Pack goes mining in Pennsylvania

Throughout Pennsylvania, N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien hopes, recruits will be watching his team this weekend.

There's more at stake than one football game as the Wolfpack plays host to Pittsburgh at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in a game televised by ESPNU.

N.C. State is scheduled for a return trip to Pittsburgh in 2013, and O'Brien hopes playing a team from Pennsylvania will help him re-establish a recruiting foothold in a state where the Wolfpack had success under former coach Chuck Amato.

In his three recruiting classes at State, O'Brien has signed just two players (safety Clem Johnson and center Wayne Crawford) from Pennsylvania, but he has assistant coaches Mike Archer and Jason Swepson recruiting the Pittsburgh area and the eastern part of the state, respectively.

"We still go up there," O'Brien said. "We've got kids on our list that we've looked at in western Pennsylvania. What this does is give us exposure in that area of the country, so hopefully it will be positive exposure."

Amato grew up in Easton, Pa., in the eastern part of the state near Allentown. He signed a smattering of productive players from his home state, including running back and wideout Darrell Blackman, quarterback/tight end Marcus Stone, lineman John Bedics and fullback Pat Bedics.

O'Brien also recruited Pennsylvania heavily in his previous head coaching job. He said any area that had a strong Catholic league was considered prime recruiting territory for him at Boston College, a private Catholic school.

Although O'Brien is Catholic, he can no longer dangle the continuation of a Catholic education for recruits at N.C. State, a public university. So he's taking a different approach.

"Not all the kids want to stay in the North," O'Brien said. "Sometimes the weather is a little better down here in the South."

Despite Raleigh's mild climate, it might not be easy for N.C. State to regain a strong recruiting presence in Pennsylvania. Penn State is re-emerging as a state power and already has commitments from six of Rivals.com's top 10 prospects for 2010.

According to Rivals.com, Pittsburgh and Ohio State combined to sign seven of Pennsylvania's top 10 prospects in 2009.

Scout.com recruiting analyst Miller Safrit said the Panthers are becoming a recruiting force in the state under fifth-year coach Dave Wannstedt, and that makes it more difficult for out-of-state schools to get players.

"Before, it wasn't so much of a battle," Safrit said. "Penn State was just getting everybody. Dave Wannstedt went in there and won a lot of those recruiting battles, and they are keeping some of those top guys."

Nonetheless, Safrit said he knows O'Brien wants to recruit talented, disciplined offensive linemen and said Pennsylvania is a logical place to do it. Safrit said that there are a lot of smash-mouth running teams in Pennsylvania with well-coached offensive linemen who fit the mold of O'Brien recruits.

Wolfpack tight end Matt Kushner, an Amato signee from Bethlehem, Pa., said the talent level in his home state presents an opportunity for N.C. State.

"There's a lot of good athletes up there, I think," Kushner said. "High school football is really big up there. ...We had (in years past) a lot of guys from there, anyway, so I think they can get a foothold up there again."

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