Nittany Lions impress massive OL

One of the Nittany Lions primary targets along the offensive line is Joel Holler, who happens to be one of the nation's best offensive tackles. He was at Penn State over the weekend and was very impressed.

"It was a really great experience," said Holler. "I loved pretty much the entire trip. It stacks up pretty well with the other visits I've taken (Ohio State and Virginia Tech) and that means it was good."

So does Penn State now have the edge?

"I can't really say Penn State is my leader because I want to wait to take my visits, but they're definitely high on my list. I still like them, Miami, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Pitt.

"I got a chance to see the Pitt-Penn State basketball game while I was there and had a good time. Pitt's better, but you could tell that Penn State had good fans."

Holler enjoyed his visit to Penn State, and they're still in the thick of things. But the big test will be if the schools recruiting Holler can convince him not to fall head-over-heels in love with Miami this weekend. South Beach and the chance to play on a potential back-to-back national championship squad can be very convincing.

"Miami is next week, but I don't really plan on committing while I'm there unless they really put themselves way above everyone else."

Holler is ranked as the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com and lived up to that billing this year. Will the outcome of the Fiesta Bowl pitting two of Holler's favorites -- Miami and Ohio State -- have an impact on him?

"It would be cool to go some place where they just won the national championship, but that wouldn't make my mind up. All the schools I'm considering have the chance to win championships in the next few years."

Was there anything in particular that stood out as he visited Penn State?

"You really get the feeling that the coaches care about the players," said the massive, 6-foot-6, 330 pound tackle. "The players like it there, which is a good indicator of how things are."

Holler hasn't set up his official visit with Pitt, but plans to visit the Panthers sometime in January.