When he was 10, Adrian Coxson cut a deal with his mother, Altoviese Hogan.
"My mom didn't want me to play football, because she thought I'd get hurt,'' Coxson, who lives in inner-city Baltimore, said. "I told her it would keep me off the streets, so she let me play.''
Now Coxson is returning the favor by committing to a college near home where his mother will be able to watch him play.
Penn State, which got a reaffirmed pledge from Sto-Rox quarterback Paul Jones over Blue-White Game weekend, Thursday got someone to whom Jones can throw when Coxson, the standout wide receiver from City College High School, made public his intention to play for the Nittany Lions.
"I just decided [Wednesday] night that it was best for me and for my family. It was close to home,'' Coxson said. "I was looking for a good academic school where they'd give me encouragement in doing my work.
"I think I can be a playmaker there,'' Coxson added. "I'd like to help them win a national championship.''
Coxson, who has formed friendships with former Penn State receivers Bryant Johnson - a City College alumnus - and Deon Butler, had been considered the Nittany Lions to lose for awhile now. Reportedly, he passed up a tryout for the Under Armour All-American game to attend Penn State's spring game, even though Lion coach Joe Paterno had given him his blessing to go to the former.
While he never trimmed his list of prospective colleges, among the dozen that made written scholarship offers included Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Virginia and Maryland.
Last season, Coxson, Penn State's third commitment in this class, caught 34 passes for 821 yards and eight touchdowns while returning two punts and two kickoffs for scores. He's 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range and is considered a physical receiver with good hands and the potential to get better.
"He's a game-breaker. Bubble screens, slants, he can take the distance. He's a natural athlete,'' said City College coach George Petrides, who brought Coxson up to varsity as a freshman. "He'll play wide receiver, the slot. If I can't find anyone, he might be our quarterback this fall.''
Coxson said he tries to pattern his game after Larry Fitzgerald. However, it was his relationship with Johnson, now of the Detroit Lions, that caught the attention of a lot of Penn State fans. Johnson is considered something of a mentor to Coxson.
"It had a little bit to do with my decision. He told me about Penn State, but he never told me I had to go there,'' Coxson said. "I first met him when he came to to one of my high school games my 10th grade year. He introduced himself to me.''
Coxson said he thought about committing at the Blue-White Game, then considered going public when he attends this weekend's Nike Football Training Camp at Holuba Hall before pulling the trigger via an Internet site Thursday. Penn State is expected to sign at least two other wideouts for its 2010 class.
