Terrelle Pryor and 10 College Football Stars Who Were Never Worth the Drama

Sure Tim Tebow carried a little bit of controversy with him when he was at Florida. His rather outspoken personal beliefs often clashed with others, but there is no one out there who would say he was more trouble than he was worth. 

However, not all controversial athletes are Tim Tebow. Plenty of them have let the drama far outweigh their talent. It's these troubled players that cause the school headaches and problems that make them regret their decision to take them on in the first place. 

Here's a look at Terrelle Pryor and 10 other college players that were never worth the drama.

10. Lawrence Phillips, RB, Nebraska

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2 Jan 1996: Running back Lawrence Phillips #1 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers carries the ball down the field with a Florida Gator hanging on in the Fiesta Bowl in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Nebraska defeated Florida 62-24. Mandatory Credit: Mi

There is no doubt that Lawrence Phillips was as talented a back as Nebraska had ever seen. He was an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy his Junior season, but along the way he ended up being involved in a domestic assault case. 

All this did was put Nebraska in a real bind and flood their program with unwanted media attention. Phillips was suspended initially, but eventually reinstated. This put a black mark on the career of decorated head coach Tom Osbourne who was accused of favoring his star player. 

The whole controversy was more trouble than Phillips was worth. He left after the season for the NFL draft. 

9. Ryan Perrilloux, QB, LSU

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 01: Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux #11 of the Louisiana State University Tigers celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the University of Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Championship game on December 1, 2007 at the Georgia Dome

Perrilloux was the darling of the 2005 prep class and LSU felt lucky to have landed the star quarterback. That's the last time they would feel lucky about anything related to Perrilloux. 

After being red-shirted his freshman year there were reports that he had transferred. Then there was the fake I.D at a gambling boat his sophomore year and the bar fight he got into with another teammate. 

Then there was the suspension and eventual dismissal of Perrilloux for a violation of team rules. 

At that point it wasn't goodbye, it was good riddance. 

8. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Jimmy Clausen #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish walks the sideline during their game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Clausen was such an outstanding high school prospect that he was offered a scholarship to Notre Dame before his senior season. However, his time at Notre Dame was anything but outstanding. 

Besides have a rather inconsistent career as a Notre Dame quarterback he was involved in a couple of off the field incidents. In his first year he was cited for illegal transportation of alcohol. 

Two years later he was involved in a fight outside a pub in South Bend, Indiana. While neither incident is enough to put him at the top of a drama filled list, it's certainly enough to get him on the list at all. 

7. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to hand the ball of to Dan Herron #1 against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Terrelle Pryor was supposed to be the next Vince Young, or Michael Vick, but his collegiate career has been nothing like those two gentleman. 

Just this season it was revealed that Pryor had sold memorabilia in exchange for tattoo's as well as other considerations. 

Beyond the fact that Pryor will have to sit for the first five games of his senior season, his career overall hasn't been what everyone thought it would be. Being a disappointment on the field might be worse than his being a disappointment off it.  

6. Pacman Jones, DB, West Virginia

Before the trouble started in the NFL for Pacman Jones, it started at West Virginia. While he was a standout on the field he also served a two year probation for his involvement in a bar fight. 

Of course his legal troubles in the NFL far eclipsed anything that he did in college, but West Virginia had to see they had trouble on their hands. 

5. Todd Marinovich, QB, USC

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17 Nov 1990: Quarterback Todd Marinovich of the USC Trojans celebrates after the Trojans 45-42 victory over the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Wade /Allsport

Few prospects have ever been as talented as Marinovich, and few of them have ever felt the pressure like he did from his father. 

Those who knew him could see he was coming undone at the seems from the moment he arrived on the campus of Southern California. He left school during his freshman year stating he wanted to be someone other than himself. 

During his sophomore season he was suspended for skipping classes, yelled at his coach during a nationally televised loss and was arrested for cocaine possession just one month later. 

Marinovich is the saddest story on the list.

4. Tony Mandarich, OT, Michigan State University

Tony Mandarich will forever be known as one of the most glorious busts the NFL has ever seen, but his days at Michigan State, while incredibly successful, were also filled with their fair share of drama.

If you forget the fact that Mandarich felt an incredible sense of entitlement to being the big man on campus, and his massive steroid use and if you dismiss his love of alleged alcohol then you could say there was nothing wrong with him. 

However, if you played at Michigan State during those days you would be unlikely to agree. 

3. Marcus Vick, QB, Virginia Tech

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 2: Marcus Vick #5 of the Virginia Tech Hokies scrambles against the Louisville Cardinals during the Toyota Gator Bowl on January 2, 2006 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images)

For those who were convinced that Marcus Vick would show the flash and the brilliance of his brother Michael, they were sorely mistaken. 

His career got off to an awful start when he was suspended for the 2004 season due to criminal convictions. 

Once Vick got on the field his antics didn't get any more refined or professional. 

Once he left Virginia Tech he experience a criminal career that outlasted his NFL career.

2. Ryan Leaf, QB, Washington State University

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16 Nov 1996: Washington State University Cougars quarterback Ryan Leaf looks on from the sidelines during game against the University of Stanford Cardinals at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Stanford University won the game 33-17.

The problem with Ryan Leaf in college wasn't so much his on the field persona which, by all accounts, was rather favorable. 

However, Leaf was not much of a good guy behind the scenes. The arrogant nature to him and the way he handled himself, teammates and the media was not becoming of an elite quarterback at the next level. 

Of course it's been said that he received money from an agent while in school as well.

 The signs for Leaf to struggle in the NFL were all there. Too bad the San Diego Chargers weren't paying attention. 

1. Maurice Clarett, RB, Ohio State University

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TEMPE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 3: Tailback Maurice Clarett #13 of the Ohio State Buckeyes takes in the victory over the University of Miami Hurricanes in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium on January 3, 2003 in Tempe, Arizona. Ohio State won the ga

Clarett was a fantastic disaster in college. While at Ohio State Clarett was involved in several incident that included an accusation of getting special treatment from a professor. He was seen yelling at his coach during a regular season came.

But the real blow came when he filed a false police report that would later lead to his dismissal. The Ohio State athletic director also claimed that Clarett received special benefits that amounted to thousands of dollars. 

The amazing thing about Clarett is that for all his misdoings in college, his college career was far more successful than his pro career.