Oakcrest High School senior Brandon Bell has opted to attend Penn State University despite severe sanctions that have befallen the school's fabeled football program in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation nightmare. Falcons coach Chuck Smith confirmed his team captain's plans on Tueday evening.

Bell attracted attention from the country’s top-tier collegiate football programs during his recruiting process. The heralded inside linebacker settled on his decision to commit to Penn State on June 13.

However, the status of Bell's commitment and essentially everything regarding the Nittany Lions football program, was thrown for a loop when the NCAA announced unprecedented punishments in the wake of university administration and legendary coach Joe Paterno's failure to appropriately address Sandusky's crimes. Penn State was given a $60 million dollar fine, lost football scholarships and faces a four-year bowl ban through the 2015 football season.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Bell officially committed to play football for Penn State after spending recent months weighing offers from a growing group of Division I programs. The university’s blend of education and football tradition initially lured him to Happy Valley.

“Penn State is a great school academically,” Bell said upon his initial commitment. “When it comes to football, they’ve been known as ‘Linebacker U’ for a long time. I’m excited to become a part of that.”

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