The second player of the 2012 recruiting class was DE/TE Brent Wilkerson, from DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland. The 6'4", 245-pound Wilkerson decided on Penn State last March, as you can see from this enthusiastically written profile here at BSD.
When The Thing went down, Larry Johnson told Wilkerson to take his time and look around at other schools before deciding what to do for the next four or five years. Wilkerson did just that, and his final decision came down to Penn State and Nebraska. In the end, the good guys won. Wilkerson also received some sage advice from his father:
The decision to stay with Penn State did not surprise Raymond Wilkerson, though he left the choice to his son.
"When Brent was young, he always had Penn State as his dream school," Raymond Wilkerson said. "It would be easy for a kid to opt out after everything that went on at Penn State. I always tell Brent, ‘You are going to school to play football, to do something you love. But at some point the air is going to go out of the ball. What are you going to do when the air goes out of the ball? Do you like the school, the education, the social atmosphere?’
"He looked at a lot of positive things that kept him there."
And like many others in this recruiting class, Wilkerson has the redemption and rehabilitation of Penn State's image on his mind:
“The way I thought about it, I want to be one of the people to bring back what Penn State football is all about. Start the healing process and turn things around.”
Highlight Reels:
Brent Wilkerson Highlights (via 247SportsStudio)
Brent Wilkerson Highlights 2012 DE/TE DeMatha Catholic High School (via wilkersons)
0 recs | 29 comments
That last quote has me sold on this kid.
I love reading about these recruits/signees and how they all seem to focus on school and family rather than treating college ball as a pipeline to the NFL. Sure they have dreams, but they seem to understand odds are against them and that you aren’t going to set yourself up for success anywhere better than PSU.
Just goes to show that our values aren’t going to change for anything, ever.
dbl5030 - February 9, 2012
Sounds like a good kid
and a good family. Very excited to have him here!
FB6244 - February 9, 2012
Off Topic Post
I can’t see any fanposts on the main page, except for the top rated ones. Anyone else having this issue?
skarocksoi - February 9, 2012
Same here.
Bob Sacamano - February 9, 2012
Yup
jman07 - February 9, 2012
Yes, it's related to the network problems yesterday.
The tech support team is working on restoring everything ASAP. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Chris Grovich - February 9, 2012
Don't apologize.
Just blame the new guys.
Succss With Honor Always - February 9, 2012
FNG's.
PSU_Lions_84 - February 9, 2012
They were only here 1 day and they're already breaking shit.
Apparently BSD needs to update their new employee orientation and training practices.
Rule #1: Don’t give the new guys access to break the site on their first day. Start with coffee runs and making copies.
Succss With Honor Always - February 9, 2012
And doughnuts!
Don’t forget the doughnuts!
The Krispy Kreme light is on — hot ones coming out of the oven!
PSU_Lions_84 - February 9, 2012
Have to admit
On a few occasions when I lived in Greensboro, I stopped when I saw the red light come on. Good times.
Oh and some friends think that Krispy Kreme are awful and prefer Dunkin Donuts…it is a sore subject, many a fight broke out over this argument.
AriesGD - February 9, 2012
The final word on donuts:
Orams.
That is all.
http://orams.com/
J Breezy - February 10, 2012
lmao
NJDeadhead - February 9, 2012
I thought so
as other SBN sites I visit are the same. I just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t my browser, since I’m forced to use IE.
skarocksoi - February 9, 2012
I'm usually paranoid
that my IT dept is messing with me.
rahpsu92 - February 9, 2012
I was just about to ask about this
I wasn’t sure if it was me or not. Assumed I mucked something up, glad to see it was someone else…looking at others in room.
AriesGD - February 9, 2012
Wilkerson's going to be great, but this was my favorite part -
Adam Collyer - February 9, 2012
You know
I always found his stance on recruiting kind of funny, considering he didn’t have to wait for any sort of commitment to fully embrace talk about other 17 year old prospects…
skarocksoi - February 9, 2012
Back to Wilkerson
How likely is it that he goes to DE? Seeing as how we only have 1 guy in this class and a good shot at landing Brennamen, do we just start him at DE and only move him if we need him. Plus, Jesse James is coming in as a TE and is a monster at 6’8" or whatever.
skarocksoi - February 9, 2012
Also his name is Jesse James
I think he won that argument, based on awesome name.
AriesGD - February 9, 2012
truth
personally I go by the Sir Mix-a-lot code and prefer large tight ends, so the athleticism of Brennamen combined with the big body of James could give us our own little Hernandez and Gronk pair. Plus 6’4" 245 is a pretty decent size for a DE, and we need guys who can rush the passer after this next year.
skarocksoi - February 9, 2012
This seems logical to me.
Adam Collyer - February 9, 2012
I like this Brett Wilkerson guy!
BMAN13 - February 9, 2012
Zach Mills and Dan Conner are not amused.
Chris Grovich - February 9, 2012
Paul Posluznusnuzny:
That ain’t nuthin!
PSU Mudder - February 9, 2012
Too bad he didn't overlap with Brent Brackett.
psuwxman - February 9, 2012
The TE/DE Decision will be interesting to watch
Do we know if the TE play for the Patriots was BO’B’s scheme? It would be fan-frickin’-tastic to have those kinds of athletic tight ends catching passes and creating havoc for big fat slow tO$U linebackers. I’m giddy just thinking about it.
87Townie - February 9, 2012
Amen. That is all.
The Booster - February 9, 2012
Man, I don't recall this sticking out with I first saw his tape,
but for a kid who’s 6’4" and 250, he can MOVE. Not a lot of wiggle, but in straight line, look out.
psuwxman - February 9, 2012
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