11-14-2007, 08:17 AM
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Head Coach
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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Pryor paving a path toward greatness
By Barker Davis
November 14, 2007
JEANNETTE, Pa. ? Terrelle Pryor is rocking the mold in the nation's cradle of quarterbacks.
Western Pennsylvania has long been famous for its pipeline of Hall of Fame slingers. From George Blanda (Youngwood), Johnny Unitas (Mount Washington) and Joe Namath (Beaver Falls) to Dan Marino (Oakland), Joe Montana (Monongahela) and Jim Kelly (Pittsburgh), no other region has spawned such a high-profile parade of stars behind center.
But it's been awhile since the Pittsburgh metro area produced a true quarterback prodigy.
Enter Pryor. There's a high school legend growing in Jeannette, a burg boasting just more than 10,000 inhabitants about 25 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. And like most legends involving high school recruits, Pryor's tale is not immune to the occasional bit of hyperbole.
"They call him 'HD,' because Terrelle is like some kind of dazzling new technology. He does things nobody's ever seen before," a Jeannette resident said. "I once saw Terrelle vault 8 yards into the end zone over two defenders from [Greensburg] Central Catholic."
According to Jeannette coach Ray Reitz, it was only a 5-yard leap over one Central Catholic player, "but it was still the most amazing thing I've ever seen on a football field."
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Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel and Buckeyes' basketball mentor Thad Matta both watched that slaughter live. In that game, Pryor torched Central Catholic's Chris Hayden-Martin, who is considered one of the top 25 cornerbacks in the nation.
"I told our kids at the end of it that [Pryor]'s the best player I've ever seen, and I've been coaching since 1971," Central Catholic coach Muzzy Colosimo told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
With his enormous stride and gliding running style, Pryor doesn't look that fast on film. But he runs a sub-4.4 (40-yard dash), routinely provoking scouts to compare him to Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young.
Think of Pryor as video-enhanced Young, a bigger, faster, stronger [305 bench press] version of the player who carried Texas to the 2005 national championship. College coaches aren't allowed to officially comment on recruits, but one of Pryor's suitors authored this anonymous analysis:
"In more than 30 years of coaching and recruiting, I've never seen a kid with his upside. He needs to work on the mechanics of his delivery, but he's got amazing tools. The Vince Young comparisons are appropriate. Both are gliders, but I think Pryor actually has more upside. Compared to where Young was coming out of high school, Pryor is just as elusive and explosive as a runner, but he has a longer frame and superior touch on shorter passes."To his credit, Pryor just shakes his head at all the comparisons and recruiting madness swirling around him.
"It's flattering when people compare me to Vince Young, but it's way too soon," said Pryor, who is leaning toward Ohio State but likely to take official visits to West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida and Texas. "I just want to be myself and make a name for myself.
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Pryor paving a path toward greatness?-?-?The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
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