Our next Class of 2012 member was the fourth commitment for the Nittany Lions in the last recruiting class. Derek Dowrey, coming in at 6-3, 280 pounds, was invited to attend a Rising Senior Camp at Penn State last June, and must have been quite impressive. A day before the event, Dowrey had a scholarship offer from just one BCS school (West Virginia), but a day after the event, the Virginia native walked away a committed Nittany Lion.
At the time, there was little known about Dowrey, though his stats from his junior year were quite impressive.
"I was first-team all region on both sides of the ball, playing defensive tackle and offensive guard," said Dowrey on Thursday night. "I felt it was a pretty good season."
The junior racked up 145 tackles primarily playing nose guard, and 40 of those stops were recorded for a loss. He also had 10.5 sacks to go along with four forced and recovered fumbles over the 14-game season.
There (still) is no film on Dowrey, so it's tough to make any real assessment of his play, unless you've seen him in person. When the offer and commitment happened, many recruiting followers were baffled at the timing; Dowrey was a two-star prospect with a small offer sheet that many were unfamiliar with. I'll admit to being one of those people.
Dowrey cited the previous coaching staff as one of the main reasons he committed to Penn State, so many wondered whether he'd stick with the Lions after the scandal broke in November. And in what appears to be an enigmatic side to the young man, there is little in the way of reaction after the scandal. In fact, if you do a Google News search for Derek Dowrey, there isn't much of anything.
There are just so many questions surrounding the John Handley High School product: Will this man stay at DT, or move to the interior OL? Who does his hair? And most importantly, does he think that Ace Bernstein will seriously be able to stay behind the perfectly cast Dennis Farina for long?
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0 recs | 16 comments
Jeff
if turns out to be a beast, can I say I told you so?
And if he is a bum, then yes, you may tell me you told me so :)
jman07 - February 22, 2012
Absolutely.
I’m sure I said this eight months ago when Dowrey and Johnson came on board, but I’ll gladly eat crow if these guys win 11 Heismans between them.
Jeff Junstrom - February 22, 2012
Congrats to Dowrey and Austin Johnson for kickstarting BlogWar2K11.
Chris Grovich - February 22, 2012 via mobile
Jeff Junstrom - February 22, 2012
Ah the great Blog Wars of 2K11, how I remember them well
(disclaimer: I may not actually remember them that well)
skarocksoi - February 22, 2012
No, that actually seems quite accurate.
Chris Grovich - February 22, 2012
"Look at those poor saps back on land with their "laws" and "ethics." They'll never know the simple joys of a monkey knife fight."
DrewRusse - February 22, 2012
I knew you guys wore tophats!
skarocksoi - February 22, 2012
Welcome aboard!
Keeping his commitment displays both honor and integrity…perfect fit!
PSUgeorgia - February 22, 2012
Morning, bros.
So apparently, going out til 1:30 was not the best idea when I had to be up for work at 6. Ugh.
Anyhoo, props to DD for staying aboard, and I wonder if he will be the first to take advantage of the new regime’s stance on long, flowing locks.
DrewRusse - February 22, 2012
I don't follow.
WorldBFat - February 22, 2012
Hasn't BO'B done away with the "no beards, no long hair" rule that JoePa instituted?
DrewRusse - February 22, 2012
I thought it was no dreadlocks more than it was no long hair.
I could be wrong. Either way, rock that “Hulk Hogan in his prime” hair, Derek.
Jeff Junstrom - February 22, 2012
I meant what the fuck are you talking about, 1:30 drinking before 6 AM wake up makes perfect sense.
WorldBFat - February 22, 2012
Ahh.
Guess I’m just gettin’ old.
DrewRusse - February 22, 2012
No it doesnt
because at that point he should have just powered through to 6 instead of stopping at 1:30. Saves you all that time you would normally waste sleeping.
skarocksoi - February 22, 2012
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