A.J. Alexander, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound four-star wide receiver from Area High School in Altoona, Pa., still says that Penn State is his top choice, but denies he's anywhere near making a decision.
"I'll decide whenever it feels right," Alexander said. "I want to meet all the coaches and see who I'm comfortable around and where I fit in best."
The Nittany Lions lead solidly over Tennessee, Clemson, Florida and Pittsburgh. All of his favorites have offered (54 total). "Penn State is my number one school because they are close and I know a lot about them already," he said. "I've always liked them and they have great tradition.
"I like that they've been passing a lot and they always seem to have good quarterbacks and receivers there," he said. "I know a lot of people have been talking about coach Joe Paterno and how much longer he'll be there but nobody knows. I don't think much would change because I'm sure they'll just promote someone who's been there forever and knows the program. I'm not worried about that."
Alexander, ranked as the No. 28 wide receiver in the country by Scout.com, is visiting Tennessee on Oct. 27 for the South Carolina game and says the Vols are recruiting him the hardest. "They are in the SEC and that's a great conference," he said. "Tennessee is always a great team and they are actually playing pretty well right now. They have a great offense and I like how they get the receivers the ball. I like my opportunity to play early there because they have a lot of senior wide receivers."
He also has a trip scheduled to Clemson on Nov. 20 for the Boston College game. "Clemson has a pretty good offense too," he said. "I have an aunt that lives in South Carolina and I like that area."
Although it wasn't an official visit, Alexander attended the Pittsburgh/Connecticut game on Sept. 22. "I really like my chances of playing early at Pittsburgh," he said.
Alexander says he watched the Thursday night game between Pittsburgh and Navy on TV and admits he would have gone for the win on fourth and goal just like the Panthers did (unsuccessfully). "If I were the coach I'd go for the win too," he said. "It was a great game and they went for it and didn't get it. It was a tough loss. They are still rebuilding and I think they'll be a top team in the Big East in the next few years."
Another school that Alexander plans to visit officially is Florida. "This was supposed to be an off year for Florida and they are still great," he said. "They almost beat LSU and they still have a lot of young guys so they'll be getting better over the next few years."
Altoona High School is off to a 5-1 start and Alexander has been all over the field. He has 700 yard rushing for 10 touchdowns. He also caught the ball for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Alexander has even passed the ball for about 100 yards and has scored twice off kick returns.
He reports a 3.0 core GPA and an 830 SAT.