Randle may not be ready to sign

• By SCOTT HOTARD
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Feb 4, 2009 - UPDATED: 6:42 a.m.

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On National Signing Day 2008, Pennsylvania quarterback Terrelle Pryor sat idle. He took six weeks to make a decision, finally signing with Ohio State on March 19.

Louisiana could get a taste of something similar if Rueben Randle, the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the nation, elects to skip Bastrop High’s signing ceremony at the school this afternoon.

Randle told the Bastrop Daily Enterprise on Tuesday that he was still considering Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma. But he also said that decision might not come today.

“Hopefully, I’ll sign,” he told the Enterprise. “I’m going to try my best to, anyway.”

Reached by phone Tuesday night, Rueben’s father, Emmett Randle, said “I don’t know” if his son would prolong the process. He declined comment when asked why such a scenario had surfaced.

To be sure, Randle’s hotly followed recruitment found another gear on the eve of National Signing Day, the day nearly all elite prospects sign letters of intent.

KTVE Channel 10 in Monroe reported on its 6 p.m. sports segment that DeAngelo Benton, a former Bastrop teammate, could be a factor in Randle’s decision. The report quoted Emmett Randle saying, “It’s nothing personal. It’s just a depth chart issue.”

A star receiver prospect himself, Benton is expected to sign with LSU today for the third time.

He graduated from Bastrop in 2007, but has been plagued by eligibility issues.

Should Randle choose to wait, he would have until April 1 to sign.

“He’s one of the best athletes in the country,” Scout.com analyst Chad Simmons said. “The guy is very talented and has NFL size. I don’t think it even matters what kind of depth you have at receiver. He’s the kind of kid you can put out there right away and expect him to make plays.”

West Monroe coach Don Shows confirmed Tuesday that Barkevious Mingo, one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects, plans to sign with LSU today.