By David La Vaque
Which college football program will land the services of Cretin-Derham Hall offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson? Not even his best friend, Totino-Grace quarterback J.D. Pride, knows for certain.
Pride, who this morning signed a letter of intent to play football at Minnesota, said he has tried contacting Henderson "the past couple days but his phone has been off. "
Henderson, a 6-8, 330-pound tackle, is slated to reveal his decision between 4 and 5 p.m. today in New York, where he will appear on a CBS College Sports cable television show with national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming as the host. Henderson's list is down to Ohio State, Southern California, Notre Dame, Florida, Miami and Minnesota.
"I'm just glad he kept Minnesota in the mix for this long," Pride said. "It's a great school to come to."
Pride and Henderson played football together since they were kids and spent two years at Cretin-Derham Hall before Pride transferred to Totino-Grace. Pride said he has kept in touch with Henderson throughout the recruiting process but has not lobbied hard for the Gophers. Lemming tabbed Henderson as the nation's top recruit when Henderson was a sophomore.
"Ever since junior year, people have been in his ear about where to go to college," Pride said. "I've been his best friend way before we even starting thinking about college football. I didn't really feel like I needed to stay in his ear and try to convince him of anything. I always knew he'd make the right decision."
"Of course, I'd say, 'Come to Minnesota; it would be fun if you and I went to the same college.' But I really don't pressure him at all. I've just let him make his own decision. Hopefully it's the right decision. Hopefully, it's here."
