Henderson's college list is down to six (or is it five?)
Posted by John Millea
Last update: January 28, 2010
Seantrel Henderson, the Cretin-Derham Hall offensive lineman who is one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation, appears ready to close the book on the recruiting process. I visited with Henderson before basketball practice this afternoon, and I wasn't the only visitor. Ohio State assistant coaches Dick Tressell and Jim Bollman were on hand to watch Henderson practice his second sport
Tressel, the brother of Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressell, is a former athletic director and football coach at Hamline. He now coaches running backs at Ohio State. Bollman is the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
Henderson will be at the University of Miami this weekend for his final official visit. The others were to Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame and Florida. I asked him if he's ready for recruiting to end.
"Yeah, I?ll be real glad," he said. "There?s been a lot of stuff, it kind of gets you off track a little bit, with all the personal things you?ve got going on in your life, too. I?ll be real happy when it?s over. A lot of things will slow down."
He said he does not know where he will go to college ("I wish I did"). When I asked if he has whittled his list, he said his list is down to the five schools he will officially visit.
The obvious follow-up question was, what about Minnesota? Has he eliminated the Gophers from consideration?
He quickly replied, "Minnesota?s still in, too."
You can probably read too much into that, or maybe he has already eliminated Minnesota but wants to tread carefully with his hometown college. We won't know until Wednesday, which is signing day.
Henderson will return from Miami on Sunday, and the Gophers will get one more chance to make an impression. He will visit the campus Sunday to meet with the coaches, and that will be the final step before he announces his decision.
"I?ve just got a lot of thinking to do after Sunday," he said. "I?ve got a real good memory so I have to think about my first visit all the way down to my fifth visit; what I liked the most, where I actually thought I could fit into. Most of the schools are saying I?ll have an equal opportunity to come in and start, just like all the other guys. It?s just going to be where I want to be, where I?m going to feel comfortable, where I?m going to gain the relationships with people, with my coaches and the guys on the team. Where will I be happy? That?s what I?ve got to figure out."
