Feb 3, 2005 4 min read

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Penn State’s two biggest threats in 2005 have yet to play a down for the Nittany Lions. They haven’t even put on their uniforms yet.

Derrick Williams, rated the nation’s No. 1 recruit by Rivals.com, and Justin King, ranked No. 19, headlined a class of 19 athletes who signed letters of intent Wednesday to play football for the Nittany Lions.

And while many are touting their speed – both have been timed under 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash – some recruiting experts are extolling their abilities as pitchmen.

“When we talk to kids like Jerome Hayes, the All-American linebacker who committed to Penn State today, they said the real reason they’re coming to Penn State is the effort of King and Williams,” said Phil Grosz, editor of the G&W Recruiting Report and publisher of the Penn State fan newspaper Blue-White Illustrated.

“They’re important on the football field because they’re skill players at positions where Penn State needs talent, but they became recruiters when they came here.”

Williams, a 6-foot, 189-pound athlete from Greenbelt, Md., and King, a defensive back from Pittsburgh, both made verbal commitments to Penn State in December and enrolled at the school in January, meaning they will be able to participate in spring football practice.

Francis Claude, a tight end from Champlain School in Vancouver, Quebec, also enrolled early.

Williams’ and King’s commitments to play for coach Joe Paterno were widely regarded as a turning point in the Penn State recruiting class.

And though the Lions receivers struggled last year – no wideout had more than 20 receptions or 254 yards – Grosz said the impact of this class will be felt immediately on special teams.

“In 22 years covering Penn State football, I’ve never seen this type of speed,” Grosz said. “This is the type of speed that you think of at Miami, Florida State, Oklahoma.”

Though Williams may figure into Penn State’s plan at wideout and King may end up playing on both sides of the ball, Grosz said players like Knowledge Timmons and Lydell Sargeant will see time on the punt and kickoff teams.

It’s an area Paterno needed to address after his Lions finished last in the Big Ten in kickoff returns (17.5 yards), ninth in punt returns (7.9 yards) and eighth in kickoff coverage (20.9 yards allowed).

Those troubles, along with an offense that ranked 109th nationally in scoring (17.7 points per game), contributed to the Lions’ 4-9 season, their fourth losing season in the last five.

Hayes, a linebacker from Bayonne, N.J., High School, should figure into the special teams mix and was a signing-day decision for Penn State. His coach, Rich Rodriguez, said the Lions had always been a favorite for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound prospect, but they lost some favor when Fran Ganter moved from assistant head coach into the athletic department office.

It was the effort of King, whose stepfather, Terry Smith, lettered for Paterno as a wideout from 1988-91, at the Army All-American Bowl in January that got the Lions’ back among Hayes’ favorites.

And Williams, not one to lag behind King, began calling some of the nation’s top players, including tackle Jared Gaither, of Chatham, Va. The 6-foot-9, 300-pound lineman remained committed to Maryland.

But Williams’ effort with Todd Nolen, the nation’s No. 24 wideout, is part of the reason he is taking an official visit to Penn State this weekend.

Other recruits include Mickey Shuler, of East Pennsboro, who is the son of former Penn State and New York Jets tight end Mickey Shuler.

There is little question, though, that Williams and King are the gems of the class.

Playing three positions on offense, Williams racked up 2,052 total yards and contributed to 24 touchdowns on offense in his senior season at Eleanor Roosevelt High School.

King, a 6-foot, 183-pound cornerback, rushed for 1,795 yards and scored 30 touchdowns as a senior for Gateway High School.

They are among eight players listed as either defensive backs or wideouts to commit to Penn State’s Class of 2009, rated 26th nationally by Rivals.com.

Enthusiasm, however, might be the biggest thing the duo brings to the table.

“People say it’s the best thing in the world that Derrick Williams made a verbal commitment and enrolled at Penn State in January, everyone gives the obvious reason,” Grosz said. “But I think the No. 1 reason it’s important is that he’s already starting to germinate an infectious winning attitude.”