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Morelli OnLion: Race for Reserve

Frank Figureroa could be an underrated member of the Class of 2009.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Class of 2009: Frank Figueroa
Sometimes, being an unkown is a good thing.

Frank Figueroa was a literal unknown when he committed to Penn State last spring. There’s no getting around it, the Nittany Lions’ newest verbal wasn’t even a part of the Rivals.com database on May 15.

But the 6-foot-4, 282-pound prospect had held a written offer in hand for about two months before making his decision, and he quickly made a name for himself as the Nittany Lions’ sixth verbal commitment.

“I went up to a junior day up there on March 1, I believe, and that is where coach Johnson gave me the offer,” Figueroa said in his post-commitment interview. “Then, after that, I got to go up there for a spring practice, and I got to talk to coach Paterno more, and spent a lot of time with coach Anderson looking at the offensive guard position and centers. I went ahead and committed.”

Figueroa had offers from North Carolina and William and Mary, and also was picking up interest from Rutgers and Virginia, but decided to go ahead and commit before his recruitment could go any further.

He said that a Penn State degree was too tough to pass up.

“The main thing was definitely education. Their education is definitely top of the line,” Figueroa said. “They had what I want to study, which was a big thing. I either want to study business or criminal justice, and both of their departments are really good in both aspects. I know that education is just as important, actually more important, than football.

“The other thing was the coaching staff. It felt like a family — everyone knows everyone at Penn State. The coaches were real nice, and it just felt right. I had that feeling that it was where I wanted to go.”

He was selected first team All-National District for the second year in a row, and was a Washington Post all-Metro honorable mention. As a junior, he also earned Washington Post all-league honors.

In addition to lining up at right guard for the 12-1 Eagles, Figueroa carried the ball twice for 8 yards this season, including a touchdown run.