Heading into this morning's press conference, the debate surrounding Chad Henne's collegiate choice has reached its pinnacle of confusion.

Henne, a Wilson High School rising senior and the No. 3 nationally ranked quarterback for the class of 2004, plans to announce the college whose colors he will bear at 11 a.m. today at Body Zone Sports and Fitness Complex near Reading.

However, in yesterday's Harrisburg Patriot-News, staff writer Bob Flounders reported that an anonymous Pennsylvania source had confirmed that Henne had already made his decision -- and would be heading to Michigan.

But Wilson football coach Jim Cantafio discounted flying rumors and said this morning will be the first time Henne announces where he is headed.

"[The claim] did not come from the Hennes', that did not come from the Cantafios'," Cantafio said. "We do not know where it came from."

"[It was] nobody here, no parents, no coaches. Nobody made a comment where Chad Henne is going."

And Cantafio did not hide his anger regarding the proclamation that Henne would head to Ann Arbor, Mich., in fall 2004.

"It is typical of sportswriters. They like to get the upper hand on things," Cantafio said.

Flounders, however, sticks by his reporting.

"I absolutely stand by what I wrote," Flounders said. "I can't be any more assertive and certain than that."

The report announced Henne's decision to become a Wolverine and also included that Henne had already given word to the Michigan coaching staff.

"Barring an 11th-hour change of heart, Pennsylvania's top high school quarterback will select Michigan over Penn State during a news conference tomorrow morning," the Patriot-News reported yesterday. "The source, who requested anonymity, told The Patriot-News that Henne of Wilson High School near Reading recently informed Michigan of his intention to join the Wolverines."

When asked to respond to Cantafio's comments, Flounders remained unfazed.

"The answer is what I told [the reporter] 60 seconds ago," Flounders said. "Because of the delicate nature of the situation, I can't say any more until after the press conference tomorrow."

Yesterday's Reading Eagle reported that Henne already made his decision, but was remaining quiet until the press conference, even to some of those closest to him.

Penn State verbal commitment and Shenandoah Valley Senior High School rising senior Greg Harrison, a close friend of Henne's, resented the announcement by the Patriot-News.

"I don't like the fact that they wrote a story and broke the news from a 'reliable source' and not from Henne or Cantafio," Harrison said. "The 'reliable source' tag is thrown around too much. That's...a paper trying to sell some papers. It could be true, but I still don't agree that they printed it this way."

Fellow Penn State commitment A.Q. Shipley has not been in contact with Henne recently, but expressed discomfort over Henne's alleged decision.

"I hope it isn't true," Shipley said. "If it is, I wish him the best. How trustworthy the source is, you can't really tell."

As one of the nation's top quarterback prospects, Henne has been heavily recruited by the country's top collegiate football programs, especially after a junior campaign in which he threw for more than 2,200 yards and completed 23 touchdown passes.

In a June 11 press conference that began a period during which he would not take calls from the media, Henne announced his top five school choices as Penn State, Michigan, Georgia, Miami and Tennessee. At that time, he also announced his plans to make public his decision at a press conference sometime in August, before the start of the 2003 high school football season.

And despite early reports, Harrison knows that he will have to wait until that press conference for the final word on whether or not he will share the field with Henne.

"It's a toss up," Harrison said. "I guess we'll see [today] at 11 -- for certain."