Pryor makes his pick: It's Ohio State
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The recruiting battle for Terrelle Pryor came down to Ohio State and Michigan, and Pryor had trouble saying no to Michigan.
Pryor, the all-everything quarterback at Jeannette High School, announced at a news conference today that he will attend Ohio State. He signed a letter of intent with the Buckeyes.
His other two finalists were Penn State and Oregon, but this definitely came down to Ohio State and Michigan.
"I didn't know I was definitely going to Ohio State until this morning. I was still thinking about Michigan," Pryor said.
Pryor was intrigued by Michigan's spread-option offense. He ran a similar offense at Jeannette.
"I could've went to Michigan and possibly could've started [as a freshman]," Pryor said.
Pryor informed Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez of his decision this morning. He said Tressel was one of the main reasons he picked Ohio State.
"I shouldn't feel bad, but I feel bad saying no to coach Rodriguez," Pryor said. "He was still trying to recruit me when I called him."
Pryor also had high praise for Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who recruited him for the Nittany Lions.
"I would've had Penn State higher and would've considered them more if I knew coach Bradley was going to be the head coach when Joe Paterno retires," Pryor said.
This was the second news conference in two months for Pryor, rated the No. 1 high school player in the country. He had originally planned to announce his college choice Feb. 6, but all he announced that day was that he was not ready to make a decision. He had said he was ready to choose Ohio State, but his father, Craig, convinced him to give Penn State a closer look.
At the time, Pryor said he was still considering Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon. He said he would make an official visit to Penn State, but never did. He also said he might visit Oregon, but never did. Last weekend, Pryor said he had narrowed the list to two schools, but wouldn't identify the two. It was Michigan and Ohio State.
Pryor talked with his father on the phone yesterday morning and informed him of his decision.
"He was happy for me and backed me no matter where I chose," Pryor said.
At Ohio State, Todd Boeckman was the starter last year and has one year of eligibility remaining.
At Michigan, Pryor would have had the chance to start as a freshman because the Wolverines lost their top two quarterbacks from last season. Chad Henne will graduate and backup Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas after Rich Rodriguez became the Wolverines' head coach.
"I'm looking forward to working with Todd," Pryor said.
Pryor (6 feet 6, 225 pounds) is one of the best players ever to come out of the WPIAL. He was the two-time Post-Gazette Player of the Year and was the first player in Pennsylvania history to rush for more than 4,000 career yards and pass for more than 4,000.
Pryor also was an outstanding basketball player and finished his career as the WPIAL's eighth all-time leading scorer with 2,285 career points.
First Published March 19, 2008 11:57 am
