They said Joe Paterno was getting old and the game was passing him by. The dean of college football coaches still is one of the best recruiters in the nation.

Paterno and Penn State landed a solid, if not stellar, class of 24 players, including the No. 1 defensive end prospect in the country.

Of course, winning will do things like this for a program. Penn State's No. 3 finish went a long way toward helping the Nittany Lions rebound in the recruiting wars.

And Joe Pa may not even be finished.

There is a recruiting controversy brewing over wide receiver Vidal Hazelton. Considered the country's top high school receiver, Hazelton initially verbally committed to USC, but his letter of intent was not signed by guardians.

His father told reporters the decision doesn't have to be made until April. Hazelton may well end up at USC, but since his letter of intent has not been validated, Penn State isn't out of the picture, either.

Joe Paterno, specifically assistant coach Larry Johnson, raided the state of Maryland. Every Maryland recruit the Nittany Lions wanted, they got. Johnson was a high school football coach in Maryland for 15 seasons, which opened doors and living rooms to Penn State.

"Larry has such a great reputation from where he's from," Paterno said. "People don't realize that he was a principal down in that area and he also won football championships and he also won two state track championships.

"Larry's a excellent coach and a wonderful person. He had two boys go through our program, so I mean the sense of family would emanate obviously from him because so many of the kids who said they've decided to go to Penn State have mentioned the Penn State family, and I think that when you look at Dick Anderson's has had kids go here, I've had five kids go here, Brian Norwood's got a kid on the team, so I think there's a feeling here for parents it's a comfortable place for their kids to go."

Another aspect of Penn State's success this year is due to Derrick Williams. The Maryland product opened eyes to the state's best talent and showed them the 78-year-old Paterno is willing to change with the times.

This is Paterno's best recruiting class since 1997, a group that brought in LaVar Arrington.

TOP RECRUITS:

--QB Pat Devlin, Downington, Pa., East -- Initially Devlin was heading to Miami and then changed his mind after an official visit to Happy Valley. When Devlin changed his commitment, the floodgates opened for blue-chip prospects to come to Penn State. Devlin's commitment alone may have been enough to move the Nittany Lions into the top 10 in most recruiting analysis. At 6-4, 200 pounds, he has a live arm and got great high school coaching. He is a pocket passer but has mobility.

--WR Chris Bell, Granby, Va. -- Bell could become a Braylon Edwards type at Penn State. He has nice size (6-3, 205 pounds) and runs well. He will be a factor inside the red zone and opposing Big Ten corners better beef up because Bell is physical. However, he is more of a vertical passing game receiver and doesn't run well after the catch.

--OL Antonio Logan-El, Forestville, Md. -- The kid allowed one sack the last two years. He will be a force on the line for Penn State. For a big guy, he moves well. His footwork is what has brought him this far. He has natural raw strength. His size (6-6, 310) and his footwork will go a long way toward helping play just about any position on the line.

--Joe Paterno is old school when it comes to ranking recruits. He doesn't believe in scouting services who rank players No. 8 through 12 and so on. One of the reasons Penn State came out near the top of the Big Ten recruiting season is the Nittany Lions' relentlessness.

--A.J. Wallace signed with Penn State and is considered to be one of the top cornerback prospects in the country. But Wallace ran for more than 2,000 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. Where is he from? Maryland, of course.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "There's no secrets to this thing. No, I don't think there's any secrets or anything like that. I just don't know. We pecked away at a couple of kids we thought maybe we'd have a chance to expose them more to Penn State they might want to reconsider their decision, and fortunately we got some kids. I don't know why we've been able to hang onto kids. We've tried to stay close to make sure once they were committed we were still interested in them and their families, and so far it's worked out." --Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.

GLANCE AT 2006: With last year's run to the Orange Bowl and Paterno seemingly reinvigorated, Penn State could be in this for the long haul. There is no reason why Penn State can't be considered among the favorites to contend for the Big Ten title along with Ohio State and Michigan every year. What Paterno has to start doing is setting up a seamless transition, because the day that he steps down is sooner rather than later. Of course, everyone has said that for 20 years now.

PRO POTENTIAL:

--QB Michael Robinson showed off his athleticism in the North's 31-14 win in the Senior Bowl in Mobile. Robinson's running ability improved his draft status, not as a QB, but as an athlete, perhaps a return man in the NFL. Robinson is a second-day pick as a receiver.

--DE Tamba Hali was named the defensive MVP of the Senior Bowl. Hali is positioned to be a high first-day pick and has the most potential of any Penn State senior. Hali has a motor that is always running and he has a knack for coming up with big plays when the game is on the line. Hali will be the first Penn State player selected, late in the first round or early in the second.

--CB Alan Zemaitis is a big, strong safety-cornerback 'tweener. He is a first-round pick possibly because of his hybrid nature. He defends well in the red zone and is a solid against the run.

ROSTER REPORT: All-American LB Paul Posluszny is returning for his senior season after tearing a knee ligament in the Orange Bowl. He is expected to be ready when spring practice begins.