The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Bunn High School junior committed to the Nittany Lions during the trip to the State College, Pa., campus.

"I can't wait," Howle said. "This is unbelievable."

His commitment to Penn State ended his recruitment before it got started.

N.C. State and North Carolina had shown interest but wanted Howle to attend their camps this summer so they could evaluate him.

Georgia Tech had invited him to visit this Thursday, and Auburn was trying to get him on campus this week, too.

But Penn State had everything Howle wanted, and the Nittany Lions coaching staff made it clear that it wanted Howle.

"They told us that Ty was the perfect fit for them," said David Howle, Ty's father and his coach at Bunn. "They said of all the centers in the nation, Ty was the one they wanted the most. He was the only center they were offering."

Penn State assistant coach Larry Johnson noted that A.Q. Shipley, the Nittany Lions' All-Big Ten center, was essentially the same size as Howle.

"They made it very plain that they wanted Ty badly," David Howle said. "Coach Paterno told us that he loves to have the sons of coaches on the team. It seems to be a perfect fit."

Despite the lack of scholarship offers from area schools, David Howle was assured that his son was capable of playing for Penn State.

Concord High coach E.Z. Smith, whose son played at Penn State, talked to David Howle.

"He called to say that if Dick Anderson [the centers coach at Penn State] thinks Ty can play, then Ty can play," David Howle said.

Anderson, a former Rutgers head coach, has been on the Penn State staff for 31 years.

Ty Howle said he was overwhelmed by the Penn State practice facilities, the coaches, the players, the family feel in the program and the 107,282-seat stadium.

But he said he was most impressed by Penn State's academic programs.

Howle has a 4.2 overall grade point average and wants to major in chemistry. He met with the head of the chemistry department, chemistry professors and other students.

Howle is Bunn's fifth Division I football scholarship winner in the past four seasons.