COLLEGE FOOTBALL / BOWL REPORT : COTTON : Pullig Said Yes, and Then No, to Holtz

One of the more interesting elements of the Cotton Bowl game between Texas A&M; and Notre Dame is the recruiting saga of Corey Pullig, the Aggies’ freshman quarterback.

Pullig, who is from Deer Park, Tex., made his first campus visit last winter to Notre Dame and later informed Ron Cooper, then Notre Dame’s secondary coach, that he would sign with the Irish.

But after making other visits, including a trip to Texas A&M;, Pullig had a change of heart.

“I loved both places,” he said. “They had similar qualities as far as tradition and those type of things. Basically, (the decision) came down to a situation where I could start the first year, and it helped that I would be so close to home.”

Recalling the conversation in which he explained his change of heart to Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz, Pullig said: “He wasn’t very happy with me. He’d already told some other quarterbacks that I had committed (to Notre Dame). I guess I messed up some of their plans.”

In discussing Pullig this week, Holtz has been diplomatic--to a point.

“Not everyone wants to be the quarterback at Notre Dame,” Holtz said. “Not everyone wants to be in the main circle.”

The decision almost backfired on Pullig.

His thinking was based largely on the assumption that Jeff Granger, who backed up Bucky Richardson at quarterback for the Aggies in 1991, would make the U.S. Olympic baseball team and not return to football. Granger, however, didn’t make the Olympic team and decided to try football again.

It wasn’t until the ninth game of the season, against Southern Methodist, that Pullig took over the starting job from Granger. Pullig has completed 50% of his passes for 953 yards and three touchdowns.