Massively hyped offensive-line prospect Seantrel Henderson has successfully fended off reporters since signing to play at USC in March, but it doesn’t take a press conference to piece together the rapid unraveling of that commitment over the last three weeks. Trojan coaches flew to Minnesota en masse at least once (and possibly twice) last month after the crown jewel of their top-ranked recruiting class failed to report for freshman orientation in the wake of major NCAA sanctions. This sparked rumors that Henderson was leaning toward a defection to Miami or Ohio State. Then the blue-chip behemoth was reportedly spotted in Miami over the holiday weekend, which is no casual trip from his home in St. Paul.
We still don’t know if Henderson has given the Trojans a decisive “yes” or “no” on his plans. But with the writing on the wall, coach Lane Kiffin has apparently decided to stop holding his breath:
Seantrel Henderson, regarded by many as the top prospect in the nation in the Class of 2010, will be released from his letter of intent with USC, Coach Lane Kiffin said.
The release allows the 6-foot-8 lineman from Minnesota to attend another school without having to sit out a season. He could, however, still decide to remain with USC.
"As of 1:30 p.m, we are releasing Seantrel Henderson out of his national letter of intent with zero penalties and no restrictions," Kiffin said. "Seantrel has been great through the whole process and we wish him the best of luck in his decision."
With its latest twist, the Song of Seantrel Henderson officially surpasses the protracted courtship of another Kiffin signee, Tennessee running back Bryce Brown, as the most overdramatic recruiting saga in the sordid history of the genre. And it’s not necessarily Henderson’s fault – or Kiffin’s. When Kiffin reportedly assured Henderson’s family “there shouldn’t be anything going wrong” with then-pending NCAA investigation in February, he probably believed it. USC seems to have been caught sincerely off-guard by the severity of the sanctions when it finally came down last month. Either way, Henderson was eventually convinced enough to sign based on that ill-fated promise. It doesn’t take a drama queen to want out of a deal after the terms have unexpectedly changed.
From Henderson’s perspective, at least the false start isn’t going to cost him anything: He’s academically eligible, and the L.A. Times says the terms of the release waive the mandatory transfer year on the bench. That means Henderson should be able to play immediately at Miami or Ohio State or wherever he chooses to go – if, in fact, he actually chooses to ditch USC, which he is not obligated to do under the release. Of course, that’s also assuming he can play alongside his fellow blue-chips at those schools right away. If he can’t, or he follows in Brown’s footsteps as a genuine flake after he arrives at his chosen campus, this entire soap opera is going to look even stupider than it already does