After being recruited to leave Penn State by at least five schools each, linebacker Ben Kline and defensive tackle Kyle Baublitz have elected to stay in State College. That makes for a reiteration by Baublitz, who'd already indicated he'd stay even before drawing so much interest.
Kline, a redshirt freshman and former three-star recruit from Pennsylvania, was targeted by Arizona, Arizona State, Purdue and others. Baublitz, a converted defensive end and tight end, heard from West Virginia, Baylor and more.
That makes for almost three dozen current players who've declared they'll stick around despite the NCAA's sanctions and the lingering scandal. A few big names and important contributors remain on the fence, and the long-term concern is still going to be youth and depth. But as long as players on the two-deep -- like Baublitz and Kline -- stick around, the 2012 season shouldn't be the kind of disaster we'd initially feared.
