RECRUITING BUZZ: Gnonkonde hitting the road before Wednesday

Cairo QB Steven Bench switched his commitment from Rice to Penn State Tuesday. Bench had been committed to the Owls since December but almost immediately backed off in order to accept the scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions. Bench liked the opportunity to play for new Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, who currently is offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the New England Patriots. After the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, O’Brien will move to State College to completely assume the Penn State head coaching duties. Bench threw for 803 yards and six TDs while rushing for 693 yards and four TDs in 2011. … Lanier County defensive end Junior Gnonkonde learned Sunday he would not be admitted academically to Georgia Tech, where he had been committed since February. The Ivory Coast native visited Louisiana Tech Thursday, but will return to Lakeland Friday to play in No. 5 Lanier County’s basketball game against No. 4 Wilcox County. Gnonkonde will then travel to North Carolina this weekend and is expected to decide between Louisiana Tech, North Carolina and Central Florida before Wednesday. It is thought that, between Georgia and Florida, the loser of the Josh Harvey-Clemons sweepstakes could offer Gnonkonde at the last minute. Gnonkonde moved to Lakeland prior to his freshman year of high school and was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs. … Eastside’s Sheldon Rankins committed to Louisville Tuesday over Wake Forest. The defensive end pledge to the Cardinals due to head coach Charlie Strong’s reputation as a defensive coach.