It's becoming a spring fad for top WPIAL football prospects. They decide to make an early college decision -- and they decide Penn State is best.

North Allegheny offensive lineman Tom Ricketts became the most recent WPIAL player to choose Penn State from the class of 2010. He made a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions last night. His decision came a day after Fox Chapel offensive lineman Miles Dieffenbach committed to Penn State.

Overall, Penn State now has commitments from five of the WPIAL's best players in the class of 2010. The others are Canon-McMillan linebacker Mike Hull, Sto-Rox quarterback Paul Jones and Penn-Trafford offensive lineman Luke Graham. All five were recruited by Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.

Ricketts (6 feet 6, 265 pounds) said Pitt was his other top choice, but he also said Florida State, Maryland, Boston College, Stanford and Virginia were on his final list. All offered scholarships.

Ricketts' decision might be a big blow to Pitt. His father, Tom II, was a standout offensive lineman at Pitt in the 1980s. His mother, Sandy (Albright), a talented swimmer at Pitt. They have season tickets to Pitt football games.

"The pressure has always been there from my dad's friends, family friends and just people that I know," said the younger Ricketts. "It was just expected I would go to Pitt. It was like I wasn't allowed to look anywhere else. But I'm not my dad. I made my decision on what's best for me."

Ricketts' father said, "I'm sure I'll get some ribbing from people. That's inevitable. But he is his own person. He's not me. And I'm happy he went and did his own thing. I'm excited for him."