(Update: 2:27p The latest buzz is not good for the Orange. Rumors today suggest as long as Penn State assistant Larry Johnson stays, Ishaq will choose Happy Valley. Johnson has been his recruiting coordinator with the Nittany Lions and would be Williams’ position coach as well. If PSU defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, as expected, is named the head coach at Pitt, then SU fans need to pray Johnson goes with him. Unfortunately, it likely benefits Johnson to stay at Penn State – he’s expected to be named the new DC. So unless Johnson’s allegiances are to Bradley and not Joe Pa, it’s probable Ishaq follows LJ to Penn State.)
Posted: Craig Hoffman
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Ishaq Williams sounds like he has officially eliminated Miami from his list of choices. In an interview with ESPN, Ishaq explained his delay in making a decision. “I wasn’t ready to commit right now. I wasn’t comfortable with it so I decided I’m going to wait a couple of days.”
The report went on to say,“The senior said he is choosing among Syracuse, Penn State and Notre Dame.” His high school coach, Shawn O’Connor, has become the mouthpiece for Team Ishaq and reiterated Miami is done. “He’s not changing his three schools.”
Ishaq looked good, not great, in the All-American Bowl yesterday. He had two solo tackles, including one for a loss. Officials said he¬†left with a bruised thigh, although that detail was conspicuously ignored in ESPN’s conversation with Ishaq. More than likely it was a smokescreen to buffer him from media access following the game and the flurry of questions about his decision.
While it seems Ishaq has held off on his announcement because he simply doesn’t know yet, the forum may also have been a factor. O’Connor said, “He doesn’t like all the attention that he’s getting. He doesn’t get caught up in making a decision in front of a national audience. He just needs more time to make a decision. He’s definitely not going to make his decision (at the) game.”
The weaving of high school athletes making their decisions in the middle of the game was indeed awkward and tedious yesterday. Players were in uniform, took a break from the action and then picked from three hats on a table, all while standing in front of assorted family members and random groups of enlisted army members in fatigues. NBC, with its rotating band of merrymen, then attempted (usually unsuccessfully) to briefly interview the athlete about his decision.
As is par for the course in putting a nationally televised microphone in front of 18-year-olds, most uncomfortably mumbled something generic and monosyllabic. And then there was the kid who chose Clemson and decided to thank all 18 family members by name, give props to all three schools and drag out his 20 seconds into 20 minutes while the NBC truck nearly melted down. Hey, NBC – you asked for it.
The gratuitous army squads in camos in the back of each announcement was ridiculous. No one in the shot (kid, family, militia) could quite understand why they were all sitting next to one another. NBC should have recorded the decisions before the game, edited them if needed, and played them during breaks in the action. Then again, what else to expect from the “used car salesman” world of prep athletics on the big stage?
I don’t blame Ishaq at all for delaying his decision. I wouldn’t want to be value meal #5 at the fast food window of college commitments either.
Posted: D.A.
25 responses to “I-Team: Ishaq Williams Rules Out Miami, Penn State Sounds Like Favorite”
I think he wanted to wait for the outcome of last night’s Jets-Colts game. New York team beats Indiana team on last second field goal. It’s SU over Notre Dame. Thanks, Jets.
So why was Penn St. supposedly out of the picture and it was just between ND/’Cuse? If this defensive line coach is so instrumental in Ishaq’s decision, then it’s been Penn St. the whole time.
I mean even if Larry Johnson leaves, why not follow him to Pitt? This doesn’t add up to me i guess
Thanks for nothing Ishaq.
Penn State was never out of it – he was solid Penn State’s until rumors of LJ leaving surfaced. Him cutting PSU was just something ND fans made up to feel good, and because their reasoning was “he didn’t make an OV to PSU,” they had to keep Cuse in it.
This is a interesting take on it from a Penn State Site, offers good and bad scenarios for the Orange, offers hope but also discourages.
http://nittanywhiteout.com/2011/01/08/reading-the-tea-leaves-on-ishaq-williams/
It shows what a second rate site this is. Why don’t you guys get some actual facts before you spew out all your opinions, which seem to change by the hour. Penn State is out of it. Miami is in. ND is tops on his list. It looks real good for the Cuse. Go back and do what you do best; have some brews on Marshall St., and report about the skanks hanging out with the ballers!
kevin, your an idiot. this site is simply reporting on what Ishaq has been saying/doing the past couple of days. its called “good reporting”, you know…getting a story that others dont have? orangefizz never promised anything, they have just been updating us SU fans on the ever-changing status Ishaq has made this process.
Good reporting? That’s a good one. And I’m an idiot. I don’t lower myself to personal name calling. All I said was get the facts, which you obviously don’t have. You’re trying to scoop the story without anything concrete. Look at how many times you’ve flipped in the last week. Just wait until he announces, and give us the news. Your credibility is questionable at best.
LOl Kevin…Little harsh there man. I don’t agree at all that Penn State is out of it or that Miami is in. All news right now points to PS. But nobody knows for sure obviously. I am just flustered because we were led to believe, by many not this site only, that SU was really the fron trunner or close to it an PS was some how out of it all together. He may be changing his mind daily, who knows. But after a while it becomes like Lebron, and I hate that crap. Regardless of the reasons, seems like there has been plenty of time to figure this out.
I Team update: Ishaq took a dump around 7:00PM this evening. Team Fizz reports this may be a sign he’s leaning toward Pittsburgh, since their program is heading for the toilet. We will keep you posted as to what his next move or movement is.
Damn, if you hate it so much, why read? So angry.
It’s called sarcasm! Lighten up dubs! This is my last night reading. Later douche bags!!
Hey Kevin – Get this. Go to psu.edu/directory and type in “Ishaq Williams”. Odd… it would appear that he’s enrolled! Have a nice day. Go State!
Old news Wes, he is enrolled at ND and SU as well.
I went to a football camp at Penn State in 2003 and Larry Johnson coached us on the D-Line that week. He was one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met, so I can totally see how he could convince a recruit to come play for him. That’s bad news for us if he’s a key factor in the recruitment.
He’s not in Syracuse’s directory and I didn’t have any luck with Notre Dame’s. You have any proof?
It’s gotten rowdy here in the last couple days.
The Fizz has been working this story from a lot of different angles and sources, so it has been a little hectic as information comes in. All we can say is that we aren’t inventing stuff, and the people we talk to, we trust.
Kevin- I just got back to ‘Cuse from NJ. I’ll be back on M Street in due time, don’t forget about the Fizz just yet.
If this guy picks ND or PSU so be it. Both are on the future schedule so we’ll get to beat him. Frankly he’s just a number at those schools so good riddance if he can’t recognize that he could be a star at SU.
I think if we all weigh the pros/cons of PS, ND and SU, SU is probably the last pick for Ishaq. The BEast cant compare to the B10 and even ND non-conference schedule. BUT, what SU does offer is a great coaching staff, a team on the rise, and a chance for him to become more of a household name. PS and ND already have 2-3 four-star recruits coming in at D-End.
Larry Johnson must be a good recruiter, but he didn’t do such a good job with his son. Larry Johnson is out of the NFL for being an underachieving malcontent. Either Larry could have done whatever he wanted at PSU because his father was a coach or his father reigned him in at PSU. Once he got out on his own and had to show some maturity and accountability he couldn’t handle it and was an NFL flop.
Do you guys know what day his decision will be? Or do we just know that it will be some time this week? Man, I’d like to see Kevin McReynolds AND Williams suiting up for the Orange. Williams’ signing could be huge in that it helps convince McReynolds to come here too.
This is all rumor and speculation…
The latest being PSU in lead and waiting on Johnson’s coaching status if Bradley defects to PITT or UCONN…
IW delayed his announcement and the Bradley/Johnson situation is a ‘best guess’ as to the reason why…
Not to mention that the Army game player commit announcements were some of the worst, cheeseball TV crappola one could watch on Sat… It’s also quite possible that IW saw how they were doing it and decided it was totally cheeseball and that he would not so that (the kid is actually pretty smart…)
As for Kevin… If you note the “…Penn State Sounds Like…” in the title, that would be a clue that this is a rumor and not being reported as fact.
As for better reported facts opn where he will be committing, I’m sure that will be available after he announces… until then, shut yer piehole….
Thank God the human douche nozzle, Kevin, left.
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