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Forgive me if this has been discussed earlier in the thread, but does anyone else see a lot of similarities between Pryor and his film and that of Henderson’s? They both have good balance but are slightly different, very similar in how they set up their cuts, both have great top end speed although Henderson seems to have an extra high end gear. I like Pryor’s power a little better. I’ll also think Pryor has more understanding of the position given the smaller amount of time Henderson has played the position. But regardless I see very similar players.
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mendensa
Legend
My take..... you can't string Pryor along after last year's debacle at the position. If he doesn't commit to UNC but is ready to commit to OSU on or right after his OSU visit....you lock him up. If you don't, the chance of him turning right back around and joining UNC's class goes way up.
Sounds like Edwards is about to be a done deal if not already. So go get two elite backs and be done at the position. If you miss out on Henderson you live. Bc if you continue to recruit Henderson then you run the risk of getting a de-commitment from one of the other two. Everyone wants to feel the love. And if you then don't get Henderson, then you are back to only having one back in the class. You could fall back to Kiner at that point, but you've already expressed to him that he is like 4th or 5th on your list so he will most likely already be turned off and leaning elsewhere too.
Now if Pryor visits OSU and doesn't commit, then it's a different scenario. Then, when Edwards does, OSU can go after both Pryor and Henderson hard and get a better vibe of which way each is leaning. It almost makes things dicier for OSU if Pryor wants to commit on his visit, especially if they feel really good about their chancss with Henderson. IMO, if any of the 3 are ready to commit to OSU and OSU isn't ready to commit to them....them shame on OSU.
You might be able to get away with that with guys further down your list, 3*'s, and/or project-types but if you attempt that crap on top 50 talent, and top 5 guys at their position, they are going to go elsewhere and 2020 RB recruiting repeats itself all over again.
Sounds like Edwards is about to be a done deal if not already. So go get two elite backs and be done at the position. If you miss out on Henderson you live. Bc if you continue to recruit Henderson then you run the risk of getting a de-commitment from one of the other two. Everyone wants to feel the love. And if you then don't get Henderson, then you are back to only having one back in the class. You could fall back to Kiner at that point, but you've already expressed to him that he is like 4th or 5th on your list so he will most likely already be turned off and leaning elsewhere too.
Now if Pryor visits OSU and doesn't commit, then it's a different scenario. Then, when Edwards does, OSU can go after both Pryor and Henderson hard and get a better vibe of which way each is leaning. It almost makes things dicier for OSU if Pryor wants to commit on his visit, especially if they feel really good about their chancss with Henderson. IMO, if any of the 3 are ready to commit to OSU and OSU isn't ready to commit to them....them shame on OSU.
You might be able to get away with that with guys further down your list, 3*'s, and/or project-types but if you attempt that crap on top 50 talent, and top 5 guys at their position, they are going to go elsewhere and 2020 RB recruiting repeats itself all over again.
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I have zero doubt that if Pryor wants in, he is in for sure. One of the top priorities and to me, I like him best out of the prospects we have legit chances with.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
247Sports Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong logged a Crystal Ball prediction for four-star RB Evan Pryor on Tuesday. Pryor, the No. 5 RB in the country and No. 84 player overall, hails out of Cornelius, NC. With five total Crystal Balls logged for his services already, three of those five are in favor of the hometown UNC Tar Heels, but Wiltfong feels differently.
The speedy blue-chipper has been to Columbus a couple times in the past and is set to return later this month. Between the relationship Pryor has with Buckeyes running backs coach Tony Alford and head coach Ryan Day, along with the big need OSU has this cycle at the position, I think that has the Big Ten power in the driver seat for the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Pryor.
It is the second CB for Pryor in favor of the Buckeyes, with the other being from Andrew Ellis of Eleven Warriors. Interestingly enough, Wiltfong also has a CB in for Edwards to Ohio State as well. Could this be the two running backs that the Buckeyes will look to snag in this class? It would certainly make for a talented and electric tandem in Columbus.
It is worth noting that Wiltfong has been nearly perfect on his 2021 predictions thus far, hitting on 54 of 55 predictions to date.
Pryor released his top six back in February, which included obviously Ohio State in addition to Georgia, Penn State, Oklahoma, UNC and USC. The RB is still high on the Tar Heels, and has had multiple unofficial visits with the hometown program recently. However, the sentiment among those in the know is that Pryor’s camp prefers the Buckeyes, and that if he and his family go through with their scheduled visit on March 20, he could be on silent commit watch.
Now those of you who follow Ohio State recruiting closely will be weary of these types of rumors, as you should. We saw a similar thing last season with five-star Bijan Robinson, who allegedly silently committed to OSU before a late switch to Texas. However, with some saying that Pryor and Edwards would love to play together after bonding on a visit to Georgia recently and the Buckeyes looking to take two running backs, it is certainly a very intriguing situation to keep an eye on.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
PRYOR PREVIEWS VISIT
As Evan Pryor’s recruitment heats up, with Crystal Ball predictions dropped for Ohio State and North Carolina and upcoming visits to Columbus (March 18-20), Georgia (March 28) and UNC (sometime after the Georgia visit), the four-star running back is still staying as even-keeled as he has when Eleven Warriors first spoke with him back in September.
“It’s not stressful. It has gotten crazy, but stressful’s not a word I use. I’m enjoying it,” Pryor said. “I just take the same attitude about it. Just having more conversations with the fam to make sure I’m making the right decision.”
As for what that right decision is, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound junior will soon have more clarity on that as he approaches a commitment.
“North Carolina and Ohio State are pretty even right now,” Pryor said. “These next few visits will tell a lot about where I’m going so just trying to make sure I’m meeting with and talking with the coaches to make sure I’m finding the right fit for me and my family.”
Pryor, who believes he is being equally prioritized by both Ohio State and North Carolina, says that he has spoken extensively with Ryan Day and Tony Alford, and it’s crystal clear that “my offer is fully committable.”
So when he heads to Columbus next week, he won’t have any questions about whether or not the Buckeyes would accept a commitment from him. Rather, he wants to get “an overall look at the backs” and, like Donovan Edwards saw last week, get an up-close look at the Buckeyes’ lack of depth in the backfield.
“Seeing that they’re skinny at the position is definitely something I’ll be looking at,” Pryor said. “I know they wanna take two – just seeing how they work the two-back system and also just getting that feel, that family feel, with relationships. Sitting down with Coach Day more and all that.”
I’ve been saying for a long time now that I believe Pryor will end up with the Buckeyes, and I’ve been feeling confident that it will be an Edwards-Pryor tandem haul. It’s very possible that Pryor becomes the first big domino to drop for Ohio State’s running back recruiting next week if he feels the timing is right, as he’s been on record saying that he wants to commit on a recruiting visit.
“If I go on campus and feel like this is the fit for me and my family’s happy, I’m gonna commit,” Pryor said. “I feel like it can be an any-day thing now, at this point.”
Just like Edwards and TreVeyon Henderson have told us, a two-back system is attractive to Pryor as well, so the Buckeyes have that going for them as well.
“It’s not something that runs me away. It’s actually something that attracts me more; the two-back system,” Pryor said. “I just wanna see some stats. I know they know how to get two backs the ball because of Mike Weber and J.K. (Dobbins) there at the same time. So I just wanna see how it would go now because I think Ohio State’s kind of changed with Justin Fields back there and the kinds of quarterbacks they recruit. I think that’s something that I’ll have to ask.
“I feel like with Justin Fields, the quarterbacks they got in 2020 and also Kyle (McCord) – they’re guys who are able to use their legs in a lot of situations. So instead of just straight handoffs, there are more read options and things of that nature.”
Edwards is, of course, a strong candidate as the other running back to pair with Pryor, and the two have a good relationship since they each visited Georgia in January.
“We talk here and there. We don’t really talk about recruiting like that. Just if we see something on Instagram or something like that, we’ll hit each other up,” Pryor said. “Just building that genuine relationship – not just putting ourselves into recruiting or anything. I think Donovan’s a cool guy, and he’s someone I think I could see myself working with if we both end up at the same place.
“It’s not a lot of recruiting talk that goes on. We just handle our business and things like that that we like to keep to ourselves. But just feeling each other out as people, I feel like that’s huge for us.”
RELATIONSHIPS WITH UNC COACHES
Back when we talked with Pryor in October, he talked about how difficult it would be to potentially say no to the North Carolina coaches and leave the state. It’s hard to blame him, as Pryor has a relationship with Mack Brown since he was hired in November of 2018, and he’s had a relationship with running backs coach Robert Gillespie since he started coming into William Amos Hough High School during Pryor’s freshman year.
“I was one of the first people he talked to in terms of recruits,” Pryor said of Brown. “He was just telling me how important I am there in the state as a running back and what I could do for in-state recruiting as a whole. Coach Brown and I have a very strong relationship. And Coach G and I, we’ve had a relationship for a long time as well. He was there since the last staff was there. That’s going back, I’d say, about three or four years – all the way back to my freshman year with Coach G. That’s a pretty solid relationship.”
It’s very impactful for the Tar Heels to be prioritizing in-state recruits and having been involved with Pryor for so long, especially with Gillespie.
“It’s huge. It’s gonna be a tough decision because you’ve been around (Gillespie) for a long time,” Pryor said. “He’s like family at that point. You’re building relationships, and I have a lot of love for those people because they’re looking out for you and want the best for you. Our relationship is great.”
Throughout the days leading up to our visit, there’s been a lot of internet scuttlebutt that Pryor was going to be committing to North Carolina on Wednesday. He made it clear that he had no idea where or why that rumor was out there. He mentioned that even Tar Heels coach Mack Brown had asked him early in the morning if “today was the day” for a decision.
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