Top prospects stick with Penn State

Published Jul. 29, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Several of the top prospects who have given verbal commitments to Penn State have told the team's coaches they will stick with the program despite the sanctions handed down by the NCAA last week.

Offensive linemen Brendan Mahon of Randolph, NJ, and Andrew Nelson of Hershey, Pa., Philadelphia wide receiver Will Fuller, defensive end Garrett Sickels of Little Silver, NJ, and two of Bill O'Brien's most anticipated commitments -tight end Adam Breneman of Camp Hill, Pa., and quarterback Christian Hackenberg of Fork Union, Va. — visited State College on Saturday and met with Penn State coaches.

''I didn't think it was so much giving us a pitch to re-recruit us, because we were all committed,'' Hackenberg said. ''It was more about getting us together and keeping us on the same page.''

Defensive tackle Greg Webb of Sicklerville, NJ, and cornerback Ross Douglas of Avon, Ohio, have de-committed from a Penn State class that once included 14 commitments — Webb has since committed to North Carolina and Douglas to Michigan — but the remaining 12 have stayed firm in their pledges to O'Brien and the Nittany Lions.