed off some versatility last year thanks to injuries. He was an All-PCL selection at tight end, and while his primary position is defensive end, he played all over the line in 2013. Along with a visit to Lafayette, he's also been to Yale, Princeton and Bucknell in the last month.

Bethlehem Catholic OL Colby Faasuamalie - The 6-foot-3, 300 pound lineman has pulled in a wide variety of interest early on, from the likes of California to Bucknell, Kansas to Lehigh. He's part of a pretty solid rising senior class at Bethlehem Catholic that could make the Hawks a contender. He's a tackle prospect right now but could slide inside depending on the team.

It's early in the process for every school and recruit in the country, but for an FCS school, that's a pretty solid start as part of your junior day.

PaPreps will keep tracking developments at Lafayette and across the state during the spring, summer and into the 2014 football season.

2015 Northeast defensive end Gladimir Paul picked up an offer from Temple today, per Northeast offensive line coach Mike O'Neil.

Paul is a little under the radar because of the top level defensive ends in southeast PA this year, but he's got a chance to pick up some more mid-level FBS offers over the next few months. At 6-foot-3, 210 he could also be a fit at outside linebacker for some schools.

Imhotep Charter defensive tackle Tyrone Barge has committed to Division I FCS Rhode Island. Barge's commitment was first reported by Rick O'Brien of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Barge was the anchor of Imhotep's defense the last couple of years, and he had early interest from the likes of Boston College and Rutgers. But as Signing Day inched closer, Barge's main interest came from Rhode Island, Coastal Carolina, Delaware State and a few other FCS schools.

Rhode Island went 3-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association last year. The CAA produced national championship runner-up Towson.

The 6-foot, 258-pound Barge had 83 tackles, nine sacks, an interception and a blocked field goal as Imhotep made it to the PIAA Class AA title game for the first time in school history.

He is the third Division I commitment from Imhotep this season, joining 4-star OL Aaron Ruff (Temple) and 3-star DB Deandre Scott (Arizona State).

Brian McNally was generating a lot of buzz as a tight end and linebacker prior to the 2013 season, but as the Girard senior's season marched toward the District 10 playoffs, disaster struck.

McNally injured his knee in a win over Corry, ending his season. A promising recruiting calendar that included visits to Pitt, Buffalo and Bucknell was now in doubt.

There's a happy ending for McNally, though. He announced that he committed to St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday, where the 6-foot-1, 205-pound prospect could play on either side of the ball. He was a top target as a tight end in Girard's offense, and he can also play outside linebacker.

McNally had surgery not long after his injury and should be 100 percent in time for his first collegiate training camp in August.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic linebacker Niko Thorpe announced Saturday afternoon that he has committed to Division I FCS Fordham.

The Rams recently finished the season in the Top 10 of the FCS coaches poll. Fordham, out of the Patriot League, finished 12-2 this year.

Thorpe also had offers from Lafayette and Stony Brook. The 5-foot-11, 217-pound middle linebacker was the central force in a defense that led Central Catholic to the PIAA Quad-A title game. Thorpe had 130 tackles, forced seven fumbles and recovered four, had an interception, and had two scores on the defensive side of the ball.

Fordham has made inroads recently on Pennsylvania, an area that they had gone away from in past years. There are just three Pennsylvania natives on the current roster, but they've pushed into the state more this season and Thorpe is the latest Pennsylvania product to commit this year. Fordham has targeted a dozen or more Pennsylvania products, and Thorpe joins Shady Side running back Jarred Brevard and Central Dauphin East RB Chase Edmonds as the third commit to the New York City school.

The change in emphasis occurred with the hiring of Jim Moorhead as head coach prior to the 2012 season. Moorhead took a team that was 1-11 in 2011 and has gone 18-7 in his first two seasons. He is a Pittsburgh native, and he's added other coaches with Pennsylvania ties to his staff. Lock Haven graduate Andrew Breiner is the team's quarterbacks coach, defensive coordinator David Blackwell previously coached at Pitt, running backs coach Tim Zetts coached at IUP and Cal (Pa.), and special teams coach Nick Sluzky coached at Albright College in Reading.

In a sport that's all about relationships and familiarity, those Pennsylvania ties are starting to pay off for Fordham.

Jake DeHart was pretty much everywhere the last few seasons for Cathedral Prep.

Now, the 5-foot-9, 163-pound athlete will take that versatility to the Ivy League. DeHart committed to Yale on Saturday, choosing the Bulldogs over scholarship offers from Air Force, Albany, Bucknell, Holy Cross and Youngstown State.

As a junior, DeHart caught 59 passes for 399 yards as a part of Cathedral Prep's PIAA Class AAA championship team. But this year, with other needs on the team, DeHart moved from his slot receiver position to tailback. DeHart made a smooth transition, rushing for 1,024 yards and 16 touchdowns as Cathedral Prep once again won District 10 and made another deep state playoff run.

DeHart didn't abandon his pass-catching abilities, either, as he caught 22 passes for 394 yards and six more touchdowns. DeHart also played some corner for Cathedral Prep, though he'll likely fit in as a slot receiver or running back for Yale.

Perkiomen Valley athlete Rasaan Stewart led his team to a 10-2 record as a dual-threat quarterback, but he's bound for Villanova as a defensive back.

Stewart committed to the hometown Wildcats Friday night. An excellent athlete, he had around a dozen offers as colleges eyed him as a potential dual-threat quarterback, receiver, safety, corner and return specialist.

Stewart threw for 2,068 yards and 26 touchdowns, ran for 1,204 yards and 17 more touchdowns, and was a dangerous presence in the secondary. He proved he can rip out big plays at any point in a game, taking touchdowns to the house on QB draws, broken plays, interceptions and returns.

While Villanova could use him anywhere, he likely projects as a defensive back for the Wildcats. In the age of spread offenses and explosive scoring plays, teams need just as many playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Stewart should fit in well as a ball-hawking free safety and potentially a punt and kick returner. He showed excellent ball skills while working as a defensive back at the Rivals Camp Series stop in New Jersey last spring, and he has a good frame to potentially add a little more weight without sacrificing his speed and athleticism.

Catasauqua wide receiver Paryss Marshall has committed to Division II Shippensburg.

The 6-foot, 200-pound receiver had Division I attention, including from Connecticut. The Huskies are the alma mater of former NBA player Donyell Marshall, who is Paryss's father.

Marshall had 76 receptions for 1,566 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.

Dunmore running back Daiqwon Buckley[/URL] was one of the most prolific running backs in the state over the last two seasons, but his recruiting has been fairly quiet.

Buckley is coming off a senior season where he had 2,322 yards and 35 touchdowns on 215 carries.

But even with the numbers and decent size at 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, the talented running back doesn't have any offers. That's likely due to his academic situation, which Buckley has worked at over the course of his senior season.

"It's very frustrating but I just have to keep working hard. For the past couple years, I was kind of sluggish in school," Buckley told PaPreps. "But this year I'm making high honors."



Temple has kept in touch and was in contact with Buckley recently. Syracuse, Maryland and Purdue also haven't lost touch. He's also heard from Delaware and Fordham. But even with the unknown situation, Buckley's staying optimistic, especially since he feels he's ironing things out solidly in the classroom.



"I'm pretty positive about things," he said. "Once my scores come back, I think that's when things will get back up to date."


On the field, Buckley is pretty pleased with where things ended up. He wanted another crack at a state title after Dunmore fell in the Class A title game last year.




"States was definitely one of the great moments," Buckley said. "Just being there is something you'll never forget."
But even without the second trip to Hershey, Buckley said he has no regrets about his performance. He was productive in all four years at Dunmore and ran for 6,073 yards in four years. He feels he has the strength, speed and stamina to play at the next level eventually.



"I felt like I've been getting better and better every year," Buckley said. "I'm faster this year than I was last year. I never really got winded out there. I kind of built myself up to take on as many carries as I possibly can."

Wilson West Lawn quarterback Matt Timochenko has been exploring the Ivy League and Patriot League for much of the past few months, and he's made up his mind.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound signal caller has committed to Lehigh.

Timochenko completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,497 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions for Wilson this season. Timochenko led Wilson to a 12-1 record and the District 3 semifinals. Last year, after starting the season as the third string quarterback, Timochenko ascended to the top spot late in the regular season and helped guide Wilson to a 13-2 record and the PIAA semifinals.

He chose Lehigh over interest from the likes of Princeton, Cornell, and Penn.

Downingtown East WR/TE Cary Angeline has his first offer, and it's a fairly significant one. The 2016 prospect was offered by Miami today, and it surely won't be the only opportunity Angeline gets over the next two seasons.

The 6-foot-6, 215 pound sophomore will likely end up being a tight end, though he's been used at receiver at times by the staff at Downingtown East. Angeline is also a budding basketball player and could end up getting offers in that arena as well.

Angeline had 33 receptions for 456 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore.

Coatesville offensive lineman Colin Raysor has committed to Lafayette. The news was first reported by Rick O'Brien of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Raysor is a 6-foot-6, 295 pound tackle prospect who has generated a lot of regional interest. When Rivals first caught up with Raysor back when we created his profile, he had interest from the likes of Akron, Old Dominion, Villanova, etc., as well as Virginia, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse and the other northeast FBS schools.

But as the season played out and Coatesville produced over 2,000 rushing yards and 1,000 passing yards, Raysor appeared to be in line for a MAC or FCS scholarship. He landed one with the Patriot League school, and it should be a good fit. Lafayette was more of a passing team last year, and while Raysor has experience as a lineman in a fairly balanced offense (especially in 2012's state runner-up squad), he might help pave the way for a better running Leopards offense after leading the charge for Daquan Worley.

This post was edited on 1/2 5:26 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi

West Allegheny running back and linebacker Tort Delmonico announced today that he has accepted a scholarship offer to Navy.

The 6-foot-1, 190 pound Delmonico will likely play on the defensive side of the ball for the Midshipmen, though his versatility could land him anywhere on the field.

Delmonico lined up at quarterback, running back and wide receiver for West A on offense in the team's Wildcat formation. He played outside linebacker and occasionally safety on defense. In 13 games, he ran for 801 yards and 15 touchdowns, caught 23 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns, threw for a touchdown, had 102 tackles, 5 sacks and an interception.

Delmonico's commitment could begin a run on West Allegheny players. Junior RB Chayse Dillon, junior LBs Armand Dellovade and Sean Orsini, and junior QB Andrew Koester are all potential D1 players in the class of 2015

This post was edited on 1/2 2:55 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi

Two Penn Manor prospects have made their college decisions.

Linebacker Charlie Bell has committed to Delaware, while offensive lineman Mitchell Sweigart will play at Princeton.

The 6-foot-1, 210 pound Bell was also a running back and receiver for Penn Manor, but he'll play inside linebacker for the Blue Hens. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Sweigart will play tackle for Princeton.

Fort Cherry tight end/defensive end Zak Dysert prides himself on being a versatile weapon, and several Division I FCS schools are eying him as a potential fit.

Dayton, Dartmouth, Delaware and St. Francis have joined a couple of Division II schools, including West Liberty, as those in touch with Dysert recently. The 6-foot-2, 227 pound 2014 prospect visited St. Francis for a game just before Thanksgiving, while Dayton stopped by the high school within the last week.

Most of the schools are looking at him as a tight end or H-back. Dysert had 30 catches for 567 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. But after posting 38 tackles and seven sacks, St. Francis is also looking at him as a defensive end.

"I like the offensive side of the ball, but whatever school I choose to go, wherever they see me fitting will be fine with me," Dysert told PaPreps. "I enjoyeither side."



Dysert plans on trying to squeeze in some visits to schools on his list between the holidays and the end of January, especially to those schools who he hasn't had a chance to see yet. At that point, Dysert will try to narrow his list down, see what offers come out of those visits.


Dysert hopes to sign on signing day if the option is available, but otherwise will try to finalize his collegiate future shortly after.
Check back with PaPreps for any future developments.

After a solid senior season that featured a District 10 championship and a run to the PIAA semifinals, Hickory LB Daulton Linton is generating some interest from a half dozen FCS schools.

Linton had 145 tackles in 14 games and had 5.5 sacks. The 5-foot-10, 205 pound inside linebacker also had two interceptions and a fumble recovery as Hickory went 12-2.

Linton has interest from Duquesne, Sacred Heart, Bryant and Wagner of the Northeast Conference as well as Butler and Stetson of the Pioneer League. He'll make official visits to Duquesne and Sacred Heart in January, with other potential visits also possible before signing day.

His highlights are available here.

This post was edited on 12/16 7:13 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi

Lebanon athlete Mark Pyles torched opposing defenses at quarterback this year, but he'll be hunting his former QB brethren in college.

Pyles, a 6-foot, 200-pound athlete, committed to Bucknell over the weekend. Pyles played inside linebacker for Lebanon and will play the same position for the Bison in the Patriot League.

Pyles had interest from a variety of Patriot League and Ivy League schools. But Bucknell was the first offer, and Pyles enjoyed multiple visits to the school.

Wilkes-Barre Coughlin DE Anthony Khalife had a handful of options to play college football, including a serious push by Army to become a Black Knight.

Instead, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound prospect decided to stay with a family connection. Khalife has verbally committed to play at Colgate. The Division I FCS school is the alma mater of Khalife's father.

Khalife had 93 tackles and 3 sacks this season while also playing on the offensive line.

The WPIAL's all-time leading passer didn't get as much college interest as many would expect because of his height.

But Lenny Williams will still get a chance to prove he can be a college quarterback.

The Sto-Rox senior has committed to Temple, one of the few schools who offered him a scholarship at quarterback. Others wanted to move Williams to the secondary, where he also started for Sto-Rox.

Williams took over the starting job at Sto-Rox early in his freshman year and now has 8,305 yards for his career. He's also the WPIAL's all-time leader in passing touchdowns.

Williams had offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Robert Morris and Rutgers as well as interest from a number of other schools.

A major reason why Central Dauphin East remains alive in the District 3 playoffs is because of the play of running back Chase Edmonds. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound back has 1,984 yards this season, 22 receptions, and three straight games with 30 carries.

He also now has a verbal commitment to Fordham. First reported by Pennlive.com, Edmonds chose the upstart Rams over a handful of other FCS schools.

Edmonds' size and ability should fit in well with Fordham's spread offense. He's certainly picking the right time to become a Ram, as Fordham is 10-0 and considered one of the top teams in the FCS this season.

Kiski Area tight end and linebacker Shane Kuhn has committed to Youngstown State. Kuhn is listed at 6-foot-4, 222 pounds and he also had interest from several Patriot League schools.

Kuhn caught 18 passes for 309 yards and a couple touchdowns for Kiski while leading the Cavaliers on defense. He had a team-high 77 tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks, an interception and a couple fumble recoveries.

He could fit on either side of the ball for YSU with his versatility, so he'll likely get a shot at wherever the Penguins have the most need.

This post was edited on 11/7 7:20 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi