Football: Signings begin with USC landing DE Nick Perry; Pryor to wait

On what could be a day and night of intrigue, drama and suspense, high school senior football players began to finalize their college choices Wednesday by signing letters of intent, and USC picked up a big one when Detroit defensive end Nick Perry, pictured, chose the Trojans.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Perry had a state-record 36 sacks and was ranked as the fifth-best defensive end in the country by Scout.com.

The nation’s No. 1 quarterback prospect, Terrelle Pryor from Jeannette, Pa., apparently has decided he’s not ready to choose between Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. The Associated Press reported that a few hours before he was to have a news conference at Jeannette High School, Pryor sent a text message that he would not announce his college choice.

“I told him, ‘Don’t make a decision under duress because everybody wants you to,’ and I don’t fault him for delaying it,” said Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, who has been serving as a recruiting adviser for Pryor. “Just because it’s the first day, it doesn’t mean he has to sign today.”

Another much-anticipated announcement set for this morning is from Parade magazine All-American running back Darrell Scott of Ventura St. Bonaventure, ranked No. 1 in the nation at his position. He is expected to sign with Texas or Colorado.

Running back Milton Knox of Lake Balboa Birmingham, another Parade magazine All-American and the two-time City Section player of the year, has been wavering all week between UCLA and Notre Dame, which he visited this past weekend. Although Knox committed to the Bruins months ago, the firing of Coach Karl Dorrell opened the way for him to consider other options.

He has been going back and forth, and Birmingham Coach Ed Croson said Wednesday morning he thought Notre Dame had emerged as a real threat to sign Knox, who is scheduled to announce his decision tonight on FSN Prime Ticket.

Notre Dame was making a bid to be the No. 1-ranked team in the national recruiting competition, with Rivals.com putting the Fighting Irish at the top of their list early today after a previous Texas A&M commit, defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore from Weatherford, Texas, signed with Notre Dame, one of 23 players expected to end up with the Fighting Irish.

Pryor’s signing is the most coveted, helped by his being named the most valuable player last month at the U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio, the most prestigious high school all-star game in the nation. He’s 6 feet 6, weighs 225 pounds, runs 40 yards in 4.4 seconds and comes from the same Western Pennsylvania area that produced quarterbacks Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly. He rushed for more than 4,000 yards and passed for more than 4,000 yards in his high school career.

Locally, 13 players who had committed to UCLA were gathering at a restaurant in Inglewood for a signing ceremony. USC was awaiting word of several national recruits that could elevate its class.

-- Eric Sondheimer

-- Image from media.scout.com