Who is the best Ohio State football recruit this century?

Who is the greatest recruit to play at Ohio State football since 2000?

Ohio State football is better at recruiting than any other school in its geographical footprint.

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. When the term blue-blood is used in college football circles, the Ohio State Buckeyes epitomize it. When was the last time the Buckeyes were ever bad? Exactly, they never are. A huge reason for this is Ohio State crushes its competition in the recruiting department, especially since the early 2000s. Who is their best recruit this century?

That would be five-star quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The dual-threat quarterback from Jeannette High School in Jeannette, Pennsylvania boasted a ridiculous 0.9997 grade according to the 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 2 player in his class behind defensive end Da’Quan Bowers of Bamberg, South Carolina who stayed in-state to play his college ball at Clemson.

The 6-foot-4 and 228-pound quarterback was also a star basketball player in his native Pennsylvania. As the best quarterback in the 2008 recruiting class, Pryor was the crown jewel at the position. However, he only received five offers and waited until after the basketball season to commit to Ohio State.

The four other programs that offered Pryor were the Michigan Wolverines, the Florida Gators, the Oregon Ducks and the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Penn State Nittany Lions recruited him, but never did give Pryor an offer. Pryor only made two official visits: Ohio State on Nov. 2, 2007 and Michigan on Jan. 18, 2008.

After the basketball season, Pryor committed to Ohio State on March 19, 2008. It’s practically unheard of in recruiting now for a top recruit to hold out until March but Pryor was worth the wait.

Terrelle Pryor was the best recruit of the 21st century for Ohio State.

Despite arriving in campus in August, Pryor still made it onto the field as a true freshman. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,311 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Pryor also ran the ball 139 times for 631 yards and an additional six trips to pay dirt. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was an all-conference honorable mention.

As a sophomore in 2009, Pryor completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 2,094 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran the ball 162 times for 779 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Pryor was named the 2010 Rose Bowl MVP after his Buckeyes beat the Oregon Ducks. He took home another all-conference honorable mention.

Then in 2010 as a junior, Pryor had his best college season. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Pryor also ran the ball 135 times for 754 yards and four touchdowns. He was named Big Ten MVP runner-up to Denard Robinson of the Michigan Wolverines. Pryor was named Sugar Bowl MVP in what was his final college football game.

Ohio State was under NCAA investigation in 2011. Head coach Jim Tressel resigned on May 31, 2011. Pryor, who had driven on a suspended license and received improper benefits by selling his autograph to an Ohio State booster, withdrew from school a week later. By the end of the month, Pryor was banned from all contact with the team and thus, his college career came to an end.

Pryor entered the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft where the then-Oakland Raiders used their third-round selection on him. He played three years in the Bay Area before bouncing around the league. His other notable stop was with the Cleveland Browns, where he was converted to a wide receiver. In 2016, Pryor had a 1,000-yard receiving season playing for Cleveland.

At 31 years old, Pryor is an NFL free agent. He has played nine years in the NFL with nine different organizations in two positions. He most recently was a member of the 2019 Jacksonville Jaguars. As a quarterback, Pryor has completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 1,994 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

He carried the ball 103 times for 646 yards and four touchdowns. As a receiver, Pryor has 115 career receptions for 1,563 yards and seven touchdowns. Though he never truly lived up to the lofty five-star status coming out of high school, Pryor remains the most coveted recruit for Ohio State since 2000. It’ll be interesting if he plays another season in the NFL with somebody.

The two-sport high school star shined bright at Ohio State for three impressive seasons.

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