Reitz offers another reason for Pryor’s indecision: his difficulty in saying no. Pryor is inherently shy, his coach said, and is aware he will disappoint many coaches with his final decision.

“All this attention is embarrassing to him because he is such a good kid,” Reitz said.

Pryor may be the most recruited player in western Pennsylvania since Washington High running back Brian Davis, a national high school player of the year in the mid 1980s. Davis’ career at Pitt ended quickly because of academic problems, and he never played college football again.

No one who knows Pryor expects that to happen to him.

Pryor has a 3.4 grade-point average, goes to class and is being mentored by Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, who met him through a relative and is helping guide him through the recruiting process.

Pryor’s parents split up years ago and neither currently lives in Jeannette, which is 25 miles east of Pittsburgh. Pryor has lived with his godfather throughout high school, yet has managed to stay grounded and focused with his life, school work and his athletic career.

“I don’t think everybody will know where he’s going for sure until signing day (Feb. 6),” said Batch, who went to Eastern Michigan and thus has no personal stake in where Pryor winds up.

Pryor is one player that doesn’t need one of those prerequisite highlight DVDs to show off to his recruiters.

Every game provided highlights, from the 53-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the season, during a 60-0 victory against Brownsville in which he was never tackled, to his final carry, a 41-yard TD run that put the Jayhawks up 49-7 against Dunmore in the state title game.

No wonder there are dozens of Pryor “rookie cards” already selling on eBay, even though he is not yet in college. By the end of the season, strangers lugging bags of footballs began showing up at Jeannette’s practices, seeking autographs they planned to sell.

“It’s crazy, and it’s getting crazier,” Reitz said. “But I understand why. I’ve never seen anyone as good as him, and a lot of other people have told me they haven’t, either.”

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