Below are capsule looks at the prospects who have already verbally committed to Penn State. National Letter-of-Intent Day for the Class of 2008 is Feb. 4, 2004

1. Matt Hahn (6-1, 210/RB) South Huntington (N.Y.) St. Anthony’s- Hahn became Penn State’s first verbal commitment for the Class of 2008 when he announced for the Nittany Lions on Feb. 20. As a junior, Hahn was a second-team all-state pick and first-team All-Long Island pick following a junior campaign in which he rushed for 1,368 yards on 141 carries and had 30 touchdowns, and helped lead the Friars to a second consecutive New York Catholic High School Football League AAA title. Helped Friars to third straight title as a senior, setting the CHSFL record for season rushing yards (2,057) and career rushing yards (3,920). Was named first-team all-state, Newsday All-Long Island and NY Daily News Player of the Year, as well as two-time CHSFL player of the year. He runs a 4.5 second 40-yard dash. A good student, Hahn picked Penn State over Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State and others.

2. Wyatt Bowman (6-6, 314/OL) Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley- Bowman verbally committed to the Nittany Lions on April 26, before Penn State’s Blue-White game. He has the ability to play guard or tackle in college and has good feet. He runs a 5.0 second 40-yard dash. Penn State was his only scholarship offer before the Spring Evaluation Period, but interest in him had grown significantly and he was getting serious attention from Boston College, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Notre Dame and Pitt, among others. He is ranked among the top players in Pennsylvania by the G&W Recruiting Report and was widely considered one of the top five offensive linemen in the Keystone State for the 2003 season. Bowman is academically qualified. He had 95 pancakes and allowed just one sack as a senior.

3. Greg Harrison (6-5, 300) Shenandoah (Pa.) Valley- Harrison joined Bowman as the second offensive lineman to verbally commit to Penn State on April 26 before the Blue-White game. Harrison is also one of the top five offensive line prospects in Pennsylvania for the 2003 season and is ranked among the top 25 players in the Keystone State by G&W Recruiting. He is generally considered the top offensive line in Pennsylvania’s “Coal Region.” Harrison was named first-team all-state by the Associated Press as a junior and senior and was a four-year starter. He is an excellent student with a 3.7 GPA and 1120 SAT score and ranks very highly in his class. He had 13 scholarship offers to choose from when he picked Penn State and had the most serious interest in Colorado, Stanford, Michigan State, Virginia, Maryland, NC State and Boston College. As a senior he had 99 pancake blocks on offense and 96 tackles on defense. Enrolled at PSU in January.

4. Dontey Brown (6-3, 250/LB) McKeesport, Pa.- Brown became the fourth verbal commitment for Penn State’s Class of 2008 when he informed the Nittany Lion coaching staff of his decision on May 1. Brown hails from the same high school as Penn State All-American linebacker Brandon Short. In 2002, Brown led McKeesport with 150 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and six sacks. He was a first-team all-conference pick and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review preseason All-WPIAL selection. The Associated Press named him second-team big-school all-state following the 2002 season. He was recruited by Tom Bradley and Ron Vanderlinden and picked the Nittany Lions over Michigan, Pitt and Georgia Tech. He runs a 4.7-second 40 yard dash and is ranked among the top 15 players in Pennsylvania and one of the top five linebackers in the state by the G&W Recruiting Report. He is academically qualified. His stocked soared during his senior season when he had 93 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries. He was named all-state and a member of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Terrific 25 and Post-Gazette's Fabulous 22 as a senior.

5. Tony Davis (6-0, 180/DB) Warren (Ohio) Howland- Davis becamePenn State’s fifth verbal commitment for the Class of 2008 on May 12 when he picked the Nittany Lions over Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Pitt. Davis bench presses 315 pounds and at a camp in May ran a 3.9 second 20-yard shuttle time and posted a 41-inch vertical leap. He helped lead Howland to a 9-4 season in 2002, totaling 50 tackles. He was named an All-Metro Athletic Conference performer by the Youngstown Vindicator. Davis was recruited by Penn State assistant coach Jay Paterno and made an unofficial visit to Happy Valley on April 23. As a senior, Davis was named the AP's Ohio Division III Co-Offensive Player of the Year, closing the season with 1,768 yards rushing on 257 carries with 22 touchdowns. He had 2,053 all-purpose yards. On defense he had three sacks, six knockdowns and four INTs.

6. Spencer Ridenhour (6-0, 212/Ath.) White Plains, N.Y.- Ridenhour became Penn State’s sixth verbal commitment in mid-May. He is projected as a safety, though due to his athleticism, Ridenhour could probably fit in at several positions. He impressed at the April 27 Penn State Nike Camp when he ran a 4.45 second 40 yard dash and had a 34.5 inch vertical leap. Maryland also offered, and he was seeing serious interest from Michigan, Notre Dame, Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan State. He was named all-league, all-section, and his league’s most valuable back in 2002. On offense in 2002, Ridenhour, a four-year, two-way starter, rushed for 1,153 yards and 15 touchdowns. Brian Norwood recruited Ridenhour for Penn State. As a senior, Ridenhour rushed for 1,006 yards and 23 touchdowns. He set a school career record with 57 TDs, and in 2003 returned one INT for a TD. He was named first-team all-state.

7. A.Q. Shipley (6-2, 280/DL&OL) Coraopolis (Pa.) Moon Area - Shipley became the seventh verbal commitment to the Class of 2008 on June 18 during a visit to Happy Valley. He picked Penn State over Michigan and Virginia and had nearly 40 scholarship offers. Shipley is rated the sixth best player in Pennsylvania by the G&W Recruiting Report. In 2002 he was named All-Conference and third-team All-State by the Associated Press. During his junior campaign, he had more than 70 tackles and six sacks. As a senior when he was named first team all state by the AP, Fabulous 22 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Terrific 25 by the Pittsbugh Tribune-Review, Shipley notched 53 tackles, 13 for losses, two forced fumbles, one recovery, one pass breakup, three sacks and a blocked extra point. He runs a 4.9 40-yard dash. He benches 350 pounds and squats 560.

8. Jed Hill (6-4, 245/TE) Struthers, Ohio - The Nittany Lions got a commitment from Hill when he made a trip to their summer football camp on June 16. After some success as a sophomore fullback, Hill, who has now switched to tight end where he expects to play in college, suffered a broken arm in the summer of 2002 and a broken ankle at the start of his junior campaign. He was not well-known to many recruitniks, but many D-I college coaches took notice last spring, with most saying a scholarship would be offered if he attended their camps. Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska showed the most serious interest. At Penn State’s camp, Hill was impressive, running a 4.65 second 40-yard dash, 4.1 second shuttle run, benched 225 pounds 25 times and had a 34-inch vertical leap. Hill also has a bench max of 390 pounds and a leg press of 890. As a senior he had 31 catches for 331 yards and a touchdown. On defense he had 61 solo tackles, 28 assists and 10 sacks. He was recruited by Jay Paterno.

9. Mike Lucian (6-3, 250/DT&TE) Frederick (Md.) Linganore - Lucian became Penn State’s ninth verbal commitment on June 20 when he received a written scholarship offer from the Lions. A two-time first-team all-state pick, Lucian had 12 catches for 180 yards on offense and 80 tackles, four sacks and an interception on defense as a junior. As a senior, he was named All-Met by the Washington Post and he had eight sacks leading Linganore to a 3A state championship. Lucian runs a 4.85 second 40-yard dash and a 4.3 second 20-yard shuttle. Though his size would indicate he is headed for tight end, it is more likely he will play defensive tackle, as he is expected to grow a few inches and to about 280 pounds. Lucian was also offered a scholarship by Georgia Tech and he expected Maryland to offer if he would have attended the Terps camp. Ohio State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Marshall, West Virginia and Boston College,all showed serious interest. Rivals rates Lucian the No. 8 prospect in Washington D.C./Maryland and among the top 25 tight end prospects in the country. Larry Johnson recruited Lucian for Penn State.

10. Dan Lawlor (6-3, 235/FB) Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley - Lawlor had indicated he might wait until the fall before making a decision, but after visiting his other favorites he decided Penn State was the place for him and became the Lions’ 10th verbal commitment on June 24. He hails from the same high school as another PSU commit, OL Wyatt Bowman. Lawlor has 4.6 40 yard speed and is a good receiver out of the backfield. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he totaled 2,660 yards rushing, 35 receptions for 615 yards and 48 touchdowns. He is rated the top fullback in the state and ninth best prospect overall in PA in the June G&W Recruiting PA Top 50. Following the 2002 season he was named all-conference, all-league and third-team All-State by the PA Football News. He was All-Mid Penn Conference and first team All-State following his senior campaign, when he rushed for 1,577 yards on 221 carries and scored 36 touchdowns. He was recruited by Larry Johnson.

11. Austin Hinton (6-5, 285/OG) Secaucus (N.J.) - Hinton chose Penn State over Boston College, Rutgers, Clemson, Duke, Michigan State and Virginia. He recorded 60 pancake blocks in 2002 and was twice named all-area, all-league and all-county. As a senior in 2003, Hinton notched 92 pancake blocks and did not allow a sack. He is a G&W ALl-Northeast selection, as well as a Rivals.com three-star prospect rated among the top 50 guards in the nation. "The place just thoroughly impressed me," Hinton told BWI. "The coaches seemed to have a real concern for their players and the atmosphere was just perfect for me."

12. Mark Rubin (6-4, 210/WR) Buffalo (N.Y.) Amherst Central - Rubin committed to Penn State shortly after attending its football camp in late June. Rubin was told by the Penn State coaching staff that he will be the only wide receiver the Lions take in its Class of 2008. Rubin has been named all-New York State three times. During the 2003 season Rubin was moved around quite a bit. Rubin he saw playing time at wide reciver, quarterback and running back on offense. He caught 63 passes for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns, all three totals Amherst records. In his career he totaled 167 receptions for 2,488 yards and 34 touchowns, all Western New York career records. His career catches are the second most ever in Empire State history, and his career receiving yards are third most ever in the state. Boston College, Syracuse and Buffalo were the other schools to offer the wide out.