Bill O'Brien's offense already has the top-rated tight end in the country in its 2013 recruiting class and a quarterback who might be top-ranked at his position when signing day rolls around.
Now the Nittany Lions have an elite offensive tackle to go along with them.
Belle Vernon's 6-foot-6, 280-pound Dorian Johnson gave Penn State a verbal commitment on Sunday, several recruiting websites reported.
Johnson is rated as the No. 26 prospect and No. 2 offensive tackle in the country by ESPN and a five-star recruit according to 247Sports. Both Rivals.com and Scout.com list him as a four-star prospect.
Johnson reportedly chose the Lions over Pitt, West Virginia and Ohio State. Penn State had long been considered to be trailing Pitt because Johnson wanted to stay closer to home but apparently overcame the Panthers when he visited University Park with his family on Sunday.
Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Virginia, Tennessee, Boston College, Mississippi and Maryland were among the other colleges that reportedly had offered Johnson a scholarship.
Johnson is the 12th member of Penn State's 2013 recruiting class and the third offensive lineman. Earlier, the Lions received verbal commitments from Virginia quarterback Christian Hackenberg - who ESPN has ranked as the top signal-caller in the class - and Cedar Cliff's Adam Breneman, the consensus top-ranked tight end in the country and another top-50 recruit.
