Nation's top FB recruit to visit Duke

[Mike Corey]

America's #1 prospect--in football--told Rivals radio earlier this morning that he was planning on visiting Florida, M*chigan and Duke in January.

He is the best prep football prospect since Adrian Peterson came out of Palestine, Texas.

His name is Terrelle Pryor, and he hails from Pennsylvania. He has long been rumored to be a heavy Ohio State lean, and that is likely still the case. However, he had developed a great respect for Coach Cutcliffe, and as such had shown great interest in Tennessee until Cutcliffe accepted his new position at Duke.

Pryor is also a basketball prospect, ranking in the top 50 in the country. He hopes to play both sports in college.

Despite the fact that his commitment to any school other than Ohio State is highly unlikely, that he will be visiting Duke is very good news indeed for the football program.

[YmoBeThere]

Yes, but hasn't Coach K frowned on primary players playing multiple sports? I think Reggie Love is the exception rather than the rule.

[Indoor66]

Yes, but hasn't Coach K frowned on primary players playing multiple sports? I think Reggie Love is the exception rather than the rule.

Love wasn't recruited to play BB.

[RPS]

Despite the fact that his commitment to any school other than Ohio State is highly unlikely, that he will be visiting Duke is very good news indeed for the football program.

It's great news, and even better if he's using one of his five official visits to go to Duke. February 6 isn't far off and Coach Cutliffe has to work fast, but this is excellent news.

[Jumbo]

I'm pretty confident in stating that there is absolutely no chance that Pryor will come to Duke. Even so, it's great to be in the conversation. Buzz is a big thing, and while I'm not sure this will make a big impact on current high school seniors, let's hope it opens some doors that previously would have been closed to the Class of 2009.

[rthomas]

Pryor was all but set on WVU - Huggy and Rodriguez had agreed to let him play both sports. Then Rodriguez left WVU for Michigan - Rodriguez called and told Pryor before telling anone else, including the team, that he had quit at WVU and was going to Michigan. Pryor dropped WVU and added Michigan to his list.

He's supposed to be a Vince Young type QB who can pass.

[formerdukeathlete]

I'm pretty confident in stating that there is absolutely no chance that Pryor will come to Duke. Even so, it's great to be in the conversation. Buzz is a big thing, and while I'm not sure this will make a big impact on current high school seniors, let's hope it opens some doors that previously would have been closed to the Class of 2009.

Rivals indicates Pryor has a 3.4 GPA - presumably on a 4.0 scale.

(The only caveat as a b-ball player is that he apparently plays AA ball in Pa, which is small school ball.)

So, if the stars are aligned, Pryor is drawn to the academic challenge and prestige in attending Duke, Pryor's Western PA coaches and guidance counselors like / are very receptive to Cut (dating back to the Johnny Majors days - JM won a national championship at Pitt and went on to coach at Tennessee, and later returned to Pitt. - Tenn. coaches have done well in western PA), and Pryor would like to play basketball, the opportunity to go out for basketball at Duke, then maybe he picks us.

That he would consider us has got to help with other more highly rated recruits. Renfree is also going to visit in January, last time I checked, a 4 star pro style prospect, who would be a huge land for Duke.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Rivals indicates Pryor has a 3.4 GPA - presumably on a 4.0 scale.

(The only caveat as a b-ball player is that he apparently plays AA ball in Pa, which is small school ball.)

So, if the stars are aligned, Pryor is drawn to the academic challenge and prestige in attending Duke, Pryor's Western PA coaches and guidance counselors like / are very receptive to Cut (dating back to the Johnny Majors days - JM won a national championship at Pitt and went on to coach at Tennessee, and later returned to Pitt. - Tenn. coaches have done well in western PA), and Pryor would like to play basketball, the opportunity to go out for basketball at Duke, then maybe he picks us.

That he would consider us has got to help with other more highly rated recruits. Renfree is also going to visit in January, last time I checked, a 4 star pro style prospect, who would be a huge land for Duke.

"Back in the old days," many of Duke's football players were recruited from Pennsylvania. I hope this visit is one of many indicating a change in fortunes for the football program. It's time!

[SMO]

Rivals indicates Pryor has a 3.4 GPA - presumably on a 4.0 scale.

(The only caveat as a b-ball player is that he apparently plays AA ball in Pa, which is small school ball.)

So, if the stars are aligned, Pryor is drawn to the academic challenge and prestige in attending Duke, Pryor's Western PA coaches and guidance counselors like / are very receptive to Cut (dating back to the Johnny Majors days - JM won a national championship at Pitt and went on to coach at Tennessee, and later returned to Pitt. - Tenn. coaches have done well in western PA), and Pryor would like to play basketball, the opportunity to go out for basketball at Duke, then maybe he picks us.

That he would consider us has got to help with other more highly rated recruits. Renfree is also going to visit in January, last time I checked, a 4 star pro style prospect, who would be a huge land for Duke.

PA high schools are categorized by size but AA schools typically play AAA schools throughout the season. In the playoffs, they only play other AAs but some of those are highly competitive prep schools so the competition is good. It's not like comparing collegiate division I vs. II vs. III.

[Jumbo]

Rivals indicates Pryor has a 3.4 GPA - presumably on a 4.0 scale.

(The only caveat as a b-ball player is that he apparently plays AA ball in Pa, which is small school ball.)

So, if the stars are aligned, Pryor is drawn to the academic challenge and prestige in attending Duke, Pryor's Western PA coaches and guidance counselors like / are very receptive to Cut (dating back to the Johnny Majors days - JM won a national championship at Pitt and went on to coach at Tennessee, and later returned to Pitt. - Tenn. coaches have done well in western PA), and Pryor would like to play basketball, the opportunity to go out for basketball at Duke, then maybe he picks us.

That he would consider us has got to help with other more highly rated recruits. Renfree is also going to visit in January, last time I checked, a 4 star pro style prospect, who would be a huge land for Duke.

Exactly. Look, I think anything we get out of the current senior class is gravy. It's hard to make up ground this quickly after a coaching change, especially given Duke's track record. But, as you indicated, every time Duke's name is mentioned in the same article as a kid like Pryor, it bodes well for next year. Even if Duke is only being mentioned by the kid for show, Cutcliffe can spin it into something positive.

And in the borderline-miraculous event that Pryor actually decided to come to Duke, would K actually let him play basketball? Considering Duke's abundance of guys his size and future recruiting target, it wouldn't make sense to add Pryor from a hoops perspective. Plus, K hasn't exactly been keen on having major players (like Paulus) play two sports (it's different when a guy like D Bryant or Reggie Love walks on to be an extra basketball body). So, let's play a hypothetical game for a second (since there's no way this could come to fruition) -- would Coach K be willing to make a sacrifice for the good of the football program?

[Indoor66]

Exactly. Look, I think anything we get out of the current senior class is gravy. It's hard to make up ground this quickly after a coaching change, especially given Duke's track record. But, as you indicated, every time Duke's name is mentioned in the same article as a kid like Pryor, it bodes well for next year. Even if Duke is only being mentioned by the kid for show, Cutcliffe can spin it into something positive.

And in the borderline-miraculous event that Pryor actually decided to come to Duke, would K actually let him play basketball? Considering Duke's abundance of guys his size and future recruiting target, it wouldn't make sense to add Pryor from a hoops perspective. Plus, K hasn't exactly been keen on having major players (like Paulus) play two sports (it's different when a guy like D Bryant or Reggie Love walks on to be an extra basketball body). So, let's play a hypothetical game for a second (since there's no way this could come to fruition) -- would Coach K be willing to make a sacrifice for the good of the football program?

Isn't the NCAA rule that if he plays Football the scholly is charged against Football. Basketball would be as a "walk-on." Why would K not allow him to try out? If he makes it, so much the better. Paulus was recruited as a BB scholly. I understand K not allowing him to play FB.

[Bob Green]

Terrelle Pryor is playing basketball at the Bojangles Shootout in Charlotte today:

http://www.charlotte.com/preps/story/421327.html

His team faces Derrick Favors team in today's game.

[Jumbo]

Isn't the NCAA rule that if he plays Football the scholly is charged against Football. Basketball would be as a "walk-on." Why would K not allow him to try out? If he makes it, so much the better. Paulus was recruited as a BB scholly. I understand K not allowing him to play FB.

It's not that K wouldn't try him out. Pryor is a top-50 basketball recruit. Think Charlie Ward, or Ronald Curry if he were actually good. He's not gonna sign with a school and expect to be an extra body on a basketball team. He'll want to play. Coach K wasn't about to take Paulus if he were on a football scholly and only got him for basketball come January. So I'm wondering if K would allow for a similar thing with Pryor -- giving a kid a chance to work his way into the rotation when a) K hasn't even recruited him to this point and b) He'll be with the football team for the first half of the season.

[Uncle Drew]

Let's let the guy play football for four years, then go to grad school playing basketball four years. come on people think here!

[Indoor66]

It's not that K wouldn't try him out. Pryor is a top-50 basketball recruit. Think Charlie Ward, or Ronald Curry if he were actually good. He's not gonna sign with a school and expect to be an extra body on a basketball team. He'll want to play. Coach K wasn't about to take Paulus if he were on a football scholly and only got him for basketball come January. So I'm wondering if K would allow for a similar thing with Pryor -- giving a kid a chance to work his way into the rotation when a) K hasn't even recruited him to this point and b) He'll be with the football team for the first half of the season.

I don't know K's disposition on that, but it would be a great situation in which to make a decision!

[johnb]

Agreed--being on the radar of 5 star recruits (even if it is to demonstrate his school cred) puts us in the position of being acceptable to everyone else, and with a few 4 and 5 star recruits/year, we'd be much more in a position to have a winning season.

This is an interesting issue:

would Coach K be willing to make a sacrifice for the good of the football program?

I'd like to think so, especially since an additional great athlete would not hurt the team--and if the guy started at qb, surely he wouldn't take it badly if he didn't get 20"/game in bball, and I don't think it would hurt our recruiting of later wingish players.

[RPS]

Isn't the NCAA rule that if he plays Football the scholly is charged against Football. Basketball would be as a "walk-on."

One of my son's (older) teammates was a great prospect in both football and lacrosse. He committed to Notre Dame with the plan being that he would redshirt for football and play lax as a freshman with lax being charged with the first year's scholly and each program alternating years thereafter. But Charlie Weis realized he needed the player on the field as a true freshman (for what became obvious reasons a year later) so he became strictly a football player for scholarship purposes. To his credit, Weis honored his agreement and the player played lax and was an All-American as a freshman and is now a major player in both sports (even though he misses about half of spring football practice). Football/lax, being fall/spring, is obviously an easier combination than football/basketball, but being a real player in two different sports is possible. It would be fabulous for Duke football if K would make a real pitch for Pryor despite football being priority 1.

[formerdukeathlete]

Isn't the NCAA rule that if he plays Football the scholly is charged against Football. Basketball would be as a "walk-on." Why would K not allow him to try out? If he makes it, so much the better. Paulus was recruited as a BB scholly. I understand K not allowing him to play FB.

Paulus had to wait two years before going out for Football and had to give up one year of football eligibility. I think you have 5 school years to complete all sports eligibility. So, if Paulus were to go out for Football after his senior season, he would have only one year to play (correct me if I am wrong re the NCAA rules). The two year wait rule was to prevent Football schools from signing a kid on say a lacrosse scholarship who will end up playing football as a way to circumvent the 25 / 85 limits.

Pryor could play basketball for Duke and his scholly would not count against the basketball limit as long as he stayed on the Football team.

My guess is that K would be happy to give him a shot as long as he stayed on the Football team.

From Pryor's perspective, what does the chance to play Basketball at Duke offer him? While he would miss x percentage of b-ball practices and some travel, he would step onto a court in the most competitive b-ball league, benefit from the best coach, and play in front of some of the best fans. Aside from the fun factor, he would know in his own mind how he had responded under such circumstances and then whether professional basketball was something to consider in addition to or in place of trying pro football.

[SilkyJ]

It's great news, and even better if he's using one of his five official visits to go to Duke. February 6 isn't far off and Coach Cutliffe has to work fast, but this is excellent news.

I assume the significance of feb 6th is that it is the signing date for football players?

would Coach K be willing to make a sacrifice for the good of the football program?

I dont think anyone else responded to this, but I'd have to imagine the answer is no, if the "sacrifice" made the team worse. I could see coach K promising him a spot on the team as a technical walk-on (kinda like Lee Melch, he wasn't really a walk-on, but he didn't have a scholarship his 1st year) but he wouldn't promise him anything in terms of PT or anything, obviously...

Let's let the guy play football for four years, then go to grad school playing basketball four years. come on people think here!

if only it worked like that, we might still have the Love machine around!

[RPS]

I assume the significance of feb 6th is that it is the signing date for football players?

Yup. It's always the first Wednesday in February. For states with schools in the SEC it's a holiday of the first order.