Posts tagged TerrellePryor at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

When Antonio Henton is an old man, he'll have a lot of memories of his time in Columbus, Ohio as a member of the Ohio State football team. He'll be able to tell his grandchildren about the time he offered that undercover police officer $20 for sex, and about those six passes he got to throw in Ohio Stadium, one of which was for a touchdown.

Then he'll get to tell them about how the Buckeyes recruited freshman phenom quarterback Terrelle Pryor, basically ending any chance Antonio ever had of becoming a starter, and he decided to transfer to Georgia Southern.

Several sources close to the team said that Antonio Henton is expected to transfer to Georgia Southern. Coach Jim Tressel refused to confirm the move, saying only that Henton "is a good kid." As of last night, sources said Henton had not told team officials he was leaving.

It's hard to blame Henton for the decision because he didn't leave his home state of Georgia for Ohio State to sit on the bench for five years. Plus, going to a new school will help him get a fresh start after the legal troubles and suspension he had to deal with in Columbus. Not to mention that he'll be reunited with his high school coach, Rance Gillespie, who is now the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern.

As for the Buckeyes, while Antonio's departure is not the end of the world, it doesn't leave much experience behind starter Todd Boeckman. Henton was the QB #2 on the roster, and will now be replaced by two freshman in Joe Bauserman and the aforementioned Pryor, neither of which have thrown a pass as a Buckeye.

Let's cut right to the chase:



What is this? A creepy porn shoot released into the wild by embittered Michigan fans? An American Gladiators tryout? An America's Next Top Model photo shoot?

Oh, you know the answer's coming after the jump.

This is just a weird picture even if you know that Arnold Palmer went to Ohio State Wake Forest way back in nineteen dickety-two:


Palmer looks a little like Sam Cassell, Terrelle Pryor is evidently getting his fashion tips from new head coach/demon Jim Tressel, and that guy with the goatee looks like he wandered in from a Cheech and Chong look-alike competition, man.

At least Pryor has better luck than Brady Quinn when it comes to random pictures of him ending up on the internet.

Also: nice watch! Someone call the NCAA!

UPDATE: Yeah, apparently Arnold Palmer went to Wake Forest. Nicklaus went to OSU. So this is even more inexplicable.

(Via Busted Coverage.)

Thumbs up for Celine Dion! Er, I mean the #1 QB recruit in all the land!

Terrelle Pryor's done playing the basketball -- his team foighted (oi!) its way to the state championship last weekend -- and is ready to bring the tablets down from the mountain and bestow them unto one possibly lucky coach:

''I'll be deciding next week. Next week, I'm going to say the school I'm going to, sign it, and get it over with,'' Pryor told a huge throng of reporters. ''I don't know yet [if I'll take any other visits]. I'll probably be done.''

Pryor also says that it's down to two schools "but I can't tell you which two." We can deduct, though: he never visited Oregon, so they're out, and he called Penn State "country," so... yeah, they're probably out. Also he would be coached by Jay Paterno.

This would leave it to Ohio State and Michigan, which thought it would be anyway. Article after article says things like "If it's not Ohio State, I'll eat my own intestines," so I kinda think it will be Ohio State. Just like the rest of the planet.

Previously On Fanhouse:
Terrelle Pryor Is Fightin' Round the World
Pryor Not Signing, May Be on Mushrooms
Hurray: Terrelle Pryor May Not Commit on Signing Day
Is Terrelle Pryor Even Eligible?

Oi! Friend of Lloyd Carr, aspirational hero of Terrelle Pryor, Russell Crowe is weirdly central to Big Ten college football.

Terrelle Pryor hasn't decided on a school yet because he's busy playing in basketball games, having verbal altercations after basketball games, and getting in the middle of wild brawls during basketball games:

Pryor said Joe Long, the son of North Catholic's coach and a junior forward, called him a name in the handshake line. Pryor was visibly upset and was held back by teammates from going toward North Catholic's team.

Pryor also said the fight started after a North Catholic player "said some things to us" while Jeannette's team was walking to its locker room in the bottom level of Hempfield's gymnasium. Pryor said other Jeannette players claimed a North Catholic player used a racial slur.

The "racial slur" card is a guaranteed get-out-of-opprobrium-free card, but after a similarly explosive event in a previous playoff game, maybe Pryor might want to, say, not flip out when someone says something offensive but harmless?

The behavior here is pretty reprehensible: something was said in the handshake line. A minute later, Jeannette's team goes after the North Catholic team as they head to their locker room. Classy. If Pryor picks up a personal foul every time someone makes a your mom joke, he'll quickly shed the Next Vince Young label and acquire a less salutary one: the Next Marcus Vick.

Has Memphis basketball coach John Calipari dramatically changed the college football recruiting landscape by convincing the top high school quarterback in the country to concentrate on basketball?

That's the suggestion of Phil Fritz of the Capital Times, who cites "very reliable sources in Memphis" who say that Terrelle Pryor, a Pennsylvania high schooler who has fans of Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State drooling at his ability to run the spread offense, may very well end up at Memphis. Fritz writes that Pryor, who is listed by Rivals as the third-best small forward in the country, is being recruited by Calipari to play basketball.

I don't know Phil Fritz and have no idea who his very reliable sources in Memphis are, but I'm skeptical of this report. Earlier this week, Pryor was asked if basketball would play a part in his college choice, and he said:

"No, it won't," Pryor said. "I really like playing basketball and I'm still considering playing both football and basketball in college, but I'm not sure. I'm leaning toward just football, but I haven't decided for sure."

So, I'll take the word of Pryor over the word of anonymous sources at Memphis, even if they are "very reliable." Having said that, though, if Pryor is interested mostly in his long-term earning potential, as Fritz's report suggests, I do think basketball might be a better sport for him. Until the spread offense catches on in the NFL, I'll have more confidence that a very good high school small forward will make it in the NBA some day than I will that a great high school spread option quarterback will make it in the NFL some day. Maybe that's what Calipari has been telling Pryor.

There's nothing so pathetic as a man (who's FORTY!) posting a plea to a 17 year old to attend the school he roots for, especially when that man owns

• a cardboard cutout of Joe Paterno,
• a yearbook with a picture of him in his glory days as a high school football player, and
• a ponytail.

You want video now; video:



Aaaand that should end Penn State's chances if Pryor's making his decision based on completely ludicrous fluff. Which he undoubtedly is. After the jump, a Michigan version of the above that's considerably less embarrassing. (Which is not to say it's 'not embarrassing.' I don't think it would be possible to have a not embarrassing one.)

Here's the headlines

The Terrelle Pryor saga continues . . .

With Pryor holding a big announcement to apparently make it clear that he's delaying his announcement decision. Whenever the nation's top recruit does decide, it will likely come down to Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State. Pryor has drawn comparisons to former Texas legend Vince Young

Florida is having a rough morning

The Gators nearly lost big-time defensive tackle Omar Hunter, but after a slight freak-out he held to his commitment. However, two other pledges shook at that last minute, losing defensive back Ramon Buchanan to Miami and offensive lineman Ricky Barnum to Michigan. Speaking of Michigan . . .

Great morning for the Wolverines

Not only did Michigan steal center Ricky Barnum from Florida, they also plucked receiver Roy Roundtree from a previous pledge to Purdue. Now, the Wolverines did lose in-state defensive end Nick Perry to USC, but overall it's been a fine morning as they may also add Ohio running back Michael Shaw.

The Day Isn't Over

A decent handful of at-large recruits have yet to announce, among them Rivals 5-star recruits Alabama receiver Julio Jones and California running back Darrell Scott (choosing between Texas or Colorado).

Coming up later we'll have a brief look at what schools appear to have signed the best recruiting classes. Given the state of recruiting the last few years, some of them are a bit of a surprise.

Wheee! Take a spin on the Terrelle Pryor express. Depending on who you listen to, Pryor was either "definitely 80-90" percent to sign or "definitely 50-50" to sign today at a press conference at his high school. Well, no longer:

The reason Pryor won't announce his college choice is Penn State.

"They're starting to creep up on me," Pryor said. ...

"My dad likes them a lot," Pryor said. "He wants me to look into them."

Pryor also said his father doesn't see "the trust" in some of the coaches recruiting him that he sees in Penn State.

Whoah, man. Penn State? The same Penn State currently rocking a recruiting class hovering somewhere in the 40s? The same Penn State featuring a quarterback "coach" named Jay Paterno who has never, ever had a team with an above-average pass efficiency rating? The same Penn State with an ancient coach almost surely entering his last year at the helm?

Uh... I don't get that. But it's better than Ohio State, I guess, from this perspective.

If you've heard of one kid currently plying his trade in high school football this year, chances are it's 6'6", 230 pound Terrelle Pryor, a manbearfreak of a QB widely believed to be deciding between Michigan and Ohio State. This is a picture of Pryor:



If you're like me, you though process went something like "arrrgh blinding suit WTF Corvette?!?!" Yes, indeed. WTF. Corvette. Scout.com's Bob Lichtenfels has confirmed the Corvette is the property of one Ted Sarniak, a Jeanette, PA, businessman who's evidently become a close friend of Pryor in recent years. Last week, Sarniak was seen having dinner with two Ohio State assistants on the eve of Pryor's trip to Michigan.

This is obviously not confirmed funny stuff. Even if actual serious violations were taking place here, the NCAA sees nothing and knows nothing, and one dinner with a sketchy local figure is not impermissible. And if Ohio State wiggled out of any penalties for the Maurice Clarett stuff, this is child's play.

The more interesting question: will this compromise Pryor's eligibility? Lichtenfels suggested Pryor was going to be given the car as a graduation present; this will no doubt be kiboshed by the rapid-spreading photo above and curious NCAA investigators, but it's pretty naive to think this is the only perk Sarniak has provided. The NCAA looks upon gifts from non-family members dimly.