It’s funny how the recruiting season works.  You can go months without landing a commitment, only to regain the momentum quickly and pick up three recruits in a week.  After a barren period between the middle of summer and fullback Zach Zwinak’s commitment a week ago, Penn State has kept the ball rolling in a big way, securing  defensive end C.J. Olaniyan last week, and now Staten Island Live reports that Dominique Easley, another defensive end, has chosen to join the Nittany Lions as well.

Ranked as the #1 prospect in my home state of New York, which has typically been very fertile recruiting grounds for Penn State, it seemed Easley was poised to go elsewhere, as rumors swirled that Easley was going to commit to Florida last month.  However, Urban Meyer apparently had second thoughts, and rebuffed Easley’s commitment.  Well, Florida’s loss is Penn State’s gain, as Easley is a major prospect on the national scene.

Both Scout and Rivals rate Easley as a 4-star prospect, with Rivals listing Easley as the #11 defensive end prospect in the nation.  The 6’3, 258-pounder’s offer sheet would reflect that status, as Easley holds scholarship offers from virtually every big time power from coast to coast, with schools like Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Miami, Texas Tech, Boston College, Tennessee, and UCLA losing out to Penn State in the Easley sweepstakes.

ESPN’s Scout’s Inc. lists Easley among their ESPNU150, as a 4-star prospect–scoring an 83 overall, and Penn State’s top commitment in their eyes–and has a nice scouting report, along with a video, on their site.

Easley is one of the quickest players off the ball in this class and at times it seems like he has the offensive huddle wired and knows the snap count. He possesses good size and can be disruptive because he can get going so quickly and explode through the gap to cause disruption in the backfield. Even operating from a two-point stance, he can get moving very quickly. While he has the ability to beat an offensive lineman off the ball, he is also physical. Does a good job of coming off the ball low and because he can generate so much power from his lower body, he can engage a blocker and knock him back.

He is good with his hands, but needs to be more consistent with his weapons. He displays the ability to come across the ball and breakdown. He displays good lateral movement to be able to side-step a block. He is a solid and, at times, physical tackler though he will miss some tackles because he is moving so fast and not totally under control. He has a good motor and solid straight-line speed. He can seem a little rigid in his overall body movement.

As a pass-rusher, he has the power to knock a blocker back and his get-off makes him dangerous. He needs to work to develop and incorporate some moves using his hands to help defeat blockers as competition will stiffen. It can be jaw-dropping at times how explosive Easley is. Still, a bit raw in some areas and often looks to be a notch better than his competition, but this kid has promise because it is tough to teach quickness off the ball like that.

It’s hard not to be impressed with a report like that, and with his offer sheet, well, it certainly seemed like Penn State secured a big commitment.  Just like the Nittany Lions loaded up on wide receivers and defensive backs in last year’s class, it seems that the defensive line has been a focus of emphasis in the 2010 class.  Easley joins Olaniyan, Dakota Royer, Kyle Baublitz, Evan Hailes, and DaQuan Jones as Penn State commitments along the line, and Shariff Floyd, a big time defensive tackle, still has Penn State in the mix.  With the war of attrition being what it is, Penn State is going to manage to squeeze even a couple more players into what was originally thought to be a 15 or 16 man recruiting class.  No matter who those last few players are, this could go down as Penn State’s best recruiting class in their illustrious history.