Category: College Football (Page 247 of 296)

Terrell Pryor has finally decided where he’s going to play college football next year and it won’t be at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

After a Feb. 6 news conference when Pryor announced that he had no announcement, the nation’s No. 1 high school quarterback said in a noon press conference today that he will attend Ohio State. He chose Ohio State over Michigan, Penn State and Oregon.

Pryor might be able to give that boost now as a freshman, then blow up in Jim Tressel’s offense in 2009. Michigan, another finalist for Pryor, could have handed him all the snaps immediately. But with the practice snaps that backup quarterback Antonio Henton took last year, Tressel clearly warmed to the idea of using a No. 2 quarterback to change the game.

“He’s a dynamic playmaker at quarterback,” said Jeremy Crabtree, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “And we’ve seen in college football today if you have that dynamic guy at quarterback — a guy who can change what should be a sack on third and 8 into a touchdown run or who can make a big throw in the clutch — you can go a long way with some other pieces of the puzzle missing.”
The presence of Pryor, who becomes the most naturally gifted OSU freshman quarterback at least since Art Schlichter 30 years ago, amplifies those possibilities. In 1978, the Buckeyes had a senior quarterback, too, and Woody Hayes moved Rod Gerald to receiver to clear space for Schlichter.

With Pryor on his way to Columbus and Ryan Mallet transferring to Arkansas, Rich Rodriguez is going to wish he stayed in West Virginia by early August. He doesn’t have a spread option quarterback to run his offense and his biggest rival just landed the top recruit in the nation.

Pete Fiutak of FOX Sports is doing a “20 Questions” piece dedicated to the upcoming college football season and his ninth question is a great one: What are you complaining about? (The “you” is referring to college football fans.)

Ohio State
No, Ohio State isn’t the Buffalo Bills of the early 1990s — it actually won a national title a few years ago, a fact that gets lost on just about everyone. But after two straight national championship game clunkers, the college football world is going to let out a year-long collective groan over any success in Columbus.

Reason for the OSU haters to worry: On talent and returning experience, this is the best team in America. Sorry, but it is. No one, when it comes to NFL potential, touches OSU’s starting lineup after James Laurinaitis, Alex Boone and Malcolm Jenkins — all first-round draft picks had they left early — chose to return.

Reason for the OSU haters to rejoice: The Sept. 13 trip to Los Angeles could end the national-title dreams before they have a chance to get started. OSU isn’t getting any benefit of the doubt this year, but if its only loss is a close one to a top three-ranked USC early in the season, the anti-Buckeye contingent might still need another loss to make sure Jim Tressel’s boys don’t end up in Miami.

Fiutak also points out the SEC, BCS, Penn State head coaching situation, USC and NCAA and the ’09 NFL quarterback prospects as other topics college football fans are complaining about.

I for one am tired of the arguments (the very same one’s Fiutak mentions) that college football fans wage every year. It’s the same debates over and over again. Thanks goodness March Madness is around the corner so fans can get their fill of what a real postseason is all about in college sports.

Q: When is it officially too early to talk about college football?

A: Trick question – it’s never too early to talk about college football.

Pete Fiutak of FOX Sports.com lists the top five programs that could essentially be this year’s version of Kansas and Illinois. (In other words, teams that didn’t make a bowl game the season before, but make a huge splash the following year.)

Kansas State
The program appeared to be building in Ron Prince’s first year, and then it took a major step back last season once the defense went in the tank. The receiving corps needs work and QB Josh Freeman has to be better, and, of course, the defense has to rebound, but this could be just the type of under-the-radar team, with just enough on both sides of the ball, to pull off a monster upset or three to be in the North race. It doesn’t hurt to have four of the first five games at home, and to finish up with Nebraska and Iowa State in Manhattan, but the middle of the slate is brutal.

Love this pick, although everything rides on Josh Freeman taking that next step in his third year. He certainly has all the tools, but now it’s all about taking his team to the next level.

Kevin Hart, a football player at Fernley High School in Nevada, claims someone calling himself Kevin Riley represented himself as a recruiter and offered bogus scholarships in order to dupe families into giving him money.

(Deputy Dan) Lynch declined to say how much money the Hart family paid Riley, or how the purported recruiter kept in contact with Hart and Hodges.

Hart said at the announcement ceremony Friday that he talked many times with Cal head coach Jeff Tedford and that “personal experience” led to his decision to choose the Golden Bears over Oregon.
But it appears he and his family may have been misled.

That’s bullshit. Here’s this young man about to empark on one of the greatest moments in his life and some con artist comes along and steals money from his family. This was supposed to be a great experience for Hart; instead he’ll look back at this situation and remember what a disaster it was. Hopefully police with nab this clown Riley.

Update: Check that, Hart apparently made the whole story up. Now that’s bullshit.

Despite saying he would make a decision today, Terrelle Pryor, the nation’s top high school football recruit, has decided not to make a commitment to any collegiate on National Signing Day.

National Signing Day is the first day high school players can formally sign paperwork and declare their intent to enroll at a specific college, but players actually have until April 1 to make a final decision. And after not being able to come to a final decision between his top four schools, Pryor has opted to continue considering his options.

Pryor’s decision should not come as a major shock to anyone who has been following his recruitment. In the days leading up to signing day, conflicting reports surfaced regarding his final intention. Some, like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, wrote that he was “80 to 90 percent” sure he would.

So Buckeye, Wolverine and Nittany Lion fans will have to wait. I applaud the kid for taking his time. This is a major decision and if he needs more time, than more time is what he should take.