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Sports

DeMatha Standout Might Be Reconsidering Penn State Choice

Brent Wilkerson recently visited Nebraska despite making a commitment to Penn State in the spring.

A DeMatha High School tight end may be reconsidering his commitment to play football at Penn State after a visit to the University of Nebraska over the weekend.

Brent Wilkerson, a 6-foot-4, 250 pound, stand-out tight end and defensive end with DeMatha, committed to the Nittany Lions on March 3, but with changes in Happy Valley he began to look elsewhere, according to huskercorner.com.

Wilkerson told the Nebraska sports website that he’ll be visiting Happy Valley on Jan. 13 and will decide which school he’ll attend after that visit.

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Wikerson’s visit to Nebraska hints toward how shaky Penn State’s recruiting situation is right now. The school has already lost two prized recruits to other schools, according to a USA Today article.

Penn State has been under significant scrutiny since news broke about a sexual abuse scandal involving defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The Sandusky scandal brought down vaunted head coach Joe Paterno and shook up the credibility of the powerful Big 10 football program.

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Wilkerson has showed signs that he’s committed to Penn State. His Twitter handle is @PSUbound_84 and Stags Coach Elijah Brooks told the Washington Post that he would consider the Nittany Lions after they hire a new head coach. The Post article also mentioned Wilkerson may be considering the Oklahoma Sooners.

On Saturday, Penn State announced it would hire New England Patriots’ Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien as head coach.

Wilkerson said to Huskercorner.com that he enjoyed his visit to Nebraska, but that he really wants to meet coach O’Brien and “see what kind of man he is.”

O’Brien has been at the helm of a Patriots offense that has featured dynamic tight ends. Rob Gronkowski, a second-year tight end for the Patriots, recorded 17 touchdowns and 1,327 receiving yards in 2011, both NFL records. The Patriots’ other featured tight end, Aaron Hernandez, had a respectable 910 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011.

O’Brien likely will not be in Happy Valley this weekend to meet with Wilkerson as he will be in New England, preparing for the Patriots’ playoff game against the Denver Broncos.

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