DT Jamil Pollard commits to Penn State

Defensive tackle Jamil Pollard of Westville, N.J., became the first player to verbally commit to Penn State since the sexual abuse scandal surrounding former coach Jerry Sandusky.

Pollard announced his decision during the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

A 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive stopper at West Deptford High in suburban Philadelphia, Pollard chose Penn State over Boston College. He has an official visit set up for the State College, Pa., campus on Jan. 13.

Pollard had offers from Boston College, Alabama, North Carolina, Iowa, Florida and Rutgers. He is ESPNU's 12th-ranked player in New Jersey and ranked No. 35 nationally among defensive tackles.

He originally selected Penn State in April but the Nittany Lions pulled his scholarship offer in July for academic reasons.

"I lost my scholarship because my grades fell the last quarter," he told ESPN in July. "They said they might re-offer if I get my grades back up. It's easily something I can handle, so they're still in the picture."

Since news of the scandal broke, Penn State has lost commitments from three players: defensive lineman Tommy Schutt, offensive lineman Joey O'Connor, and tight end J.P. Holtz.

Before Pollard, Penn State's most recent commitment came from Malik Golden in late August.

Information from ESPN's RecruitingNation writer Damon Sayles was used in this report.