By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
Special to MaxPreps.com
JEANNETTE, Pa. - In keeping with his regal stature in this southwestern Pennsylvania community, Terrelle Pryor has a tattoo of a crown on his upper, left arm.
"They call me 'King' around here. I just took it as a nickname, King Pryor," says the 18-year-old senior quarterback at Jeannette High School.
This season, Pryor has more than the bright lights of Jeannette's hillside stadium shining on him. At 6-5«, 225 pounds, with big-time speed and a big-time arm, he is in the national spotlight.
Rivals.com, college recruiting website, ranks him the No. 1 high school football senior.
ESPNU will televise Friday night's game between Jeannette (2-0) and Yough (1-1). It is Class AA ball in a state where the big schools play 4-A, but Pryor is prime-time.
"Pryor is up there with Vince Young . as far as being that fast and that big with the ability to just dominate a game by themselves," says Mike Farrell, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.
Young, former University of Texas star, is now with the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
"I don't want to be the next him. I want to be the next me," says Pryor, also a playmaker at safety.
Football recruiters from the likes of Southern Cal, Ohio State, Florida, and Texas and more are looking for a Pryor commitment. He plans two official recruiting visits so far (West Virginia and Ohio State). Last weekend, he made an unofficial visit to Penn State.
He also is among the top basketball seniors in the USA. Rivals.com ranks him No. 28. Speculation swirls about which college he'll choose and whether he'll play football, basketball or both.
"I'm just relaxing right now, taking everything in and having fun," he says.
Jeannette has a winning tradition, but no fancy weight room. Players lift in a garage owned by an assistant coach. By enrollment, Jeannette could play Class A. It has 188 boys in grades nine through 12. But it plays up in Class AA. Pryor and his team lost by a point in the state final last season and finished 14-2.
On his first play of this season, Pryor ran 53 yards for a TD in a 60-0 victory over Brownsville. In game two, he ran for two TDs, threw for two, had a sack at safety and returned a punt 54 yards in just over a half in a 52-12 win over Washington, Pa. Jeannette coach Ray Reitz dismisses the notion Pryor hasn't faced tough competition in Class AA.
"There are athletes in every classification," Reitz says. "The beauty of Terrelle is that as good an athlete as he is, he wants to be better. He works hard."
How Jeannette becomes home
Pryor's father watches every game from his wheelchair. Craig Terrelle Pryor, 39, has a neuromuscular disorder. As a high school athlete, he played football at Yough.
"I was fast, but not as fast as he is," he says of his son, clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
The father lives in West Newton, Pa., in the Yough school district. Pryor's mother, Thomasina Pryor, lives in Johnstown, Pa. They split up when Pryor was in junior high.
"We have two other children, and we work very hard even though we're apart," says Thomasina. "We've still got to raise our kids. We're together spiritually."
In eighth grade, Pryor moved with his mother to West Mifflin, Pa., but missed his friends in Jeannette. At the start of ninth grade, he moved back to Jeannette to live with his godfather, Willie Burns through his high school years.
"We talk every day, or every other day, football or anything," says Pryor's dad. "I like to know what's getting into."
The parents and Burns stress education. Pryor has a 3.3 grade point average.
"You see kids that fail out of school with NFL and NBA potential," says Pryor.
His dad says his college choice is up to him: "I told him to take his time, pray, and do what you feel comfortable with."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch of Homestead, Pa., has mentored Pryor.
"I told him just play ball, enjoy your senior year and don't get caught up in all the hoopla," says Batch.
This area has produced such quarterbacks as Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.
"You know the work you have to put in to become the next great one," says Batch. "You want to keep the tradition going. Hopefully, one day they're just talking about you."
College decision is pending
In a community of about 11,000, Pryor has been pals with most of his senior teammates since midget ball.
"We just hang out and work out all the time," says fullback-linebacker Michael Matt.
Jerry Harris, halfback-linebacker, on Pryor: "Most of the time, he's pretty mellow, pretty cool. But on the field, he's totally different. He's focused."
Harris adds, "It's just an honor to play with Terrelle. If you don't play at your top-notch level, he's going to embarrass you being the top recruit in the nation."
Roy Hall coaches Jeannette's quarterbacks, special teams and defensive line. He's also strength coach and owns the garage where the team pumps iron.
Hall's been working with Pryor on passing mechanics. The arm strength is there.
"He can stand still and throw the ball, without moving his feet, roughly 65-70 yards. I've seen it," says Hall.
Like everybody in town, Hall wonders which college - and sport -Pryor will select.
"I think he knows deep down, even though he might not admit it, football's his game," says Hall.
Pryor says isn't saying. But he likes a video game, NCAA 08. It has a football and basketball version. Which does he play? "I like the football," he says.
