Terrelle Pryor's Recruiting Diary: Despite what you might hear, no decision on college
Jeannette High School quarterback/defensive back Terrelle Pryor is ranked the No. 1 player in the country by several scouting services and is being recruited by colleges nationwide. Pryor plans to announce his college decision Feb. 6, live on ESPN television. Until then, the Post-Gazette will periodically run a diary from Terrelle Pryor, as told to staff writer Mike White.
I made my official visit to the University of Michigan last weekend, but I didn't meet with the basketball coaches at all. I didn't have time, but it's looking more doubtful that I'll play basketball in college.
Now that I'm starting to get more realistic about this whole thing, I just think there's no way I could play both football and basketball. Just with school alone, I think there's no way I can do both. Plus, I'm going to want at least a little bit of time to myself.
I'm going to be pounding away at football [in college]. If I want to win a national title, I'm going to have to work out and lift weights in the offseason. Maybe even go over films. Plus, I'll want to chill a little. I don't know if I can do all that and play basketball.
I probably won't know definitely until I step on [college] campus. This is just me talking now, but there's a lot more doubt now about me playing basketball.
I feel better about Michigan since I went there. I took [Steelers backup quarterback] Charlie Batch with me. He's helping me through this whole process. We got every single detail about what they're going to do with me in their offense. I got a good feel for things and a good look at Coach [Rich] Rodriguez.
Charlie hit him with the questions about how they're going use me. He asked if they were going to make me a quarterback or am I going to be running all the time? They'll probably use me like they used Pat White at West Virginia, but I would be throwing more. They said they'd teach me some techniques, and I'll be throwing that thing a lot. But they'll use my athleticism on some plays, too.
It's nice having Charlie there on visits. He asks a lot of the questions. He'll ask a question and I think, 'Oh, that's a good one.'I'd still say it's five schools -- Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, LSU and Penn State. I've visited Ohio State and Michigan. I can't just take two visits. I have basketball games this weekend, so I might go to Oregon the middle of next week, come back and then go to LSU. I might miss a basketball game or two, but it might be against weaker teams.
I wouldn't leave out Oregon in this thing.
A few Pitt coaches were here [at Jeannette] again this week. They were trying to hit me hard. But they're just doing their jobs.
I'm not going there and I'm not going to visit there, but I'm thinking about maybe just going down there and talking to them. I'll do it just for my Dad because he loves Pitt. So maybe I'll sit and talk with Pitt, just for him.
The recruiting has gotten crazier in the past couple weeks. One reporter dude from Detroit called the school and flipped out on our principal, the secretary, everyone, just because I wouldn't talk to him. My dad told me people have called his house and offered him thousands of dollars if he'd tell them where I was going to college. It's crazy.
The hard part of this is the picking of the school.
Reporters call me and guys from rivals.com call. All of them are just trying to get the scoop. They say, 'You already know where you're going.' I just say, 'All right,' because I don't know.
I really don't know where I'm going. The night of Feb. 5, I'm just going to have to sit down, shut off my cell phone, relax and just think it all over.
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