The saga of Dexter Pratt has been harder to follow than an organic chemistry class. With rumors swirling and few people talking, it is still not entirely clear why the four-star running back went from enrolling at LSU to committing to Oklahoma State in one week.The 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound bruiser from Navasota High School in Texas was supposed to enroll for the spring semester with five other LSU commits, but plans fell through. Pratt’s eligibility was not cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse, meaning LSU would violate NCAA rules if they allowed him to stay on campus free of charge. He had to return to Texas shortly after arriving in Baton Rouge.Late last week, Pratt’s high school coach, Lee Fedora, told KZNE Radio in College Station, Texas, Pratt would take an official visit this past weekend to Oklahoma State, where Fedora spent some time coaching. That visit went well for Pratt and the Cowboys as he committed during the trip and plans to enroll. Miriam Segar, LSU associate athletic director for student services, could not comment on Pratt’s specific situation but said midterm entries were hastened with the spring semester starting a week earlier than usual.”Midterm entries always have a lot of information to produce in a small amount of time,” Segar said. “So finishing high school and trying to enroll at midterm is in a compressed time frame.”At Navasota, Pratt rushed for more than 1,300 yards with 19 touchdowns. He is rated as the No. 144 overall prospect in the country and the No. 10 athlete by Rivals.com. GUIDRY TURNS DOWN VOLSLance Guidry, assistant coach at McNeese State and father of LSU cornerback commit Janzen Jackson, told The Shreveport Times he will not interview for a position on Tennessee’s coaching staff.This comes as good news for Tiger fans, as speculation was increasing about whether Jackson would back out of his commitment to LSU if his father took the Tennessee job. But Guidry is still a hot name for a spot on Miami University in Ohio’s coaching staff.Jackson is rated a five-star prospect by Rivals.com. He is ranked as the No. 2 high school cornerback and the No. 17 overall player in the nation.”I still think he’s a very strong lean to LSU,” Guidry told The Shreveport Times. “LSU is way ahead of everybody. Tennessee is still in there, but, in my opinion, if Janzen does not go to LSU, he would go to Alabama. But I think he’s going to be a Tiger.”JOHNS COMMITS Central safety Josh Johns committed to play for the Tigers late last week. LSU is close to the NCAA maximum of 25 signees for a class. If LSU reaches that limit, the 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound prospect may have to grayshirt and enroll next spring at LSU.—-Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected]
Recruiting: Reason behind Pratt’s switch remains uncertain
By Tyler Harvey
Sports Contributor
Sports Contributor
January 21, 2009