Pryor was a High School standout not only on the football field, but on the basketball court. In 2008, ESPN gave him a grade of 96, good enough for 39th in their top 100 basketball recruits. “He could probably play hoops at Ohio State, but he won’t,” they wrote.
That claim probably has truth. The six foot six inch, 220 lb. Pryor had a sweet midrange game, and he could dominate in the post. In a district championship game while at Jeannette High School in Pennsylvania, he posted 39 points, 24 rebounds and 10 blocks, yet he was even better at football.
In a state that has produced Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett, Terrelle Pryor was the only one to pass and rush for 4,000 yards. He led his team to a 38-4 record in his last three years. He was responsible for 125 touchdowns over that span. He was highly coveted by Florida, Michigan, Oregon and West Virginia. It was as if he was football’s LeBron.
Ohio State managed to land Terrelle Pryor, and he delivered them two Big Ten Championships in two years, won the Rose Bowl in 2010 and earned MVP honors. Then Pryor’s junior year was put on hold due to a suspension for selling memorabilia.
After that, he did the right thing, he left Ohio State in all its corruption and agreed to never talk to its athletic department or recruits again. This made him eligible for NFL’s Supplemental Draft in August, where he was the only player selected. The Raiders picked him up in the third round.
In his second season with Oakland, Pryor has made them watchable again. On Sunday, in his first NFL start, he ran 13 times for 112 yards and threw for 217 more and a touchdown. Two interceptions would ruin the day for Pryor, though, who fell to the Colts 21-17, and afterwards said his performance “don’t even matter.”
Terrelle Pryor is an extremely gifted athlete. Performances like this show you what the future will hold for him. If you’re looking for someone to root for this year, I think Pryor is your guy. He fits the mold of the new QB prototype, with a good arm and great running ability. Simply put, he makes plays. He just competed with Indianapolis, a playoff team, for four quarters. Why can’t this guy turn the Raiders around?
