Terrelle Pryor was renowned on the gridiron well before playing quarterback at Ohio State. CBS broadcast Ross Tucker told a story about the former Jeannette (Pa.) High School star last week on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
Ross Tucker’s Story Adds To Terrelle Pryor’s Legacy
Fans still whisper about Terrelle Pryor’s legend. The former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback and 1,000-yard NFL receiver has a case for being the best all-time high school athlete in not only Pennsylvania but the country as a whole. CBS broadcaster Ross Tucker shared an experience he had watching Pryor before the highly-touted do-it-all player headed to Columbus.
“6’6″, 240 (pounds), playing quarterback in high school,” Tucker said last Wednesday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “I talked to colleges, okay? He would’ve been recruited as a five-star at every position other than O-line. D-end, corner! He ran a 4.3 at 6’6″, 240.”
Pryor was 247Sports’ No. 2 overall recruit in the 2008 class. Tucker called Pryor’s 2007 Pennsylvania state championship game, a 49-21 Jeannette win over Dunmore.
“Nobody can even get close to him, the kids bounce off of him, whatever. He’s like the greatest athlete you’ve ever seen,” Tucker said. “There’s only three seconds left, they’re at the 40-yard line before halftime. They bring the backup quarterback in, okay? They put Pryor at receiver. Everybody in the stadium — Hersheypark Stadium — everybody knows what’s about to happen. They throw a Hail Mary to Pryor, there’s three kids around him, okay?
“He jumps up, he catches it, and then he holds the ball … above his head.”
Tucker imitated Pryor, clutching the ball above the defenders before reaching over them and handing it to the official.
“It was the sickest thing I’ve ever seen,” Tucker said.
The Pocono Record‘s Genaro C. Armas recounted the contest in a recap of the Jayhawks’ romp, which capped a 16-0 campaign for Pryor’s crew. All told, Pryor had rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns. He passed for another touchdown and caught one, too. Pryor also played safety, totaling seven tackles and a sack, and even handled kickoff duties.
Pryor “at times looked like he was toying with his opponents,” Armas wrote. Up 42 points with 8:44 left in the game, Pryor pulled himself out of the game. Armas added that Dunmore had told the state’s governing high school athletics body that it had used college players to prepare for Pryor and his team.
“His presence on the field is impressive,” then-37th-year Dunmore head coach Jack Henzes said after the game. “He has such a feel for everything. He glides so well, takes two steps, and is running away from our people. I thought our kids played well there for a while, but he is just such a great athlete.”
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