Hummm, the shoe deal although it does seem a bit blatant and in the past recruits have embellished what went on during visits ala Phil Knight stories.

Ex-Ohio State QB with checkered history gives nutty recruiting story

Of course, hindsight is 20 / 20 and had he had his "own shoe", selling those would allow him a lot more tattoos.

more: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skull-sessions/2026/04/162268/skull-session-terrelle-pryor-breaks-down-choosing-ohio-state-over-oregon-jimmy-sotos-becomes-a-reality-tv-star-ohio

I remember he delayed his choice about 6 weeks which caused some angst among Oregon partisans. Ultimately his Final Four where Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon. His final choice was Ohio State or Michigan.

This is what he said about Oregon at the time:

He discounted Oregon "because it's across the country. I have a father and (high school) coaches here who can drive three hours to see me play rather than watch it on TV."

Ultimately, Happy Valley was no place for a city kid either.

"I don't like that place," he said of Penn State's rural location. "It's (in) the country."

Because he played both football and basketball he said he didn't visit two of the four. One of the two was Oregon.

Ty Who? Er, Ty Shoe? How did Tattoo-Gate work out for you, and a Buckeyes HC too?

That was yesterday, and yesterday's gone.

No longer handed shoes, you're handed a B1G check to buy the shoes, cars, and homes for Mom, etc.