Shaine Thompson Class: Junior Hometown: Bronx, N.Y. High School: John F. Kennedy Height / Weight: 6-0 / 211 Position: RB Experience: SR H.S. Coach: Alex Vega

The Nittany Lions have a long tradition of recruiting football student-athletes from New York City, but recently there has been an upswing in prep standouts heading west on I-80 to Happy Valley. Two years ago, Brooklyn's Maurice Evans made his Nittany Lion debut and he is a returning first-team All-Big Ten player. Last year, Staten Island's Ollie Ogbu began his collegiate career, finishing fourth on the team in tackles for losses, as did tackle Nerraw McCormack. This season, linebacker Shaine Thompson will be looking to make his Penn State debut, along with prep teammate Stephfon Green, both of whom redshirted last year. They were standouts, with McCormack, at John F. Kennedy HS in the Bronx. Thompson is a hard-working athlete who has made good progress in his first year in the program. He will look to challenge for time in the outside linebacker rotation. Thompson is one of seven returning players from New York.

2007 Freshman Season
Redshirt season.

High School
A standout running back and linebacker for Coach Alex Vega at John F. Kennedy HS, Thompson led the Knights in rushing as a senior with 817 yards on just 67 carries, scoring 10 touchdowns. He averaged 12.2 yards per carry and also caught three passes for 78 yards. On the defensive side, he made 41 stops with two sacks. He was selected to play in the Empire Challenge that pits the best players from New York City against those from Long Island. He was prep teammates with Nittany Lion running back Stephfon Green and tackle Nerraw McCormack. At Kiski Prep, he rushed for 445 yards on 78 carries and registered 67 tackles.

Personal
Full name is Shaine N. Thompson. He is enrolled in the College of the Liberal Arts. Born July 9, 1988.