Last Tuesday was an significant day for just about every type of American. For the sports geek, the Giants held their ticker-tape parade down Broadway to celebrate their Superbowl victory. For the political savvy, Super Tuesday gave us a clearer outlook on the future residents of the White House. For some guy named Larry, it was his niece's 9th birthday.
But February 5th also marked an occurrence that just might have topped the rest for us high school football people (yes, we're people, I swear): National Signing Day. Yes, those uber athletic teenagers who still live with their parents have an entire "Day" devoted to their college decisions. The semi-national holiday is officially the first day a high school senior can officially sign a letter of intent to play for that college that put way too much time into recruiting him.
Most of these prodigies commit (a term that has recently hasn't meant much) to a university well before National Signing Day, which keeps fanboys like Kenny constantly visiting sites like Rivals.com. However, a handful of the top players like to keep high school and college football fans in suspense until "the day," when they finally choose a school, usually in an awkwardly anticlimactic fashion.
This handful includes Terrelle Pryor, a VinceYoungesque quarterback from Jeanette, Pennsylvania, who is generally ranked as the top recruit in the nation today. His insistence on postponing his decision has caused serious buzz among football fans of all levels, enough to prompt Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel to headline "Pryor announcement to be most anticipated in history."
He'll look good in that Crimson, trust me.
Bold statement, eh? Actually, not really. High school commitments had never really been a nationwide "thing" until recent years. Faithful NFL fans can envision the image of Paul Tagliabue mispronouncing Brett Favre's name on draft day or Vernon Davis sobbing when the 49ers selected him way too early. But even the most devoted fans have no recollection of when Jimmy Clausen (arguably the most popular high school recruit in recent history) signed with Notre Dame or when Peyton Manning decided to not follow his dad's footsteps to Tennessee.
With sports media consistently getting deeper and deeper into the foundations of the game, the hype around Pryor's pending decision has symbolized a growing sensationalism infecting sports. There's a good (/great) chance the talented quarterback will fail to live up to expectations. The top ranked quarterbacks of the past four years include Clausen, Mitch Mustain, Rhett Bhomar, and Mark Sanchez, each of whom will certainly not be making any early Heisman predictions. Though despite the obvious inaccuracy in these rankings, Pryor (who is also an all-state forward in basketball) has still managed to escalate to national headlines. Sports fans are obsessing more about the decision of this one quarterback who is destined to disappoint, and ignoring the steroids problem, the bad sportsmanship trend, and oh yeah, the game.
So, what am I getting at?
Let's just say that if I met Mr. Pryor right now, I would tell him to forget Ohio State and Michigan. "And where else would I go?" the 6'6" kid younger than myself would reply. I would glance at Mr. Pryor with a confident stare, unlike the countless recruiters who continuously bat their eyes in his direction. "Harvard Crimson."
"Why? Because like Chris Matthews taught me in Hardball, 'always concede on principle.' And committing to become the quarterback for a school that has produced more Nobel Peace Prize winners than touchdowns is principle at its finest. Surely enough principle to catch more ESPN headlines than becoming a Wolverine, Buckeye, or Nittany Lion. Yeah, you may have the opportunity be the next in line for a college's legacy of great quarterbacks, but ultimately Terrelle, it is simply a 'line.' If you do succeed and win the Heisman, you will not be Terrelle Pryor of now, but instead the 'modern day [insert overrated quarterback here]' (seriously, how many times did you hear the name Wuerffel when Tim Tebow won it this year).
Any star high school player can play football for Michigan or Ohio State, but only those with some real cajones can dare to make their own legacy in a university who proudly brags that it produced Ryan "One Game Wonder" Fitzpatrick. You might not win a national championship, you might not hoist up the Heisman, you might not bang the hottest Midwest chicks in the country, but your name will outlast the Reggie Bushes, Vince Youngs, and hell, even the Troy Smiths of football. We've seen every 'shocking' story possible in sports: Eli beat Tom and George Mason went Final Four, but the story you have in your hands right is Montana-to-Clark on steroids. Also, if you're worried about Harvard not being the right system offense for you, here's a suggestion: you are the system.
And then there's that startling statistic: More African-Americans are in prison than in college. I know you're not the sharpest tool in the shed (I swear classes at Harvard won't be that hard), but this goes beyond your GPA and QB rating. 'Pryor rouses black community by Harvard committment' sounds slightly more inspirational than 'Pryor breaks leg in unnecessary QB draw; out for season or until he is drafted in 6th round.' Committing to the world's best university is the much needed slap in the face to the fanatics who are trapped in believing higher education is just football and beer. The NFL loves those 'character guys' anyways. Maybe they'll see your moral commitment and Harvard degree and you'll back up the 2010 version of Michael Vick and become the next...Michael Vick.
Look, Terrelle, let's face the facts. You're destined to disappoint us. I know it. We know it. Mark Sanchez knows it. You know it. And don't give me that 'defying destiny' crap, this isn't Remember the Titans. So, if you're doomed now, why not go out with a bang? Maybe you'll be remembered as the harbinger for the new age of Harvard football, maybe you'll be the first Harvardite to actually win the Heisman, maybe you'll find the cure for cancer. But this is fact: you are capable of writing the story of the century without ever completing a pass. Hell, you might even learn a thing or two.
So, how about it, Terrelle?
I know you're just dying to play in front of those crazy Cambridge hooligans.
Okay, let me just ask Harvard."
-K.H.
*Note: does anybody have Terrelle's e-mail?
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