After my last update on the 2008 class, I actually took a bit of a hiatus from posting recruiting updates. It's not that there was no news - there were a number of interesting items floating around the Ohio State sites. However, a lot of it was innuendo and unsubstantiated. Along with the fact that I don't think it's appropriate to directly blab "premium information", I decided to not comment on some of the circulating rumors.Of course, that was before Rich Rodriguez (forever known here as 'The Rod', though some may go further with "Dick Rod") was hired as the Michigan coach. Since The Rod's sudden flight from Morgantown to Ann Arbor, the usually relaxed holiday atmosphere between the season and the bowl games has exploded. Michigan fans are back to their arrogant, delusional, obnoxious ways. After being humiliated by App. State, completed prostrated by OSU, and turned down by multiple coaches, the swagger is back with a vengeance. Not only will The Rod resurrect the program while walking on water and feeding the poor, he'll do the unthinkable: lure top-rated player Terrelle Pryor to Michigan.
For those of you that don't regularly follow this blog, we've been waiting for some real Pryor drama for quite awhile. Many insiders from different places have indicated that Pryor wanted to go to Ohio State, but that a commitment wouldn't occur until the Army All-American game at the earliest. More likely, the nation's best player would wait until National Letter of Intent day to publicly make a decision. So plenty of options were still available for heartbreak.
It seemed like the possible darkhorse in the race would be Oregon, with Buckeye fans fretting about Phil Knight and Nike swooping in to Jeanette in a private jet with some hideous green and yellow jersey. But Pryor has always noted that proximity to home is important to him, so the west coast seemed unlikely. With Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe headed the graveyard of Duke football, the Vols were scratched from Pryor's list as well. That really just left Penn State, West Virginia and Florida as competitors. West Virginia, which ran the spread-option attack like Jeanette, was seen as the biggest possible threat.
It seemed like the possible darkhorse in the race would be Oregon, with Buckeye fans fretting about Phil Knight and Nike swooping in to Jeanette in a private jet with some hideous green and yellow jersey. But Pryor has always noted that proximity to home is important to him, so the west coast seemed unlikely. With Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe headed the graveyard of Duke football, the Vols were scratched from Pryor's list as well. That really just left Penn State, West Virginia and Florida as competitors. West Virginia, which ran the spread-option attack like Jeanette, was seen as the biggest possible threat.
But with Rodriguez at Michigan, the game has suddenly changed. The Rod reportedly called Pryor even before the media knew he was leaving, hoping to hand Terrelle the keys to the kingdom at Michigan. Giddy at the prospects of getting the #1 player in the country and simultaneously crushing OSU fans, Wolverine folks have been yapping non-stop. They should come up for air and take a look at this rationally, and stop acting like lunatics.
*The difference in distance matters. Pryor is close to his father and certainly wants his family to be able to watch him play. While Ann Arbor isn't in a different galaxy, it's not convenient driving distance given the circumstances.
*Pryor has been pretty open that he loves the attention from recruiting. The Rod + Michigan + OSU has kicked things into overdrive, amplifying an already bright spotlight. That a decision could already be made, and the open recruiting is all a charade, is still a distinct possibility.
*The legs for this story are coming from reporters who don't know jack about recruiting. It's a testament to how far recruiting coverage has come that national college football writers now frequently reference the players and process. But whether its ESPN jokers like Kirk Herbstreit or OSU bashers like Dennis Dodd, these are not people close to the situation. Its pure assertion, making the warrantless claim that The Rod's relationship with Pryor as a West Virginia recruit will automatically translate into him wearing that ass-ugly winged helmet.
*The Detroit papers seem to be running articles on Pryor on a daily basis, trying to pump up the dead corpse of Michigan fans like here. They might want to spend more time on the recruits they already have and the players currently on the team. Some of their top verbals, like Sam McGuffie! and BooBoo Cissoko could head elsewhere if the new coaching staff doesn't convince them to stay. And what of superstar in waiting QB Ryan Mallet? Is The Rod really going to chase Pryor's skirt when he's already got an elite young QB in the fold?
*The Detroit papers seem to be running articles on Pryor on a daily basis, trying to pump up the dead corpse of Michigan fans like here. They might want to spend more time on the recruits they already have and the players currently on the team. Some of their top verbals, like Sam McGuffie! and BooBoo Cissoko could head elsewhere if the new coaching staff doesn't convince them to stay. And what of superstar in waiting QB Ryan Mallet? Is The Rod really going to chase Pryor's skirt when he's already got an elite young QB in the fold?
*One thing you can count on from Michigan is slant. I've heard some Michigan fans talk about OSU "propaganda" and how Buckeye information is horribly biased. Maybe that's true in cases, or I just can't see it as a fellow conspirator. But I think UM writers, both for Rivals and Scout, are much, much worse. I've blogged about this before, but they go out of there way to spin things, rile up their fanbase or downplay potential misses. Going crazy over something like Tony Clemons or some fairly innocuous comments by Pryor coach (subscription required) is beyond annoying. It brings out the worst idiot posters on message boards, the type that require no evidence or even useful information; it's just inflammatory nonsense.
Am I saying there's no way Terrelle Pryor ends up at Michigan? No, that would preposterous for me to make such a claim. He might visit and be totally enthralled by what he hears and see from The Rod. Or maybe the whole time the idea of an OSU lean was part of an elaborate act. But I think it's much more likely at this time, he knows where he's going. There might be a small opening with options for other schools, but it's close to over. And all this noise is part of the circus of being the #1 player, something he's embracing and relishing. In the end, the best information at this time indicates that Terrelle will being singing Carmen, OH in the Big House a few times. Like Indigo Montoya was told, "Get used to disappointment."
Am I saying there's no way Terrelle Pryor ends up at Michigan? No, that would preposterous for me to make such a claim. He might visit and be totally enthralled by what he hears and see from The Rod. Or maybe the whole time the idea of an OSU lean was part of an elaborate act. But I think it's much more likely at this time, he knows where he's going. There might be a small opening with options for other schools, but it's close to over. And all this noise is part of the circus of being the #1 player, something he's embracing and relishing. In the end, the best information at this time indicates that Terrelle will being singing Carmen, OH in the Big House a few times. Like Indigo Montoya was told, "Get used to disappointment."
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