In a surprise turn of events, Indian Head (Lackey), Maryland, corner back Darrell Givens has switched his verbal commitment from Ohio State to the Penn State Nittany Lions, after attending the NIKE Camp in State College, Pennsylvania earlier today.

Givens, who committed to the Buckeyes after the April 19 Spring Game, decided to play for Joe Pa in Happy Valley, citing a chance to play earlier as his reason for the switch. Another factor that may have been an influence on his decision was that Lackey QB/S Malcolm Willis committed to the Nittany Lions recently. Givens also closed the book on his commitment, as Penn State will be his final choice.

The impact this has on the Buckeyes is that it hurts to lose a player of Givens’ caliber, but it gives the staff the opportunity to offer another player in the secondary such as EJ Banks from Montour, PA or Glenville’s Mike Edwards. Some Buckeye fans feel it’s not worth taking Givens because he is scared of the competition in the very talented secondary at OSU, and while I agree, I also feel this is a big hit to the program, but not one that cannot be salvaged (Vlad Emilien and Brandon McGee). DTI wants your opinion on Givens’ switch from a very strong OSU program to a unstable PSU program.