R100 OT Jenkins names top 2

Rivals100 offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins has been doing a lot of thinking over the past few months. The Baldwin (Pa.) star was considering seven schools but now only Penn State and Ohio State remain as contenders.

"I was talking to my coach and my family," said the 6-foot-8, 296-pound Jenkins. "They really help put things into perspective for me. The attention is nice but it all comes down to one school. I was talking to coaches from more than 20 different schools and it was really hard to get a feel for the ones that I really liked. I wanted to get more concentrated so I can focus on the important things.

Jenkins had hoped to commit some time closer to Signing Day but he has accelerated his timeline.

"I was really set on being a long recruitment guy and deciding after the season but I never took into account how hectic it could get and how distracted I could get," he said. "My season is going to help me transition into college so I need to be ready for that. I might commit before June but August at the latest. I'm shooting for before the season."

Jenkins said he did not feel comfortable saying either Penn State or Ohio State were in first but he did break down where each stands with him right now.

Penn State: "The atmosphere is drawing me to them," Jenkins said. "I really like the coaches too. I really like coach Hand. He has been really attentive and nice. He is a really caring guy and he's been like this since I meet him when he was at Vanderbilt. All this attention that Penn State is getting is something that I see but that's not really the reason why I like them. It's only April right now and nothing is set in stone yet.

"I think it's cool to know the other recruits and hear what they have to say," he said. "I think it's interesting how they not only want to go to their favorite school but also have their friends go with them so they can be more successful."

Ohio State: "I really like their goal setting and how everything about them just screams excellence," said Jenkins. "They are trying to be the best and they want the best for the team. I talk to coach Warinner, coach Meyer and coach Fickell and every time it's always about winning championships and that's something I can take from them and admire."

Jenkins will visit Ohio State on April 11 and Penn State on April 12 and May 5.

"One thing I want to do at Ohio State is I want to see how coach Warinner coaches and how coach Meyer does his coaching," he said. "I want to see the atmosphere around the guys and see how they are. I also want to talk to the players there. I've seen how they interact between each other but I haven't really talked to them too much. The same thing goes for Penn State. I want to get their opinion on the schools.

People are already starting to wonder how quickly Jenkins' decision will come after his May 5 visit to Penn State.

"I'm not really sure," Jenkins said. "Whatever I do I want to be 100 percent with it. If I'm not 100 percent sure I won't commit and I'm sure the staff will understand that. My dad has been to Ohio State. My dad and my step-mom will visit Penn State with me on May 5."

Two schools that seemed like serious contenders for Jenkins were Pittsburgh and Georgia.

"I really like and respect coach Heuber, coach Chryst and the other coaches at Pitt," he said. "They've been keeping in contact with me the longest. I want to branch out. I want to go one my own path and I can't do that at Pitt.

"I really liked Georgia but the fact is, if I'm some place and I feel trapped a few weeks after I get there, that's a bad situation," said Jenkins. "I don't want to be nine hours from home and find out I don't like it down there. I was really excited to get the offer but I'm not sure it will work out."

Many times at recruit that commits before his senior season ends up taking an official visit to another school. That's something you shouldn't expect to see out of Jenkins.

"To me that always seemed like a shady business if you visit a school other than the one you're committed to," he said. "If I was already committed I don't think I would visit any other school."

Jenkins added that another school could jump into the mix if he likes some things he finds out after researching the new school.