In the world of sports becoming stagnant can lead to the demise of any franchise or organization. Adaptations to the times and trends of the game are necessary in order to ensure success in the highly competitive world of college football. This is perhaps more pertinent in recruiting than any other facet of the game. There is a direct relationship between success in the realm of recruiting athletes for college sports programs, and the ability of that program to be competitive. The name of a school does not recruit for itself, as time progresses and the trends of the game change, recruiting must also change to set up a team with the best possible chances of success. In turn, consistent winning for a program helps with the recruiting process, therefore the relationship is also a reciprocated, in addition to being a direct, relationship.

Many questions arise when it comes to recruiting including, who to recruit; what type of talent is needed to achieve success? Furthermore, where must one go in order to find such athletes, and once they are found, how is one to persuade a player to come to your respective program while abiding by all of the rules delegated by the NCAA. If one examines the history behind the football program at the Pennsylvania State University, there is almost unparalleled success to be observed. Having the fifth most wins all time for any program in NCAA Division I history, Penn State has enjoyed numerous undefeated seasons and national championships. Their head coach of 40 years Joe Paterno is the second winningest coach in NCAA Division I history. The system he put in at Penn State was one of honest hard work, dedication, and success in the classroom. There was no shady business attributed to the success achieved by Penn State whatsoever, and this lead to a wonderful tradition that is perhaps tops in the college ranks today. As far as football goes, the Nittany Lions were traditionally a team based on a suffocating defense and a power run game. Within the past 10 years or so, college football has changed greatly. A mentality that speed kills has been adopted, and the most successful programs recently have been those that can fly to the ball the fastest on defense, and fly away from defenders the fastest on offense, its it's not all about overpowering the other team any more. As a result of this change, in recent years Penn State’s success and their number of victories has dwindled. Their style of play was just not best suited for highly competitive play anymore. A change was necessary to keep alive the proud and winning tradition of the Nittany football nation. And to the joy of Penn State fans, and the chagrin of the rest of the nation, several changes were made, and fast results were achieved.

The afore mentioned changes were primarily with recruiting. The head recruiting officer was changed and more effort was placed in recruiting. It was obvious, based on the fact from 2002-2003 the Nittany Lions won a combined 7 games (two of their worst seasons ever) that the types of players they were recruiting were no longer the best to be competitive. So, more speed oriented players were pursued. Another change was made in where recruiting was done. The target area now spanned a far greater, exceeding the boundaries of Pennsylvania, heavily pouring into Maryland, and many states along the east coast, and across the nation. Prospects were shown the proud tradition at Penn State, {Delete the comma.} and the high output of NFL players. The wonderful facilities that were available were also made a point of interest, and these high school talents were brought to games and exposed to what many consider the greatest football atmosphere in the nation. The adrenaline and raw emotion that these young men felt upon walking out of the tunnel was for many of them enough to commit to this great university. Using the great upside of attending Penn State as the major emphasis, and exposure to the fans and the family oriented environment, the recruiting office enjoyed much success with last years recruit class, even landing the number one ranked overall recruit in the country, Derrick Williams. Other major means of speed included freshman Justin King, Jordan Norwood, and Deion Butler. The combination of the speed burners on the outside with the placement of a mobile quarterback to get them the ball completely changed the Penn State offensive approach, and immediate success was achieved. With a predicted finish before the season of eighth place in the Big Ten, Penn State shocked the world, finishing 11-1, winning the Big Ten and ranked third in the country.

The ability to adapt to the game was key for Penn State to land itself back on top of the Big Ten, and the means of achieving this was to change recruiting. However, the cause and effect chain does not stop there. After enjoying one of the best seasons in Penn State history in 2005, where is the program to go from here? A major part of recruiting is the possibility of future success, and being a part of a mainstream and competitive program that will lead to an NFL career. So with a winning season, and continued concentration from last year on recruiting, this year’s recruit class ranked sixth in the country for top prospects, a terrific jump from previous years. The efforts of Penn States front office have changed the minds of highly touted athletes, taking them from the grasps of teams that have won national championships within the last ten years. Pat Devlin a four star quarterback who committed to perennial power-house Miami (Hurricanes) changed his mind and decided to go with the Nittany Lions. Another example of the fruits of the recruiters labor is Bani Gbadyu, a four star linebacker who committed to the National champions of three years ago Louisiana State University. This tremendous recruit class makes it evident that success on the football field helps to recruit players.

In looking at the past three years as a whole for Penn State football, the entire cause effect chain of recruiting can be summed up. A change in recruiting methods and targeting, leads to ultimately a more competitive football team. In turn, a more competitive and successful football team, leads to more effective and successful recruiting. Without a doubt much credit must be given to the recruiting office at Penn State, for what might be considered the salvation of a program for the proud, die-hard Nittany Nation.

Works Cited

{Where the sources are used should be clearly indicated in the above text!}

N/A. NCAA Sports Information Database. www.rivals.com

N/A. Penn State College Sports Headquarters. www.blueandwhite.com

N/A. The Official Site of ESPN. www.espn.go.com

N/A. NCAA Recriuting Information Site. www.scout.com

N/A. Online Encyclopedia. www.wikipedia.com

N/A. Penn State Sports Homepage. www.gopsusports.com