Terrelle Pryor

Terrelle Pryor Sr. (born June 20, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was widely regarded as the nation's top football prospect of 2008 and was named "Junior of the Year" by Rivals.com. Pryor had originally hoped to be a two-sport athlete, as he was also one of the nation's most recruited high school basketball players, but he later chose football.

He was the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2008 to 2010, winning the Big Ten championship twice. His college career was marred by several suspensions and accusations of selling memorabilia and led to his eventual withdrawal from the university. Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2011 NFL supplemental draft. He then played quarterback for the Raiders from 2011 to 2013 and later spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cincinnati Bengals. He converted full-time to wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns in 2015 and played that position for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Early life

As a freshman at Jeannette High School, Pryor was clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 22.40 seconds in the 200-meter dash, and because of his athleticism and 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) frame, he drew comparisons to former Texas standout Vince Young, as well as Philadelphia Eagles-era Randall Cunningham. Pryor also lived up to his recruiting ranking as a basketball player by leading the Jeannette Jayhawks to win their first WPIAL Championship in over 20 years, and then on to win the Pennsylvania PIAA state basketball championship game as a senior. During his junior year, he led the Jayhawks to their first Pennsylvania PIAA Class "AA" state football championship game where they lost to the Warriors of Wilson Area High School. During the 2007 football season, Pryor and the Jayhawks repeated as champions of the WPIAL. Following the Pennsylvania state semi-finals against the Greyhounds from Wilmington Area High School, Terrelle became the first player in the history of Pennsylvania high school football to run for 4,000 yards and also throw for 4,000 yards. The following week, Pryor led the Jayhawks to their first-ever Pennsylvania state championship by defeating the Dunmore Bucks, 49–21. At the conclusion of the season, Pryor had quarterbacked the Jayhawks to a Pennsylvania state season record of 860 points.

Pryor's high school accomplishments include being the two-time Pennsylvania Player of the Year, the offensive Player of the Year and the MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was named to the Parade All-America football team for the 2007 season and was selected as the Parade National Player of the Year.

As a basketball player, Pryor was named a fourth-team Parade All-American in 2008.

College recruiting

Pryor was widely considered one of the top football recruits in the Class of 2008. He was ranked number four in the ESPNU 150 and the number one quarterback. Throughout his high school career, Pryor acquired numerous scholarship offers, initially committing to the hometown University of Pittsburgh to play basketball under coach Jamie Dixon. However, by his senior year his top interests were Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Oregon and West Virginia. Sports Illustrated called Pryor's announcement "the most anticipated signing day announcement in history."

Pryor originally intended to announce his decision on February 6, National Signing Day, but later changed his mind, stating he still had not decided among Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State. Following the Jeannette basketball team's state championship victory on March 15, Pryor stated he would make his college decision within one week. On March 19, 2008, Pryor announced at a press conference that he would attend Ohio State University.

College career

Pryor saw limited action in the Buckeye's season opener against Youngstown State. He took more snaps against USC on September 13, 2008, completing 7-of-9 passes for 59 yards, as well as rushing for 40 yards on 11 carries.

On September 20, 2008, Pryor threw for a freshman school-record four touchdowns and one interception in his first career start for Ohio State. Ohio State beat Troy 28–10. On October 4, 2008, Pryor ran for the winning touchdown against Wisconsin on an option play with running back Chris "Beanie" Wells. On October 25, 2008, in an Ohio State loss against Penn State Pryor threw for a career-high 226 yards, connecting on 16 of 25 passes. Against Illinois on November 15, 2008, Pryor had his first career 100-yard rushing day running for 110 yards and a touchdown. In the Fiesta Bowl against Texas, he lined up at receiver and caught his first touchdown pass in college. Pryor led Ohio State to an 8–1 record as a starter in his freshman year; his only loss as a starter was against Penn State. (Todd Boeckman made the start in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas.) Following the 2008 Big Ten Conference football season, he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection by the media and Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the coaches.

Before his sophomore year began, he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash in a race against Ray Small and many others. He was the fastest Buckeye in 2009. In his sophomore year, Pryor led the Buckeyes to another Big Ten Championship. After starting the season slow, he eventually developed into a better passer, and went on to earn the 2010 Rose Bowl MVP trophy after leading Ohio State to a 26–17 victory over Oregon. Pryor had the best passing game of his career, and also rushed for 72 yards. Following the 2009 Big Ten Conference football season, he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection by the media.

Ohio State began the 2010 season second in most polls and Pryor began the season as a favorite for numerous awards. On September 25, 2010, Pryor had a break-out game in a 73–20 win over Eastern Michigan. He had six total touchdowns, including one rushing and one receiving. Following the 2010 Big Ten Conference football season, he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection by both the coaches and the media. He was edged out by Denard Robinson as the 2010 Big Ten Conference MVP as voted by the Big Ten coaches. They had the same number of first place votes. His 27 passing touchdowns led the Big Ten.

On December 23, 2010, the NCAA ruled that Pryor and four of his teammates would be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, as a sanction for selling memorabilia. This suspension did not involve the controversial decision to allow Pryor and his teammates to participate in the university's season-ending Sugar Bowl game on January 4, 2011.

Awards and honors

• 2007 Hall Trophy (U.S. Army Player of the Year)
• 2007 PARADE National Player of the Year and All-American
• 2008 Pete Dawkins Trophy (U.S. Army All-American Bowl MVP)
• 2008 U.S. Army All-American MVP
• 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year (coaches)
• 2008 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (media)
• 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Sportsmanship Award
• 2009 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
• 2009 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (media)
• 2010 Rose Bowl MVP
• 2010 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (coaches and media)
• 2010 Big Ten MVP runner-up
• 2011 Miller-Digby Award (Vacated award due to NCAA sanctions)

NCAA investigation and departure from Ohio State

On May 31, 2011, head coach Jim Tressel resigned. Multiple media outlets also reported that Pryor had been driving on a license that was suspended by the State of Ohio. He drove a Nissan 350Z to a team meeting and workout. ESPN reported that his suspension was to expire on August 18, 2011. In a subsequent report, ESPN also alleged that Pryor made thousands of dollars autographing memorabilia for a local booster, a charge denied by Pryor's attorney.

On June 7, 2011, it was announced that Pryor had chosen to withdraw from the university. On June 26, 2011, Pryor was banned from all contact with the university's athletic program and new incoming recruits. This caused him to become eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pryor held his Pro Day on August 20, 2011, in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where representatives from 17 NFL teams were present, including the Oakland Raiders. As was widely anticipated, Pryor demonstrated excellent athleticism and speed for a 6'4½" athlete weighing in at 240 pounds. His 40-yard dash times were clocked from 4.32 to 4.54 seconds, a range of times considered extremely fast for an athlete of his height and weight. Some scouts noted that the turf Pryor ran on was soft, and that he would have been even faster on a harder surface like those found in the NFL. His throwing was regarded as less impressive, as he completed 27 of 39 passes for just under a 70% completion rate, with four of those passes being dropped by receivers.