By Chris Dokish

Jeannette superstar quarterback Terrelle Pryor has reached a final list of his top 11 schools and, in a bit of surprise, the University of Pittsburgh is not one of them. The lucky 11 are Ohio State, Penn State, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

The 6’6” 230 pound Pryor was asked why he eliminated Pittsburgh, a school he once committed to as a sophomore, and he replied, “I don’t know, my coach and I just sat down and made the list.”

A source close to the situation—who is one of the closest advisors to Pryor—says that he heard through the grapevine that Pitt, while recruiting other quarterbacks, was telling them that Pryor could end up as a wide receiver at Pitt. Pryor is committed to playing quarterback at the next level. It has also been reported that Notre Dame was recruiting Pryor as a receiver, but our source stated that Notre Dame’s staff told Pryor that the Irish wanted him at quarterback – wide receiver would only be a possibility if things didn’t work out at quarterback.

Whether this is true or simply recruiting rumor is not clear, but Pryor and his advisers believe it –and often times that is all that matters. There were other factors in his elimination of Pitt, according to the source, including fitting in with Pitt’s offensive style and his distaste for a campus with an inner city atmosphere. It is unknown which of the factors held the most weight.

When Pryor committed to Pitt more than a year ago, he cited the fact that he wanted his father—who is confined to a wheelchair—to see him play.

His father, Craig, was surprised that his son eliminated the Panthers so quickly.

“That’s a surprise to me,” said the elder Pryor, who just returned from a week-long trip in Florida, and did not know his son narrowed his list. Craig Pryor also stated that he fielded a call last week from Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, and that Cavanaugh only mentioned that he wanted his son as a quarterback.

As far as which program has the upper hand in the “Pryor Sweepstakes,” Pryor himself states that all of his finalists are equal.

Keystone Recruiting’s source, however, revealed that he believes Ohio State “has a slight lead.”

He also says that Pryor likes West Virginia, Penn State, Tennessee, Florida and Texas. Also, according to the source, his advisors have told him that he best fits in the offensive systems of West Virginia, Florida and Texas. 

“He knows Noel Devine,” said the source, referring to the Mountaineers’ dynamic running back recruit, and “he is friends with a big tackle (Josh Jenkins) from Parkersburg that’s going there next year.” 

Lastly, the source revealed that while Pryor still wants to play college basketball, it may be becoming more unlikely as time goes on.