Bob Lichtenfels Quotations

Penn State really finished with a great flurry. They really did well in the state of Maryland and they did well on the defensive line, not to mention them getting a receiver like Chris Bell. They also filled all their needs.

Penn State owned that Maryland-D.C. territory. Seven out of the top 10 players, Larry Johnson's got the state locked up. He's an ex-high school coach down there, so he had great inroads, great contacts.

In the past, Central and Eastern Pennsylvania have basically been dead to Pitt. So now, they can establish a little foundation there.

Today, the way the kids are, a lot of them don't want to participate in them later in the spring because they have a plethora of offers. You have to pick the lesser of the evils.

We try to pick it strategically. There's only so many Saturdays during the evaluation period that the coaches can come. It gives enough time to get away from the other (combines). When they're in Pennsylvania, we'll be out West or down South. It doesn't make sense for everyone to compete for the same kids.

When you recruit high-profile kids, they usually don't make their decision until toward the end. Four losing seasons out of five might have caused (the Penn State coaches) to rethink their strategy slightly. That may have worked a couple times but overall, it wasn't the best strategy.

They didn't lose anybody to Michigan. They didn't lose anybody to Penn State. I would challenge anyone to tell me when that's ever happened before. I don't think it ever has. To me, that's the most surprising thing.