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Compromise: Think Bradley - PennLive.com

Compromise: Think Bradley
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

After several attempts last week, on Saturday I finally reached the man at the eye of the cyclone we'll call The Terrelle Pryor Experience.

It's hard not to like Ray Reitz. Especially in this situation. Because the head football coach at Jeannette High School has a firm hand on the deflation valve in a realm that grows more ridiculously bloated by the day.

Reitz is, naturally, the gatekeeper. Recruiters and reporters and even street agents have been going through him to get to Pryor for three years now.

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For Penn State fans, though, Dodd buried the lead. He called me a few days ago, and I mentioned to him as background a few things I hadn't been able to print. One of them was that I'd heard Reitz had told a few people off the record that, were PSU defensive coordinator Tom Bradley the head coach, Pryor would be a Nittany Lion now.

"People think I have a read on this," said Reitz. "Every day, Terrelle can change his mind. I might say something at noon and by 2 o'clock the picture has completely changed."

But what about the Bradley statement? Would Pryor really be signed and delivered to PSU were Bradley the head coach now?

"I don't think it's as accurate right now. When I said that about Tommy four months ago, it was because he sort of had a foothold with Terrelle; he'd been recruiting him the longest. But I think it would still matter.

"Things have changed since then. Ohio State has obviously gotten stronger.

"All I was trying to imply was, if kids know Tommy's going to be the next head coach once Coach Paterno wants to get out, I think it's a smooth transition and it helps their recruiting cause. That's what I'm trying to say without disrespecting Joe Paterno. Because who am I to diss Joe Paterno?

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