National Signing Day flashback: Antonio Logan-El, 2006
NSD FLASHBACKS: Byron Cowart | Malik McDowell | Reuben Foster | Alex Collins
The Schools: Maryland, Penn State
How it all went down: Before they were regular opponents on the field in the Big Ten, Maryland and Penn State often battled for prospects on the recruiting trail. Back in 2006, one of the fiercest battles between the two schools was over Rivals100 offensive line prospect Antonio Logan-El. The massive offensive lineman took several late official visits and even flirted with SEC schools like Tennessee and Florida. But when it came to National Signing Day every assumed he would that Logan-El would stay close to home and announce for Maryland.
That line of thinking was only reinforced when Logan-El elected to announce his decision live on TV from the ESPN Zone in Baltimore. Maryland fans filled the restaurant to be there in person to watch Logan-El decide and even then-Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen’s wife was in attendance. Logan-El then pulled out one hat after another, revealing why each school wouldn’t be his choice. First came Florida, then Tennessee, then Maryland. Those in attendance expected it to stop there, but instead Logan-El tossed the Terps hat aside, finishing the exercise by putting on a Penn State hat and posing with a picture of himself and then-Penn State coach Joe Paterno.
The announcement drew jeers from the crowd and left a shocked ESPN crew, including Rivals.com's own Mike Farrell, to react to the news on the air.
Logan-El’s career at Penn State was far less notable, as he transferred to FCS program Towson after a year in Happy Valley before eventually giving up the game.
National Memories: “The Logan El situation was one of the more ridiculous ones I've been around. He was committed to Maryland for the longest time but decided it would be a good idea to make his announcement at an ESPN Sports Zone in Maryland. He even invited Ralph Friedgen and his wife. Then, on national television, he picked up hat after hat of schools he wasn't choosing and then held up a big picture of Joe Paterno to choose Penn State. There were nearly fights at the Sports Zone afterward. I was on the television broadcast during his live announcement and was simply stunned. I called it a puppet show. It was embarrassing to the kid and his school.” – Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell
