Written by Mike Furlan

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The saga has ended and Terrelle Pryor is officially a Buckeye.  It was a long and trying recruitment but in the end it was worth it.  For today, Ohio State's 2008 recruiting class not only got stronger but did so at the expense of their arch nemesis.  Regardless of Pryor's impact on the field next year, one thing is certain.  The 2008 Michigan Wolverines are worse because Pryor is not there, and that is a good thing.  Furls hits on the monumental signing for the Buckeyes.

The saga has ended and Terrelle Pryor is officially a Buckeye.  It was a long and trying recruitment but in the end it was worth it.  For today, Ohio State's 2008 recruiting class not only got stronger but did so at the expense of their arch nemesis.  Regardless of Pryor's impact on the field next year, one thing is certain.  The 2008 Michigan Wolverines are worse because Pryor is not there, and that is a good thing. 

Rich Rodriguez got caught "counting his eggs before they hatched."  Rodriguez was so confident that he was going to be able to land Pryor that he did not assure the prize of Michigan's 2007 class, Ryan Mallett, that there was a spot on the team for him.  As a result, Mallett transferred and no one in Ann Arbor cared.  Hell, many Michigan fans believed that with Mallet gone, Pryor was going to be a lock to come to Ann Arbor and fill the vacancy.  The flawed logic was that Pryor would have to be stupid to pass on a guaranteed starting spot on a team that runs an offense suited to his physical skills. 

The Michigan faithful miscalculated the strength of their own position and in the end the Wolverines ended up with a very expensive set of second best cards.  The trump card in this process was not systems and depth charts but personal relationships.   

Pryor's personal friendships with Ohio State's 2008 recruiting class, AKA "The Brew Crew," is well documented and it is those personal friendships more than anything else that tipped the scales in Ohio State's favor.  During the Army All-American game Pryor chose to bunk with OSU 2008 recruit Michael Brewster and was seen clowning around with Ohio State recruits through the entire game.  Brewster was a tireless and effective recruiter through the entire recruiting season and it culminated with Pryor's commitment today.  Note to Coach Tressel, you may want to assign your future recruits to tag along with Brewster on their official visits.  This is a stark contrast to his official visit to Ann Arbor, after which Pryor said that he was led around campus by some current football players, but that he "did not know their names."   

Pryor was also struggling to determine which coaches were telling him the truth.  It is no secret that college football coaches are often less than honest while recruiting, promising them anything they might want in order to get them to sign (think military recruiters and used car salesmen).  Pryor struggled with this so much that he commented about it on several occasions and expressed relief to have Charlie Batch helping him sort through the BS.   

Honesty and integrity have never been issues for Jim Tressel and this had to have given him a leg up on Rodriguez who is currently struggling in the "reputation department" after breaking his contract with West Virginia less than a year after negotiating it.  Watching Rodriguez smear his former school and alma mater while trying to avoid paying the buyout had to have had some impact on the way that Pryor measured his comments and promises.  In fact, even after Pryor told Rodriguez of his decision to commit to Ohio State, Rodriguez was still trying to recruit him and according to Pryor, "telling me [Pryor] a bunch of lines." 

Through his recruitment Pryor has rubbed many fans and media members the wrong way, sparking speculation that he was a prima donna or a "me first teammate."  This is in stark contrast to reports from his teammates that paint him as the model teammate with a firm commitment to winning.  Which take is correct has yet to be seen, but what is definitely true is that he did win (state championships in football and basketball).   

I can say, with certainty, that Pryor had made his decision long before this announcement.  I can also say with certainty, that Ohio State's athletic department knew he was coming at least one week prior to his announcement.  Pryor reportedly took the extra time to ensure that his announcement would not cause a backlash from disgruntled Penn State fans during the state basketball finals.  This rumor has not been confirmed, but it is consistent with all the other facts.   

Pryor ran the ball well and threw the ball well and is the only quarterback in Pennsylvania history to run and throw for 4,000 yards.  If you want more stats, google them.   

Personally, I think I learned more about Pryor by watching his basketball tapes than his football tapes.  From his football tapes, I saw a kid with incredible speed and natural elusiveness (and a hitch in his throwing motion).  In his basketball tapes, I saw a kid that was willing to dive for the loose ball and gave himself to get the tough rebounds.  In short, I saw a lot of Rodman-style hustle plays.  The type of plays that show great determination coupled with his obvious talent.  How the hell else do you get 26 rebounds in a game? 

Pryor should make an immediate impact next year in limited snaps.  Early speculation is that Pryor will be used in much the same way that Urban Meyer used Tim Tebow as a freshman, whether he is or not has yet to be seen.  The only certainty about Pryor is that for this kid, the sky is the limit.  His talent is unmatched, but whether he ends up the next Vince Young or the next Ryan Perrilloux, well that is up to him so far I have seen flashes of both.  He has already proven to be smarter than the average bear and that gives him a leg up on both Perrilloux and Michigan fans.