Latest in an illustrious line
JEANNETTE — Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, George Blanda and East Brady's Jim Kelly earned Western Pennsylvania the nickname of the Cradle of Quarterbacks.
Next up? It might very well be Terrelle Pryor, whose high school career dwarfed those of all the stars who preceded him in one of the nation's most competitive and closely watched football regions.
Pryor, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound bundle of talent, is the latest in a lengthy line of exceptional players from Western Pennsylvania that also includes Tony Dorsett, LaVar Arrington and Bill Fralic.
"Not in my lifetime have I seen a player like Terrelle, and I've watched football for 40 years," said Ray Reitz, his coach at Jeannette High School. "When you're great, you're great. He could compete at any level."
Reitz, who saw Dorsett in high school, isn't alone in tossing out such praise for the only player in Pennsylvania high school history to rush for more than 4,000 yards and throw for more than 4,000 in a career. He finished with 4,250 yards rushing and 4,249 passing.
Pryor has already won several national player of the year awards. He was the MVP of the nationally televised U.S. Army all-American Bowl game in San Antonio earlier this month. He is also the No. 1-rated player by nearly every major recruiting service.
Pryor is special for another reason, too: Only two weeks from NCAA Division I-A national letter of intent day, Pryor is uncommitted — making him the object of one of the most intense coast-to-coast recruiting competitions in recent years.
The reasons why are obvious.
Pryor's size, speed, arm strength, acceleration and athleticism are uncommon for a quarterback so young. Watching him play high school football was much like watching LeBron James play Ohio high school basketball: He was so much better than those around him, it was like a man playing among boys.
This season, Pryor had 3,788 yards of total offense, rushing for 1,899 yards and passing for 1,889 on a 16-0 team that scored a state-record 860 points, or 105 more than the previous record. Pryor ran for 33 touchdowns and threw for 23, averaging a touchdown every four times he touched the ball.
No wonder why college coach after college coach has told Pryor the same thing: Go to that coach's school, and it automatically becomes a national title contender. He is looking at Michigan, Ohio State, LSU and Oregon, but schools frequently fall on and off the list.
"He's a program changer. If you get him, you're going to get a lot of other great athletes to follow," Reitz said.
How good an athlete is Pryor? Despite having no preseason practice, he had 24 points, 11 rebounds, six dunks, four blocked shots and five steals in his first basketball game this season, only four days after his final football game.
But juggling an all-state basketball career — he is closing in on 2,000 points for his career — and recruiting trips is proving difficult.
"It is tiring," Pryor said. "I'm just trying to get it over with and move on.. Of course, you're looking at all the top colleges in the country, so it's going to be hard."
