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Lions' class gets bigger

Jesse James

James is the fourth player to give a verbal to Penn State in the 2012 class.

On Saturday, McKeesport (Pa.) South Allegheny tight end Jesse James picked up a scholarship from the Nittany Lions and he told Lions247.com that he would likely make a decision in the near future.

It took just one day for the 6-foot-7, 250-pound James to become a Nittany Lion, as he committed to Tom Bradley on Monday morning.

The story was reported first by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and James confirmed via text message.

As a junior in 2010, James caught 34 passes for 463 yards as a tight end and on the defensive side of the ball he added 55 tackles, 18 of which were behind the line of scrimmage. He was a second team all-state selection as an offensive lineman.

Lions247.com will have more on the story later today.

Sean Fitz

    • Not the least bit of a surprise, but good to get another one on board. Keep the momentum rolling...

      PSUfan28

    • Saw him in person yesterday at the Nike SPARQ combine in Pittsburgh. He finished 3rd unofficially. Kid is very impressive. (Unofficial results in link) Was there to see my nephew. But I will save my gushing with pride over him for another post.

      This post was edited by Jmaus24 on 3/28/2011 at 12:05 PM

      Pittsburgh combine unofficial results

      Combine homepage | Pittsburgh recap | Combine action photo gallery | Headshot gallery The following are the Pittsburgh Nike SPARQ Combine results from the events March 27, 2011. All results are unofficial until verified by midweek after the event. KEY: Class : Graduation Year 40 : 40-yard dash time

      rise.espn.go.com

      Jmaus24

    • Not bad for a 40 comparing all the other times and im assuming it was laser timed. Well, he's a project no doubt.

      psu2013

    • Nice! Here's ESPN Rise's write up of that camp, and I quoted what they said about Jesse.

      "Jesse James, OL/TE, South Allegheny (McKeesport, Pa.)

      Towering 6-7.5, 243-pound tight end has tackle height and reach that college coaches crave. Registered a 4.88 40 with a 27.9 vert and ended with a 98.55 SPARQ. Made the 2010 all-class Century League team. James is one to keep an eye on based on his measurables and upside.
      "

      Steel City hosts 800 athletes; two hit SPARQ Ratings over 100

      PITTSBURGH - The Nike SPARQ combine tour made its way to the Steel City and over 800 athletes from across the northeast took the practice fields at the UPMC sports complex. Two athletes topped the SPARQ Rating century mark and an under-the-radar prospect took home the highest score of the afternoon.

      rise.espn.go.com

      appoo

    • electronic times yes. A LOT of guys complaining about them. Only thing I was not impressed with and have never liked about the SPARQ, but oh well. I know for a fact my nephew has been timed at 4.6, but his best was 4.75 yesterday, he was a little upset, b/c a good time there would have put him in the top 20 or maybe higher but then they might have been better for everyone else too, so maybe not. As it was he finished 39th out of the 830 kids. Not bad for a kid from a Class AA school.

      Jmaus24

    • Jmaus24 said...

      electronic times yes. A LOT of guys complaining about them. Only thing I was not impressed with and have never liked about the SPARQ, but oh well. I know for a fact my nephew has been timed at 4.6, but his best was 4.75 yesterday, he was a little upset, b/c a good time there would have put him in the top 20 or maybe higher but then they might have been better for everyone else too, so maybe not. As it was he finished 39th out of the 830 kids. Not bad for a kid from a Class AA school.

      Good luck to your nephew! It sounds like he's already a great HS football player though, hopefully he kind find his way in D1!

      appoo

    • Hate to go against your nephew, but im sick of all these hand held 4.5's and such. Laser time, or I dont care what you say. Lets be serious, about what 100+ kids claim to run a 4.4 or better coming out of HS where only about 10-12 run in the 4.4's or better at the NFL combine...

      Kids aren't that fast, thats fine. Not everyone is NFL speed.

      Also, good look to your nephew, a 4.75 is still very good for laser. If he doesn't believe so, tell him to look up what nfl prospects ran at the combine this year...

      psu2013

    • I agree that he could play tackle. He'll probably redshirt, put on 40 lbs, and vie for a starting spot as a 325 lb R/S freshman.

      Rick81

    • psu2013 said...

      Hate to go against your nephew, but im sick of all these hand held 4.5's and such. Laser time, or I dont care what you say. Lets be serious, about what 100+ kids claim to run a 4.4 or better coming out of HS where only about 10-12 run in the 4.4's or better at the NFL combine...

      Kids aren't that fast, thats fine. Not everyone is NFL speed.

      Also, good look to your nephew, a 4.75 is still very good for laser. If he doesn't believe so, tell him to look up what nfl prospects ran at the combine this year...

      No offense or anything taken 2013. I keep trying to tell him the same thing, but you know kids are when they are under the microscope like this. I guess I should have clarified, but the biggest thing that bothers me is that so many of these kids get down about their times over it. I heard one of the guys (coaches) telling them that the time might be slower than what they are used to, but it went in one ear and out the other with most of them. LOL. And there were some kids that were really upset over it.

      But you are exactly right, I compared it to what Royster did at the combine. I told him "your time is not that far off PSU's all-time leading rusher. Keep your head up."

      Jmaus24

    • The old 40 yard time debate. This is the first time I've seen it for the class of 2012. It won't be the last. A real 4.9 second at James' height and weight is pretty good. Give him two years in the weight room and speed training, and he will be 275 lbs and still running pretty impressively!

      vflion

    • vflion said...

      The old 40 yard time debate. This is the first time I've seen it for the class of 2012. It won't be the last. A real 4.9 second at James' height and weight is pretty good. Give him two years in the weight room and speed training, and he will be 275 lbs and still running pretty impressively!

      After seeing him in person, you will get no debate from me. The kid looks very fluid and has good footwork. He stood out, but not just b/c of his height.

      Jmaus24

    • All he needs to do is gain 35-40 lbs in 2 years and he will be ready to compete for the 3-deep as a RS Freshman. At 6-7, 35lbs shouldn't be too difficult.

      getmyjive11

    • On top of the footwork, James' Powerball toss (the Bench Press strength related test) was tied for 2nd only behind Adam Bisnowaty (throw was 1 inch short), and I think we all should recognize that name, for the best of the day. In case you can't tell, I was very impressed with James too.

      This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by Jmaus24 on 3/28/2011 at 2:10 PM

      Jmaus24

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