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Terrelle Pryor Everything He's Hyped Up to Be

Written by Personal Foul

Tuesday, 23 October 2007

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I wanted to see Terrelle Pryor play first hand before crowning him #1 in the country...I came away convinced!

There are few events that would compel me to stray 45 minutes from my 5 minute commute home from work on a rainy Friday evening, however the opportunity to watch the best high school football player in America gave me a good reason. I had tried unsuccessfully the week before to watch Jeanette High School phenom Terrelle Pryor play at Carlynton High School, which is significantly closer to my house than Jeanette. I thought I had done my due diligence in researching the schedule, mapquesting the school and calling to make sure Pryor would be playing, I forgot however, to ask if the team played their games at the school, which they don't. After driving around for an hour and asking for directions several times, I cut my losses and went home. So this Friday I took the trek to Jeanette and arrived about 5 minutes later than the large crowd that he typically attracts, forcing me to watch through the heads of about six rows of people from the top of a hill. Did I mention it was raining?

The 6'6" 220lb QB with 4.4 speed has been declared the number one high school football prospect by Rivals and labeled as "The Next Vince Young" by several in the industry. I have worked with a high school football scouting service here in Pittsburgh for about the past two years. I generally know what to expect with high school players and I like to think I know what separates the good from the bad. That being said, I showed up to Jeanette High School expecting to see an exceptional athlete with a load of upside and potential, I was not expecting to see a kid account for 221 yards of offense in eight plays and cap it off with spectacular play at the free safety position. I'll come back to that.

Averaging 58.9 points per game this season, Jeanette easily blew away a formidable opponent in East Allegheny by a score of 77-6. Winning 55-0 at halftime, Jeanette forced the Mercy Rule (which necessitates a continuously running second half clock for teams winning by 35 or more) for the eighth time this season. Pryor was 4 for 5 throwing the ball for 152 yards and two touchdowns, he also ran 3 times for 69 yards (23 yds/carry) and a score. As I said, I expected to see a lot of talent and knew that he could run past most defenses, however it was his play at safety that may have impressed me the most. Once Jeanette achieved a comfortable lead - about 5 minutes into the game - they put Pryor in a deep centerfield role at free safety. He showed excellent closing speed, reaction time, tackling and hands. Pryor often beat the opposing QB's pass to the sideline, never missed the tackle if he didn't and was able to undercut one out route with ease to grab the interception. One play in particular caught my attention when Pryor took a perfect angle from across the field, shed two blocks and made a touchdown saving tackle. It wasn't his flashiest play of the night but it may have shown me the most about his knowledge and maturity in the game. I left that game Friday night thinking, "This kid plays like a Junior in college".

Terrell Pryor is also a basketball star and said he wants to play both sports in college, which has proven to be a daunting task for many athletes before him. A five-star recruit, he averaged 21 points per game as a junior and is considered the #3 small forward in the nation and the #28 player overall.

Alright, now that we've established all of that, let's talk recruiting. Pryor has recently short-listed to seven schools, they are: Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia & Pitt. Depending how bad he wants to play basketball, some of those schools are easier to eliminate than others. Pryor has waffled on Pitt a few times, having verbally committed at one point, only to later renege stating that it was too close to home. Coming from a Pitt fan, that was very polite of him. I'm sure it has nothing to do with Pitt losing to Navy on national television in front of a half-empty Heinz Field or anything like that. Besides, they already have a top freshman QB in Pat Bostick. Apparently his father really wants him to go to Pitt and, depending who you talk to, he loves them - he loves them not. The true front-runner in the Pryor sweepstakes appears to be Ohio State, which he'll officially visit in early November.

I've seen Justin King, Steve Breaston, LaVar Arrington, Nick Sukay and several others play high school football, but I've never seen a Terrelle Pryor. Pryor will play one more regular season high school game on Thursday against Greensburg Central Catholic, another team that's supposed to test Jeanette. I just hope it doesn't rain...

Season Stats:

PASSING

Att. Comp. % Yds. TD INT

55 37 67.2 889 9 2

RUSHING

Car. Yds Avg. TD

37 538 14.5 13

*Please note that Pryor has played in the second half very few times this season.

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Lloyds Apple said:

Great read man, thanks for the insight.

He is recruited as a QB by every school but it'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

OSU "insiders" remain extremely confident in Terrelle Pryor committing to OSU. WVU fans are also confident.

I think it comes down to those two schools. I do know this, Pryor and recent OSU verbal Lamaar Thomas have been in close contact for awhile now. Pryor is coming to Ohio State for the Wisconsin game.

I'll be up their and will ask him where he's going. I'm sure he'll tell me.

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October 25, 2007
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wpeery said:

	That is a great, great read Jason. That's why I brought you to deathrattle! High quality read Jason and I know you are a true "football guy". Keep up the good work!
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October 25, 2007
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JEH45 said:

	OSU coaches Jim Tressel and Thad Matta are going to Terrelle Pryor's game tonight. I hope Jason gets to tonights game and tells us about it.
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October 25, 2007
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Personal Foul said:

	Sorry JEH45, I didn't make it. They televised the game here though and he ended up with 10 carries for 152 yds and 3 TD's and 8-14 passing with 142 yds and 3 TD's. Jeannette won 46-3 as it was the first time Pryor played in the 4th Quarter all season. Greensburg Central Catholic coach Muzzy Colosimo said after the game "That's the best player I've ever seen and I've been coaching since 1971".
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October 26, 2007
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Lloyds Apple said:

	So what position would you play him at in college to give your team the best chance to win?
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October 26, 2007
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Personal Foul said:

	QB -- He's such a rare talent, he can run or throw. Truly a Vince Young type. I think whatever team gets him would be wise to play him on both sides of the ball in certain situations if they have the guts to take the injury/fatigue risk.
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October 26, 2007
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goal line said:

	thanks for the great article man. rare to see such talent at two sports simultaneously. be interesting to see which he ends up with.
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