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Pryor moves before Ohio State anybody's guess

By Dave Hooker (Contact)
Originally published 08:57 p.m., March 22, 2008
Updated 08:57 p.m., March 22, 2008

Terrelle Pryor’s announcement to attend Ohio State came and went without much mention in the land of the orange this week.

Who could blame Tennessee fans for barely taking note? After all, UT fans are more concerned about basketball (rightly so) and Pryor, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound quarterback from Jeannette (Pa.) High School, ruled out the Vols months ago.

Still, it’s hard not to imagine what might have been had former UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe not bolted to Duke. Some on campus felt Pryor was on his way toward picking the Vols before four offensive coaches decided their careers needed to continue elsewhere.

Whatever the odds — 1 in 2, 1 in 5, or 1 in 10 — Pryor was worth the shot that UT had. Undoubtedly, he would have been the most ballyhooed signee since Peyton Manning in 1994.

I’m sure you remember what happened then. Signing Manning proved to be one of the surefire signs that the Vols were on to bigger and better things, such as two SEC championships and a national title. Signing Manning was a sign that UT was one of the very best recruiting schools in the nation.

Even with the coaching staff intact, there’s no guarantee that the Vols would have landed Pryor.

Maybe Pryor would have determined that Knoxville was just too far away.

Maybe he would have determined that junior Jonathan Crompton would have been impossible to surpass on the depth chart in the next two years.

Maybe Pryor would have been dissuaded by the rash of off-field incidents UT had to endure in the weeks surrounding National Signing Day.

Maybe, and possibly even likely, Pryor would have ended up at Ohio State no matter what.

Pryor’s decision to attend Ohio State was curious, especially based off what he told UT early in his recruitment.

Pryor didn’t seem so concerned about playing for a quarterback guru as he first let on. That’s evident by his signing with the Buckeyes, who certainly don’t run an NFL offense.

Maybe all of the posturing was just that. UT fans will never know.

Action Jackson: Farragut offensive lineman Will Jackson still hasn’t received a scholarship offer from UT despite offers from several other schools.

The Vols, however, might not even be able to land Jackson if Alabama comes calling. The Crimson Tide, like UT, are still evaluating the 6-4, 280-pounder. With strong family ties to Alabama and the momentum that UT’s rival has created in recruiting, the Tide could be tough to beat.

Problem is, Jackson isn’t the best fit for either school. Both tend to run more straight ahead running attacks.

Jackson, who is lighter than most linemen and has great footwork, should think hard about falling in love with one of the many schools that have already fallen in love with him. West Virginia, for instance, was one of the first to offer a scholarship and has an offense that should better suit Jackson’s talents.

If Jackson signs with UT or Alabama, he’ll most likely play center. At another school that runs the spread option, he could play any of the five offensive line positions.

To the Gills … With Scholarships: Stephon Gilmore is quickly becoming one of the most prominent prospects on Tennessee’s board. The 6-2, 190-pound defensive back from South Pointe High in Rock Hill, S.C., is approaching 20 scholarship offers and figures to add two more prominent schools to his list soon.

Ohio State and Southern Cal have both said they’re close to offering. More competition is never good in recruiting, but UT is still in great shape.

Gilmore has always been fond of UT, having watched close friend and mentor Jonathan Hefney excel in Knoxville.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He can be reached at hookerd@knews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

       29 Comments

Posted by ggriggs939 on March 22, 2008 at 9:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Whatever he decides to do, he is still at Ohio State and we know what they are.

Posted by Plasticman on March 22, 2008 at 9:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't think he'll ever get to reach his full potential at OSU. THey do not run a spread offense and I doubt Tressel is going to change.

Posted by Hunter on March 22, 2008 at 9:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

First Losers.

Posted by rabidvol1998 on March 22, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If if and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a merry Xmas (credit to Johnny Majors). Must be slow in recruiting when we write about a guy we can only speculate may have been interested had a coach stayed and had he not wanted to attend a rural school and had he only announced early and .... oops I dribble on.

Posted by Vols1998 on March 22, 2008 at 10:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Who cares? They'll just lose to another SEC School :)

Posted by awhill00 on March 22, 2008 at 10:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Again, who cares? I hope Prior has fun at OSU. I'm glad Cutcliffe is gone. And I am AMPED that Clawson is our new OC. New plays, new scheme, new philosophy. We can finally rev up our offense again!!

Posted by anthony on March 22, 2008 at 11:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

that says alot for Cutcliffe and he will be sending us some business. I guess by this that Mr. Hooker means that we would have won more games had Chris Leak signed with us, and then maybe Chris Leak? Just don't worry your prety little head, Dave, good things happen to those who love God, and we do, don't you know here in Tennesse, we're just too stupid to do anything else@@!! As far as our off the field antics, boys will be boys, and at least their coach does have a minister who hates America, nor does he practice prostitution(things Dave, which you may? inwardly condone??whoknows?We can only speak for ourselves, can't we?) As far as the other recruits you speak maybe you ought to call and warn their parents of us and of the mean ole Phil Fulmer. Other than that another Great Article!!!

Posted by Einstein on March 22, 2008 at 11:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If IFS and BUTS were candy and nuts we would all have a very Merry Christmas (credit to Don Meredith on Monday night football).

Posted by rabidvol1998 on March 23, 2008 at 12:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Don may be dandy but Johnny is a Vol, so he gets credit.

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation - Phil Fulmer.

Posted by brdteton on March 23, 2008 at 12:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Now that is what I call stretching it for a story line.

Way to represent the KNS.

Posted by jcorange98 on March 23, 2008 at 1:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

pryor's final four schools were osu, psu, mich, and oregon, thank god he did not pick ut, he will be bust, if usc, fla, texas, etc., is not on your radar, well, ull get what u deserve, go play kent st, ohio u, and crap u, usc will beat osu by a million points

Posted by nicksjuzunk on March 23, 2008 at 2:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

He was never coming here. This kid milked the last drop out of recruiting and made it his own personal pony show.

Posted by richvol on March 23, 2008 at 6:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This kid played everyone like a violin. He has an ego that doesn't sit well with teammates or coaches. Think Kelley Washington.

Posted by jcvol on March 23, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What's the purpose of this article?

Posted by slovog on March 23, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This article's purpose seems to be the same as the purpose of many KNS articles, that being to make subpar writers appear more able than they are.

Adams, Strange and Griffith are very good at what they do, although many readers do not agree with the content of their pieces. The rest of the writing staff, especially the guy who also hosts the unwatchable Sunday morning Hall's Salvage train wreck, are trying to convince readers that they are "sports guys". Their articles and opinion pieces reveal their lack of talent.

Posted by General_Fritter on March 23, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think I'll eat a fritter this morning. Salute.

Posted by easton3 on March 23, 2008 at 6:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Be thankful you didn't get this kid. He will be a cancer to any team. He's a punk. I'm a Bama fan and I wouldn't even wish him on you. He will fit in great at the "University of Ohio State"....LOL!!

ROLL TIDE !!!!

Posted by DCSOvol on March 23, 2008 at 7:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I want a raspberry fritter...with extra powdered sugar.

Posted by OwensboroVol on March 23, 2008 at 9:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The purpose of this article (I agree poorly written) is to bring attention to the FACT that with Fulmer, We are no longer able to compete for the top rated players. The recent recruiting season should show you that. I still can't believe we are having to compete with Kentucky and Vanderbilt for players. I tell you this now, the next 7-10 years are going to be bad. Three more before Fulmer is fired and another 4 for a new coach to rebuild the program.

Posted by bamacheats on March 24, 2008 at 12:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey Hooker, why don't you write about Pryor's new car he just got. I think that's the more interesting story. New Corvette?

Posted by drwfocus on March 24, 2008 at 8:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I ditto your question jcvol and who gives a big damn anyway.

Posted by volboy81 on March 24, 2008 at 11:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

did anyone else notice that he announced he was going to attend "the University of Ohio State" ?

shouldnt he know the name of the school hes going to before he agrees to attend???

Posted by cdldoc on March 25, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hooker, "what if" you wrote an article on something interesting instead of this stuff?

Posted by dtaylor0730 on March 26, 2008 at 4:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Let him play for the bucknuts, and IF they ever get to play in the NC game again, we will get to see a really good SEC team stomp all over the bucknuts again.

Posted by General_Fritter on March 26, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ah, a glazed fritter with a glass of cold milk.

Posted by 02champs on March 27, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Going to OSU is bizarre...but so is this kid. Did I mention that Pennington is an idiot..?

Posted by vols76 on April 1, 2008 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yawn.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted by faithfulvol on April 7, 2008 at 10:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What? Man...must not be any stories out there.

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