For those of you who've kept up with college football recruiting, I'm sure you've heard of a Pennsylvania quarterback named Terrelle Pryor, aka Vince Young 2.0. I'm not going to even begin trying to analyze Pryor's character, because I obviously don't know the guy. He's just another high-profile high school football recruit with a massive ego. Correct me if I'm wrong, but why does he give me this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach?
Pryor has been recruited by Jim Tressel and Ohio State since his sophomore year of high school. The 6-6, 235-pound QB has Vick-like scrambling ability, plus he has a better arm than Vince Young. After David Cutcliffe took the head coaching job at Duke, Pryor took Tennessee off his list and appeared to be favoring Ohio State for his services. However, Michigan's hiring of Rich Rodriguez suddenly put the Wolverines in the mix. Leading up to signing day, Pryor claimed that it was a two-horse race between the Buckeyes and that state up north.
This week, Pryor went back and forth on whether or not he would commit (he changed his mind publicly 4 or 5 different times). Sure enough, Pryor has postponed his decision and will visit Penn State before he makes his final choice. He is the only high-profile recruit remaining that hasn't signed a letter of intent to play college football.
As an Ohio State fan, I've been following Pryor news very closely. I'll admit it, I'd love to see this guy come to Ohio State, even if he leaves for the NFL early. All of the tools are in place for this guy - the Buckeyes are stacked with talent in 2008, they have a great offensive line, an excellent receiving corps, Beanie Wells, and a stout defense. But now, I'm not so sure what to think. I'm starting to get the feeling that Pryor's ego might cause trouble for the team he ends up on.
There is no way for us to know how good this kid (or any other kid) will be in college. Even with his frame and raw talent, it's still a crap shoot. However, Jim Tressel has been very cautious with his recruiting ever since Maurice Clarett showed up. The way I see it, Pryor has three options.
- Sign with OSU - He will likely be redshirted in 2008. Boeckman will graduate, and he will battle Antonio Henton for the starting job. Will run the "Troy Smith" offense. Offense and defense has a lot of depth, particularly the offensive line and receiving corps.
- Sign with Michigan - He will likely start in 2008. Rich Rodriguez offense will be implemented for the first time at UM. No proven running back, no proven wide receivers, young offensive line, and a porous defense.
- Sign with PSU - He will likely start in 2008. Will run the "Michael Robinson" offense. No proven running back, experienced receiving corps, average offensive line, and an experienced defense.
If Pryor is looking to start immediately, he should avoid Ohio State. OSU might be willing to play him in '08, but I'd be surprised. He will get knocked around his first year at Michigan, since a new system will be implemented, plus there isn't a lot of talent on the offense. In 2 or 3 years, I'm sure the Wolverines will be back on their feet. Oddly enough, Penn State might be the best fit, except for the fact that JoePa didn't really rewrite the playbook for Michael Robinson in 2005.
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