Pryor Headed to OSU - FINALLY!!

A month ago the top high school seniors in the nation announced, in their own special ways, which colleges they would attend. National signing day came with a lot of surprises and dramatics. Young guys sitting at tables with mics, lights and television cameras in front of them. Some kids announced their signings in relaxed fashion - pretty much just stating the facts. 'I'm going to (insert university name here), thank you to all my coaches and family, etc." A few guys took the "guess which hand" approach and laid out like 5 different hats of their potential schools on a table. One by one, they knocked off the table until they put the last one on their head and struck the ill pose.

The #1 ranked recruit, 6-6, 230 lb QB prospect Terrelle Pryor out of Jeannette, PA, held his own press conference on National Signing Day only to tell us he had nothing to announce! By Feb. 6, 2008 most other high school seniors knew exactly where they were going but Pryor still had no idea which university he wanted to attend.

Apparently (and understandably) the 2-sport athlete was swamped and preoccupied with his high school athletics, football AND basketball, and really missed out on the recruiting process. Since signing day is a just a suggested date and not a final one, so Pryor seemingly had all the time in the world.

Just a few days ago Pryor called for another press conference, and this time he had the news we've all been waiting for. Again he sat in front of a microphone with tons of cameras and reporters but this time his mind was made up. Terrelle Pryor is a Buckeye. That's right people, Pryor has decided to attend THE Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Too bad for Michigan, Penn State and Oregon!! I bet they're wishing they would have thrown some more his way. The choice was really between Michigan and Ohio, but Wolverines head coach last season, Lloyd Carr, retired, and there's no saying how the team willr eact under new head coach, Rich Rodriguez. Don't forget Rodriguez is steal dealing with the fallout after leaving his West Virginia Mountaineers just weeks before they were supposed to face the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. The Mountaineers socked it to the Sooners in a lopsided 48-28 victory.

OSU has a rich NCAA football history, especially in recent years. Under the trusty arms (and legs) of QB Troy Smith, the Buckeye's went undefeated during the regular season, but lost the BCS championship game to Florida, 41-14 in 2007. This year they only had one regular season loss, a shocker, to Illinois, going 11-1. That was until they met LSU, a two loss team, in the BCS Championship game. OSU fell short of winning it all for the second straight year with a disappointing 38-24 loss to the Tigers. 5th year starting QB, Todd Boeckman threw 2 TDs and 2 INTs in that game. I'm not calling Boeckman a dud, but he ain't no Troy Smith...

The kid is mobile, elusive and quick. Pryoy, the Class AA Player of the Year, is a QB that can get it done with his hands or his feet, or even the juke. During his senior season at Jeannette passed for 1,900 yards and threw 23 touchdowns. He ALSO rushed for 1,889 yards and scored 35 touchdowns. The kicker? - only 3 interceptions. He's so skilled he can play a several positions, including wide receiver and tight end. Did I mention he runs a 4.4 40? Jeannette won the PIAA Class AA Championship 49-21 over Dunmore. Pryor also played in the US Army All American Game and won MVP honors after passing for 76 yards and TD, and rushing for 79 yards and another score. He wore a Buckeye sticker on his helmet during that game. Joke or foreshadowing? Hmmm...

With Boeckman going into his senior year, Pryor is poised to be the next starting QB at Ohio State. There's a big possibility he'll redshirt, but it's not far fetched to believe that he could see some playing time this season. He won't jump in there as a starter and take over for Boeckman, there are some options out there for him. Pryor has already been compared to some standouts we've seen over the past few years. He could come in as a change of pace back like Tim Tebow, 2007's Heisman Trophy winner, did during his freshman year at Florida behind starting QB Chris Leak. Pryor has also been compared to future NCAAF Hall of Famer (yeah that's right, I said it!!) VINCE YOUNG!! Young was a dual threat at Texas, with fast feet and a great arm, and is now the starting QB for the Tennessee Titans.

The question now is whether Pryor will play basketball at OSU as well. As far as he's concerned, that's not really an option because his dream is to be in the NFL. He just happens to be a gifted athlete and is 6-6, 220 with a wingspan over 7 feet!

Pryor's been on the scene for a minute now, check this timeline. And I've seen some video on the kid and he's no joke. YouTube has a whole arsenal so if you've never seen him, check him.