A.J. Alexander, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound four-star wide receiver from Area High School in Altoona, Pa., has helped lead his team to a 2-0 start with 347 yard rushing and four touchdowns on the ground. Additionally, he also has 170 yards receiving for two touchdowns and even returned a kick-off 89 yards for a score.
Although the speedy Alexander says he's still "pretty open," he admits that Penn State remains his top choice. "Penn State is at about 50 percent right now," he said. "They are in the lead."
Alexander, ranked No. 22 in the East by Scout.com, attended the Nittany Lion game against Notre Dame on Sept. 8 and says they are recruiting him the hardest. "It's crazy there," he said describing the game day atmosphere at State College. "Everyone there is chanting and the student section goes nuts. It's crazy. There's just no way to describe it besides crazy."
In addition to the environment, Alexander is also impressed with Penn State's quick start to the season. "They are killing it," he said. "They are looking great and I love their style of play. I'm really impressed by their special teams and the offense seems to be scoring at will. They just seem a lot faster this year."
Another school that has impressed Alexander is Florida. "I like their style and the coaches are really good," he said. "They put a lot of people in the league and my dream is to play in the NFL. Going to Florida you know you'll be playing with the best wide receivers and the best competition each week.
"I really like Tim Tebow (Gator quarterback)," Alexander said. "He's the king there and I met him during the spring and he's just a cool guy."
Alexander, ranked the No. 28 wide receiver in the country by Scout.com, doesn't have any official visits set yet. "I've been thinking about the visits a lot and I'll definitely be setting them up soon," he said. "I'm still taking my time and just want to see what everything is like before I make a final decision. I'd like to play early and in a system that fits me and will help me develop."
He says he favors Penn State solidly over Florida, Clemson, Tennessee and Virginia Tech and all of them have offered (50 total).
"Tennessee is a good team with great tradition," Alexander said. "They seem to have a pretty good offense every year.
"I like Clemson because my aunt lives in South Carolina and it's a nice area," he said. "Also they use the wideout a lot and I like their style of play.
"Virginia Tech had a tough game against LSU, but that just makes me think that I'd be able to play early there and help them out."
He reports a 3.0 core GPA and an 830 SAT.