The offensive minded Bill O’Brien has landed his first quarterback at Penn State at it is Georgia high school quarterback Steven Bench whi has reneged on an earlier commitment to Rice University.
The 6-2, 205-pound dual-threat quarterback from Cairo High School visited the Penn State campus last weekend and was offered a scholarship prior to his departure, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“It was a really tough decision, but I felt like Penn State was the right choice for me,” Bench told the Atlanta newspaper. The school was amazing, the facilities were amazing, and the thing that really stood out there during my visit was the school pride. Everybody loves it there. It’s hard to find a place where 44,000 people like the school they go to.”
Bench said the new Penn State coaching staff discussed the ongoing Jerry Sandusky scandal with him, and he was told by coaches that there was nothing they could do about it “but move forward,” according to the newspaper account.
Bench becomes Penn State’s 18th commitment in its class of 2012. Interesting that O’Brien went with an athletic quarterback who can run and throw, instead of a more pure pro-style passer.
Here are some highlights from Bench’s senior season: