The last week or so I've been following Twitter and blog updates on Penn State recruiting, to see if 1.) they manage to keep the commitments they already have and 2.) are able to add any decent new guys to the incoming class.

After the Sandusky sex-abuse scandal hit and before Bill O'Brien was named the new head coach, PSU did lose some top recruits, including offensive lineman Joey O'Connor and defensive tackle Tommy Schutt, four-star prospects who switched their commitments to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions also lost any chance they had to get Bishop McDevitt defensive end Noah Spence, who also announced he was attending OSU. (Urban Meyer must be loving this.)

At least no one has backed out since O'Brien took over, which is a positive sign. But there are a few highly regarded PSU commits who haven't made final decisions, including quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg (son of Eagles offensive coordinator Marty), defensive back Armani Reeves and linebacker Camren Williams.

Keeping them in the fold is paramount.

O'Brien and the rest of his staff also are making late pushes for some other recruits. But even if those guys say no, retaining the class as it currently is would be a major accomplishment, considering the hurdles they've had to deal with.

I'm really looking forward to next recruiting year, when O'Brien will be competing on a more even footing with other Big Ten coaches.

In a recent interview, he talked about expanding Penn State's traditional 300-mile recruiting radius while still focusing on players in the school's home state.

"We've got to stop letting Ohio State and Michigan come in here and grab Pennsylvania guys," O'Brien said.

A key test of that will be successfully recruiting players like Cedar Cliff tight end Adam Breneman, a junior who's already being wooed by Alabama, Florida and Michigan.

Breneman was happy with the selection of the Patriots' offensive coordinator as the new PSU coach, telling the Carlisle Sentinel, "A big part of my decision-making process is the offense that I'll be playing in.

"With what Coach O'Brien has done with his tight ends [in New England], I don't think there could've been a better hire for someone of my position."

• The Eagles pick 15th in the draft, and after what happened with their defense this season, if they don't choose a linebacker, I'm going to pull my hair out.

Even if they have to move up a few slots to get a good one, they'd better do it. I'm sick and tired of Andy Reid devaluing the linebacker position, to the detriment of his team.

Of course, we still don't know who the defensive coordinator will be, after Steve Spagnuolo decided to go with the Saints. I don't know if the Eagles were seriously in the mix for Spagnuolo, the former Rams head coach who was once an assistant under Reid, but the rumors were there for weeks that he was coming back to Philly.

But I can't blame him for choosing New Orleans. After all, the Saints are much closer to being Super Bowl ready than the Birds.

Does this mean Juan Castillo will be back as defensive coordinator with the Eagles? Since Spagnuolo was the only name being floated as his replacement, I wonder.

This certainly doesn't bode well for 2012. I can live with Andy Reid as head coach of the Birds for another year (barely), but not with Castillo running the defense.

Paula Wolf is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Email her at pwolf@lnpnews.com. She also blogs about sports at lancasteronline.com/blogs/w....