VILLANOVA, Pa. — Terrelle Pryor was one of the best basketball players on the court Friday night as his team, Jeannette High School of western Pennsylvania, played Chester High School, a six-time defending district champion. In the first quarter, Pryor drew cheers by finishing a breakaway with a thunderous one-handed slam.
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Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
Terrelle Pryor, widely considered the country’s top football recruit, has many guessing about which college he will choose.
About 1,800 fans were there for part of an elite eight-team invitational. But many of them were not interested in Pryor’s nose for the basket. Pryor, who is a senior, also happens to be one of the most highly regarded football recruits in the country.
“I think the best comparison you could make to the last five, six years would probably be Vince Young,” Bob Lichtenfels, a recruiting analyst for Scout.com, said, referring to the Tennessee Titans quarterback who won a national title in college at Texas. “But, personally, I think he’s going to be better than Vince Young. That’s nothing against Vince. He’s a great player. Terrelle is just a difference maker.”
Pryor is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound quarterback who seems to have it all: arm strength, agility and enough speed to consistently leave defenders in his wake. He has been ranked as the country’s top prospect by several recruiting services. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, ideal for a spread offense. He is also the only player from Pennsylvania to finish his high school career with more than 4,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing.
The buzz about Pryor is approaching a crescendo. On Wednesday, football recruits can begin signing binding letters of intent with colleges. Almost all of the top players have already made their decisions. Pryor has not, which has fans across the country and the blogosphere biting their nails.
Pryor is expected to improve the fortunes of whichever program he chooses. The finalists appear to be Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon. Penn State Coach Joe Paterno made a rare recruiting trip to Jeannette on Wednesday. Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez and Ohio State’s Jim Tressel are expected to attend Jeannette’s home game on Saturday. Coaches from other programs may have slipped into the Pavilion on Villanova’s campus on Friday for a last-ditch sales pitch.
The fans have made an impression, too. Two hours before the Jeannette-Chester game, they lined up to get Pryor’s autograph. Pryor’s basketball coach, Jim Nesser, had one of his assistants turn them away.
“Everywhere we go, he’s like a rock star,” Nesser said.
Pryor, who did not speak to the news media before the game, is used to the attention by now, having led Jeannette to a state championship in football in December. Highlights of the Jayhawks’ 49-21 victory over Dunmore have attracted more than 200,000 hits on YouTube. A football he recently signed appeared on eBay for $99.99.
Charlie Batch, the Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback, has acted as an adviser for Pryor and tagged along for a recruiting trip to Michigan.
“It’s like watching a boy become a man,” Batch said during a telephone interview. “He’s going through so much in such a short period of time. From what I see, he’s handling it well.
“The things he’s able to do on the field, it’s beyond what anyone’s seen in years. He’s accomplished all that he can and now he’s ready for the next challenge. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Last month, Pryor said he intended to announce which university he would attend on Wednesday, which is the national signing day. But two days ago, he hinted he might delay the decision so he could visit Oregon.
Recruits have until April 1 to make their choice.
For the moment, Pryor seems more focused on basketball than football. And his fans seem just fine with that. As Pryor hit a silky jumper from the top of the key against Chester on Friday, people in the stands howled. Pryor has said he wanted to play basketball in college, too. Nesser referred to him as a point forward.
Dave Burman, a 49-year-old from Lewistown, Pa., traveled several hours to watch the team he roots for, Chester, compete against Jeannette. He and a family friend, an 11-year-old named Jordan, wanted to ask Pryor for an autograph before the game. But they lingered for a beat too long, and Pryor showed off his speed heading in the opposite direction.
“I’ve been following him forever,” Burman said. “We almost met him. He walked away. But I was close.”
Everyone seems to be following Pryor’s movements these days. And the clock is ticking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/sports/ncaafootball/02preps.html?_r=1&ref=ncaafootball&oref=slogin