BleedGopher
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Sean Henderson: "Minnesota knows they're probably fighting an uphill battle"
per this interview with SuperPrep.com:
http://minnesota.scout.com/2/939892.html
The recruitment of Scout.com's highest rated player, Seantrel Henderson, is heading down the home stretch, and several schools have conducted in-home visits recently. How will Henderson finally be able to decide between so many great programs, and where do things stand today? Bill Greene gets the answers from Henderson's father, Sean.
Where do things stand at the moment in the recruitment of Scout.com's number one player, Seantrel Henderson? Bill Greene has the answers in this question/answer session with Henderson's father, Sean.
Greene: Can you tell me about the in-home visits you've had this week?
Henderson: "This week we had Minnesota on Sunday, Notre Dame on Monday and Ohio State was last night. Minnesota knows they're probably fighting an uphill battle, but they did a great job in their presentation. Meeting Brian Kelly was better than I thought it would be, because he's now the new guy at Notre Dame, and we had a relationship with the other staff. Kelly was very personable and the conversation we had with him was very good. It was like we had known him for a while. Coach (Jim) Tressel explained his philosophy of how he does things at Ohio State, and how they see Seantrel. It was an impressive presentation, and he and his coaches did a great job."
Greene: We had talked earlier about the Urban Meyer situation at Florida, on the very day his announcement was made. How do you view that situation today?
Henderson: "The only thing I could say again, is we are very concerned about stability within every program. Coach Meyer is very personable and we liked him a lot, but that off-and-on retirement definitely shook up Seantrel. He had formed relationships with players going to Florida, and same with USC, then it seemed like he had to start all over. Florida, and USC, are both great schools, and it remains to be seen how the coaching changes will effect things. We are trying to look at each school as an institution, not focus on the head coaches entirely."
Greene: We've heard that both you and Seantrel were very high on USC. Did the Pete Carroll retirement have an effect on things?
Henderson: "I don't know why people say we are so high on USC, when that has never been said. We've never said we were high on Minnesota, Oklahoma, or anyone else. We're trying to be fair to everybody, and we are still trying to look at this as objectively as we can. We just want Seantrel to be able to see every school, and meet every coach, so he can make a smart decision. He has worked hard to be in this position, and we don't want his decision to be based entirely on the head coach, including the Pete Carroll situation. We want him to focus on the school, and the opportunities available to him, be that USC or any other school. The only problem I had with the Pete Carroll situation, or the Urban Meyer situation, or even Charlie Weis, is the fact that we visited these staffs a while ago. We got to know these people, and now they're gone."
Greene: Has this process been a joy to go through? Or extremely stressful?
Henderson: "I would say we know how blessed we are to see our son in this position, and we're quite proud of him. It has been a little stressful, but we have tried to teach Seantrel that with high expectations and praise, come responsibilities, such as dealing cordially with people like yourself. We know people are interested in the recruiting process, and we've tried to be fair with everybody. The bottom line is that not every kid gets to meet these great coaches, or have so many great universities recruiting you, so all of us look at it as a blessing, and we're quite thankful."
Greene: What about the passion of the fans, and the scrutiny of the media? Has it been over the line?
Henderson: "No, it's been what we expected really, and people have been great to us. We're trying to not let Seantrel get caught up in this hype, but be gracious to everyone, fans and media, and always show respect and gratitude. We've tried to answer all the questions and be accessible to everyone, and we've taught Seantrel to take the good with the bad, because that goes with the territory of being a famous athlete. We know there are going to be a lot of unhappy people at the end of this process, and only one school's fan base will be happy with us. We know that no matter where Seantrel goes, there will be fans of the team he doesn't select, and media people, that will rip him for making a bad decision. Whether he chooses to stay home and go to Minnesota, or go far away to USC, or stay somewhere in between, he is prepared to read and hear things that aren't true. It's part of being a player that is highly recruited, and he's not the first, or the last, to go through it."
Greene: What about the relationships Seantrel has built with other players from around the country? Will that have an effect on his decision?
Henderson: "He has met a lot of great players, and made several solid relationships. Some of these players have now been put in the same situation with these coaching changes, as we were. He spent a lot of time with players who were committed to USC, and they were completely crushed by Coach Carroll's decision. That gets frustrating for Seantrel, and the other players thinking about going to schools like USC, Florida and Notre Dame. We've met so many great people, at so many schools, that I think Seantrel will fit in well anywhere he chooses."
Greene: How much will the coaching stability, or instability, be outweighed by the schools themselves?
Henderson: "That's a great question, but right now we're trying to look at this from the point of view of seeing the school as an institution, because coaches come and go, as we've seen over the past few months. A coach might be gone at any given time. Seantrel needs to find the school where he can be the best student he can be, the best citizen he can be, and the best football player he can be. He needs to take all the information he's gathered, and make the decision of where he can best succeed in all areas. All the schools we're considering afford him that opportunity, regardless of their head coaching status. Ultimately, it won't be one particular message, or one piece of mail, or one phone call, or any one thing that will make the difference right now. Personally, I think Seantrel has seen enough, and spoken to enough people, that he will be able to make his decision after these home visits are completed. We've done a thorough job since last fall, to put him in a position to make the most well-informed decision he could make. I feel certain of that. He's the one that going to wake up there every day, and it's all about where he feels most comfortable."
Seantrel Henderson will be making his announcement on National Signing Day, and it will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. Scout.com will continue to update the Henderson recruitment as the situation warrants.
Go Gophers!!
per this interview with SuperPrep.com:
http://minnesota.scout.com/2/939892.html
The recruitment of Scout.com's highest rated player, Seantrel Henderson, is heading down the home stretch, and several schools have conducted in-home visits recently. How will Henderson finally be able to decide between so many great programs, and where do things stand today? Bill Greene gets the answers from Henderson's father, Sean.
Where do things stand at the moment in the recruitment of Scout.com's number one player, Seantrel Henderson? Bill Greene has the answers in this question/answer session with Henderson's father, Sean.
Greene: Can you tell me about the in-home visits you've had this week?
Henderson: "This week we had Minnesota on Sunday, Notre Dame on Monday and Ohio State was last night. Minnesota knows they're probably fighting an uphill battle, but they did a great job in their presentation. Meeting Brian Kelly was better than I thought it would be, because he's now the new guy at Notre Dame, and we had a relationship with the other staff. Kelly was very personable and the conversation we had with him was very good. It was like we had known him for a while. Coach (Jim) Tressel explained his philosophy of how he does things at Ohio State, and how they see Seantrel. It was an impressive presentation, and he and his coaches did a great job."
Greene: We had talked earlier about the Urban Meyer situation at Florida, on the very day his announcement was made. How do you view that situation today?
Henderson: "The only thing I could say again, is we are very concerned about stability within every program. Coach Meyer is very personable and we liked him a lot, but that off-and-on retirement definitely shook up Seantrel. He had formed relationships with players going to Florida, and same with USC, then it seemed like he had to start all over. Florida, and USC, are both great schools, and it remains to be seen how the coaching changes will effect things. We are trying to look at each school as an institution, not focus on the head coaches entirely."
Greene: We've heard that both you and Seantrel were very high on USC. Did the Pete Carroll retirement have an effect on things?
Henderson: "I don't know why people say we are so high on USC, when that has never been said. We've never said we were high on Minnesota, Oklahoma, or anyone else. We're trying to be fair to everybody, and we are still trying to look at this as objectively as we can. We just want Seantrel to be able to see every school, and meet every coach, so he can make a smart decision. He has worked hard to be in this position, and we don't want his decision to be based entirely on the head coach, including the Pete Carroll situation. We want him to focus on the school, and the opportunities available to him, be that USC or any other school. The only problem I had with the Pete Carroll situation, or the Urban Meyer situation, or even Charlie Weis, is the fact that we visited these staffs a while ago. We got to know these people, and now they're gone."
Greene: Has this process been a joy to go through? Or extremely stressful?
Henderson: "I would say we know how blessed we are to see our son in this position, and we're quite proud of him. It has been a little stressful, but we have tried to teach Seantrel that with high expectations and praise, come responsibilities, such as dealing cordially with people like yourself. We know people are interested in the recruiting process, and we've tried to be fair with everybody. The bottom line is that not every kid gets to meet these great coaches, or have so many great universities recruiting you, so all of us look at it as a blessing, and we're quite thankful."
Greene: What about the passion of the fans, and the scrutiny of the media? Has it been over the line?
Henderson: "No, it's been what we expected really, and people have been great to us. We're trying to not let Seantrel get caught up in this hype, but be gracious to everyone, fans and media, and always show respect and gratitude. We've tried to answer all the questions and be accessible to everyone, and we've taught Seantrel to take the good with the bad, because that goes with the territory of being a famous athlete. We know there are going to be a lot of unhappy people at the end of this process, and only one school's fan base will be happy with us. We know that no matter where Seantrel goes, there will be fans of the team he doesn't select, and media people, that will rip him for making a bad decision. Whether he chooses to stay home and go to Minnesota, or go far away to USC, or stay somewhere in between, he is prepared to read and hear things that aren't true. It's part of being a player that is highly recruited, and he's not the first, or the last, to go through it."
Greene: What about the relationships Seantrel has built with other players from around the country? Will that have an effect on his decision?
Henderson: "He has met a lot of great players, and made several solid relationships. Some of these players have now been put in the same situation with these coaching changes, as we were. He spent a lot of time with players who were committed to USC, and they were completely crushed by Coach Carroll's decision. That gets frustrating for Seantrel, and the other players thinking about going to schools like USC, Florida and Notre Dame. We've met so many great people, at so many schools, that I think Seantrel will fit in well anywhere he chooses."
Greene: How much will the coaching stability, or instability, be outweighed by the schools themselves?
Henderson: "That's a great question, but right now we're trying to look at this from the point of view of seeing the school as an institution, because coaches come and go, as we've seen over the past few months. A coach might be gone at any given time. Seantrel needs to find the school where he can be the best student he can be, the best citizen he can be, and the best football player he can be. He needs to take all the information he's gathered, and make the decision of where he can best succeed in all areas. All the schools we're considering afford him that opportunity, regardless of their head coaching status. Ultimately, it won't be one particular message, or one piece of mail, or one phone call, or any one thing that will make the difference right now. Personally, I think Seantrel has seen enough, and spoken to enough people, that he will be able to make his decision after these home visits are completed. We've done a thorough job since last fall, to put him in a position to make the most well-informed decision he could make. I feel certain of that. He's the one that going to wake up there every day, and it's all about where he feels most comfortable."
Seantrel Henderson will be making his announcement on National Signing Day, and it will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. Scout.com will continue to update the Henderson recruitment as the situation warrants.
Go Gophers!!
