HEISER: Pryor's Penn State snub now seems like gift

Just more than 38 months ago, a large segment of Nittany Nation was in a state of panic.

One of the most storied football recruits in Pennsylvania high school history had just signed his National Letter of Intent with Penn State's most-hated Big Ten rival.

After a courtship that seemed to last forever, Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor finally decided to bolt the Keystone State for Ohio State.

For some PSU fans, the fact that the nation's No. 1 recruit escaped Happy Valley was a disaster of epic proportions.

It seemed to be just another example of how the Buckeyes, and superstar coach Jim Tressel, had breezed by the Nittany Lions, and aging coach Joe Paterno, in the Big Ten pecking order.

I wonder how those same Blue-and-White fanatics feel today?

Tressel has resigned under pressure in the wake of an embarrassing NCAA investigation.

Pryor, meanwhile, has been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for accepting improper benefits from a tattoo-shop owner. Now the NCAA is reportedly in the middle of an even more significant inquiry of Pryor and whether he received cars and other extra benefits.