Penn State has lost another football recruit in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal and subsequent firing of longtime coach Joe Paterno.
J.P. Holtz, the jumbo athlete from Shaler, informed Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley earlier this week that he was going to reopen his recruitment, Scout.com's Bob Lichtenfels reported on Thursday afternoon. Holtz is a prospect who could project to play tight end, fullback or linebacker at the next level.
Holtz appeared to be on the verge of decommitting in interviews immediately after Paterno's firing. He since has visited Purdue and has scheduled a visit to Pitt.
In an interview with Scout.com, Holtz said he would still consider Penn State if Bradley was hired as the Nittany Lions head coach.
Holtz is the third player to decommit since Paterno's firing. Four-star Colorado guard Joey O'Connor was the first, followed by Mechanicsburg linebacker Bryton Barr. Barr was coming to Penn State as an invited walk-on but received a scholarship offer from Cincinnati around the time the Sandusky scandal broke.
O'Connor has left the door open to return to Penn State's class - according to an Internet report, O'Connor was expecting visits from several college coaches this month but only scheduled a meeting with the Nittany Lions' Bill Kenney this week as he prepared to play in a state championship game.
- Philip Cmor
