So There is a Chance-llor

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, August 13, 2006

Tyrone Willingham confirmed after Monday’s afternoon practice that Chancellor Young is enrolled in summer school. But Willingham would only say that Young’s status is “pending.” That is quite a change from a month ago, though, when Willingham said Young was academically inelligible for the year.

In an interview with Seattle’s KJR sports radio station on Monday afternoon, Young’s father Charle, a former Seahawk, said that all Chancellor needed to do was finish a paper and he hoped that he would be able to rejoin the team this season. Willingham did not say what Chancellor had to do to rejoin the team, but the fact that the wide receiver transfer from Duke is in school at least makes it possible that the former O’Dea star could be back with the Huskies in the future.

Junior college transfers Ashlee Palmer, Aaron Mason and Anthony Atkins were also not at the afternoon practice and Willingham repeated his statements to the media from the morning in saying that their status was “pending.” All three are dealing with academic situations. But the fact that Willingham changed their status from “no news” to “pending” was enough to get the media’s attention and raise beliefs that they may be in camp sometime in the near future.

The other news to come out of the afternoon media session was that freshman safety Jake Merrill of Gig Harbor has left the team for “personal reasons” according to Willingham, and the coach said he doesn’t expect him to return to the team. Merrill was considered one of the state’s Top-20 seniors last season and was a first-team all-state pick and the Narrows League MVP. He is believed to be the first player to leave the team since the beginning of fall camp.