Will Seantrel Henderson Choose to be a Star or a Legend?
by Buck Bravo on Dec 7, 2009 5:41 PM CST
in Gopher Football
23 comments
As the top high school football recruit in the country, Seantrel Henderson of St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall High School could probably attend any college in America while starring on the football team. Henderson would probably be a top NFL draft pick this Spring if high school players were able to enter the draft.
So, what is to be made of the decision Seantrel Henderson will have to make? Their appears to be two possible outcomes. He could attend a perennial powerhouse program such as USC, Ohio State, or Oklahoma and enter the NFL draft three years down the road. The second option, which still appears to be a possibility, would be to play for his home state's team before entering the NFL draft three years down the road. The bottom line is that Henderson will most likely be a high draft pick regardless of what school he attends.
Fans and supporters of college football programs will often criticize local recruits who choose to attend a school in another part of the country. There have been several recruits from the state of Minnesota who sought greener grass at other programs, only to fade into anonymity. In those cases, the criticism made sense. Seantrel Henderson is different. He will be a star at any school that he attends.
So, what are the pros and cons of Seantrel Henderson committing to a powerhouse program such as USC or Oklahoma?:
Pros of Attending an Elite Program
- A chance to play alongside elite talent.
- A change of venue...USC isn't far from the beach.
- National television exposure on a frequent basis.
- Joining a team with a recent history of winning.
- A chance to experience college as a star player, while alongside other star players, at a top program.
Pros of Attending Minnesota
- A chance to play home games in front of family and friends. He'd probably have at least a few hundred people at every game who are attending specifically because he is on the team.
- He'd be playing alongside Big Ten talent, and would be facing some of the best teams in America on a weekly basis.
- Henderson probably has a big payday coming in a few years, and in Minnesota he could have a strong support network of friends and family to help navigate the con artists and fame seekers looking to secure a piece of that future.
- While Henderson could be a star no matter where he goes, at Minnesota he could become a legend. Imagine Joe Mauer on the Yankees: he'd still be an All-Star but would play in the shadows of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. The Twins may be a smaller market, but Joe Mauer will be remembered 60 years from now. In New York, he'd just be another player on a long list of great players. The same is true of Henderson.
- Seantrel Henderson could make an immediate impact. Minnesota lacks talent on the offensive line, and a player with his abilities could have led to Gophers to an additional two or three wins this season alone.
Seantrel Henderson has several great options for his college career. Most analysts unanimously agree that he is bound for a future in the NFL. If he commits to a school such as USC or Oklahoma, he will probably be a star at that program for the next several years. If he commits to Minnesota he would have the opportunity to not only be the brightest star, but he might also become a legendary figure in the program.
Have you ever seen the movie about recruiting from 1988, Johnny Be Good? It's a comedy about an elite football recruit facing the same decisions as Henderson. If you haven't seen it, check it out and pay attention to the Hollywood ending.
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GN ADDITION: We all know SH was taking his official visit to USC last weekend. The LA Times noted his presence by saying this,
Seantrel Henderson, an offensive lineman from Minnesota here on a recruiting trip was seated on the Trojans bench -- and still stood out.
Henderson, 6 feet 8 and 337 pounds, is the top-rated high school offensive tackle in the country, according to Scout.com.
Which proves Buck's point. Henderson was just "an offensive lineman from Minnesota." At Minnesota he is THE #1 recruit in the country and a program changer, not just some big kid from Minnesota.
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Under Pros of Elite Program
You forgot to list #6.) Have parents live in amazing home just off the beach that future agent will pay for.
And doesn’t he get a Kardishian as well? I’m pretty sure that’s part of the scholarship.
#3
is the most compelling reason why he should go to the U of M. His parents should be pushing hard for it. Living in another state could easily lead to a derailing of his future.
As much as i want him here
How many times have you seen a player stay in the city he went to high school in and they still have their dead beat friends pulling them down. Royce White comes to mind. I would love for him to come here, but it might be detrimental to stay in town if he hangs around a bad crew of guys. I don’t know him so i don’t know this.
by GoldytheGopher on Dec 7, 2009 1:09 PM CST up reply actions
KInd of low
to make an assumption that his friends are no good. From what I know, he has never been in any sort of trouble at all.
Not that Low.
“I don’t know him so i don’t know this” was a key to my post. You are right, i don’t know him and i don’t know what his friends are like, but you would be naive to think it isn’t a factor in some athlete’s attitudes and actions. I was just throwing it out there.
by GoldytheGopher on Dec 7, 2009 10:30 PM CST up reply actions
maybe low
but the point that just because he stays here doesn’t exactly mean it will be better for him, is probably true.
He seems like a good kid and hasn’t been in any sort of trouble, but he can get into just as much trouble here as he could anywhere else.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
I have to disagree
for Henderson. Cretin players almost always succeed at the next level academically, and their alumni network would watch out for his best interest around here. He’d be around former coaches and teammates that truly look out for him and have his best interest in mind.
Buck Bravo
by Buck Bravo on Dec 7, 2009 3:34 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Thank you for considering Iowa an elite program.
All your giant offensive lineman are belong to us.
Before you respond, let me remind you: Brian Cook called me smug, which makes me the Obama of smugness. I'm basically Smugbama.
I do not follow Henderson’s Twitter feed but this USC message board said he posted this…
“dont appreciate the empty seats and booing at the end”
Maybe the USC luster is wearing off.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
SH
Wasn’t USC under investigation for serious recruiting violations? What about what Charlie Weis said about Coach Carroll? Look at the problems at Notre Dame year after year! Lots of trouble out there away from home at the other schools and elite programs, i.e. Michigan, Michigan State, USC, and who knows about Ohio State (remember Maurice Clarett?) with their decrepid ugly old horseshoe stadium. Also, anyone who goes to Iowa may be sandbagging when the river floods the campus next time. Minnestoa’s talent level is going up, stay home and be a hero in the best stadium in college football.
by bobbyspringfield on Dec 7, 2009 4:25 PM CST reply actions
Ski-U-Mah Bobby
After reading Bobby’s comments on SH I started singing the Minnesota Rouser…
And a ?
I heard that the buyout for Charlie Weis is 15 million. If that is true, how many schools could afford such a payment? How many college coaches make 5 million a year? Maybe Notre Dame should have revenue sharing?
Feel The Heat From The South
I know you are busy with decommits these days, but you might want to pay attention to the continuing developments with Seantrel’s recruitment by the Orange Bowl bound Iowa Hawkeyes!
This is an excellent question
and one that I’ve always wondered how recruits approach.
I have no idea how they rank their choices. Is the team a potential national champion? Will I help bring them / restore them to prominence? Can I start for 4 years? Will I constantly be pushed and have to battle for the starting spot? How can they tell the coaches who want to teach them from the snake oil salesmen and egomaniacs?
It never gets to be easy
Here's my attempt at an unbiased Cliff's notes of his options:
USC: great program, great exposure; he’d be a star amongst stars and probably would be in the shadow of Matt Barkley and others.
Oklahoma: another great program, great OL development; Oklahoma is a boring place and Stoopes might leave.
Ohio State: good program, great alumni; Tressel may not last long and Columbus is a boring place, too.
Minnesota: play in front of friends and family and be a local celebrity, big city life (all major professional sports in town, etc.), chance to stay active at Cretin (some alumni like to help out over there); not likely to compete for a National Championship, less National exposure, history of lower tier bowl games.
Iowa: recent history of winning, good OL, good program; 2009 was probably their best year for some time to come, not much to do in Iowa for a guy from the city, and worst of all he would become the nemesis of his home state (the same would be true if the #1 recruit in the nation came to MN after growing up in Iowa…he would be the nemesis of the Hawkeye State).
Florida: pretty much the same story as Oklahoma or USC, Urban Meyer is there to stay; “The Swamp” is not the nicest place to live…although the fever around football would make up for it, once again he’d be in the shadow of other “skill player” stars.
Buck Bravo
Yep, that's real "unbiased" right there
That word, I don’t think it means you think it does. I’m not disagreeing with your assessment of Iowa. But I think you really overstate the negatives of every place that isn’t Minneapolis – a fine place, to be sure, but not exactly the end-all-be-all. And your blief about who’s likely to leave is inexplicable. Stoops might bolt (but looking less likely), Tressel ain’t going anywhere, but if there’s one coach in this list of schools not likely to be there by Henderson’s sophmore or junior seasons, you might want to look a little closer to home. Look, if you’re going to give an “unbiased” opinon, at least try to land within a hundred-mile radius of your target.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
USC by far has the best weather, beach, and social activities. No bias there. My point is that Minnesota offers him the “Joe Mauer” or “Lebron James” experience of playing where your roots are while still playing solid Big Ten football.
Buck Bravo
by Buck Bravo on Dec 8, 2009 1:14 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Florida
Growing up in MN, SH would be miserable down there in the heat and humidity. It really is swamp-like conditions.
The only reason that SH would come to MN
other than wanting to play in front of his friends and family would be so he could walk on to a NCAA tourney team after football season is over. Kind or like Bryant Allen will. Let’s be honest, a 6-8, 300 lbs C would be a beast in the post. Think Pittman at Texas. Ultimately that is the trump card that Minn will try to play (with the whole family thing). Iowa can’t do that (and likely never will :))
by TheEvilProfessor on Dec 9, 2009 12:06 PM CST reply actions
Gophers would stunt his growth
To think that Seantrel would be a legend by going to Minn is a joke. Football is a team sport and even more so on the offensive line. Surrounding him with sub-par teammates and coaches wouldn’t allow him to reach his full potential. Additionally, there won’t be any competition on the offensive line for him so he wouldn’t be competing in practice to be the best player he can be.
The only trump card Minn has is Tubby Smith which doesn’t say much about the football program. Brewster is all talk and no results.
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