Worcester (Mass.) Academy defensive back Jordan Lucas thought he had a plan in place. He was to start classes at Temple on Monday morning as a mid-season enrollee for the Owls.

Then Penn State came into the picture.

The Nittany Lions reinitiated contact with Lucas last week and told him that they would be through on Monday with the possibility of a scholarship offer coming in tow.

So Lucas waited, even though it meant losing out on his scholarship opportunity with the Owls.

It turns out, it was well worth the wait for the 6-foot, 176-pound post-graduate student.

"They came, we had a good meeting with Coach Roof, Coach Butler and Coach Vanderlinden. They sat down with my head coach after they got the academic part squared away," he said. "They let me know that I had an offer. They knew I was going to commit before they offered, so they were happy to hear the news."

Akron, UMass, Old Dominion and Villanova had also offered the three-star prospect, who played his high school ball in New Rochelle, N.Y.

"Nothing is bigger than Penn State, playing in front of 100,00 people every game," he said. "I take it as a challenge, with what they're going through. They want to build on the tradition that they have and keep things going in the right direction. I'm happy to be a part of it."