Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 high school football recruit in America

errelle Pryor, the No. 1 high school football recruit in America according to Rivals.com, has added Michigan to the list of schools he might choose to attend because of its new coach.

Pryor, a 6-6, 235-pound dual-threat quarterback with 4.4 speed out of Jeannette, Pa., broke the news about West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez taking the Michigan head-coaching job.

I just spoke to Coach Rodriguez … he told me he is going to Michigan," Pryor told Superprep.com Sunday afternoon. "He said they made him an offer and he can't refuse it."

Later, Pryor told Rivals.com: "He called me this morning and told me before he announced to anyone. He said he's keeping the same offense that he had at West Virginia because it's all he knows. I love that offense. I told him I was very interested."

Pryor, who listed Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and West Virginia as his favorites to attend as of Sunday, told Superprep.com to “add Michigan to my list” following his conversation with Rodriguez.

"He's excited and so was I," Pryor told Rivals.com. "Michigan was on my early list, and now their right up there again. He's a great coach and I like his offense."

Pryor's addition of Michigan to his possible list of school is interesting because the status of the U-M quarterbacking job could be up in the air.

Thought to be a fixture behind center the next three seasons at U-M, sophomore-to-be Ryan Mallet’s status as U-M’s starter next season is suddenly under question.

Rodriguez runs a spread-option offense, and the 6-foot-7, 252-pound Mallet isn’t known for his mobility. The spread option demands a mobile quarterback with a quick release -- at least in Rodriguez’s version.

Pryor has dropped Tennessee and West Virginia from his list.

"My list is made up of some of the same teams," Pryor said. "Ohio State is in there, Florida is in there and Penn State is in there, but now Oregon is in the mix and now Michigan - so a lot has changed. Tennessee and West Virginia are now out.

"I've only been to Ohio State on an official and I've been to Penn State a few times. I need to see other schools, especially Michigan now."

Pryor rushed for 1,676 yards and 13 touchdowns and was 92 of 163 passing for 1.732 yards and 15 touchdowns during his junior season. He followed that up by leading the Jeannette Jayhawks to Class AA state championship this season.

Pryor would fall in line with the dual-threat quarterback Rodriguez has favored in his system in the past.

While offensive coordinator at Tulane (1997-98), Rodriguez was responsible for Shaun King’s record-breaking career. King finished the ’98 season with an NCAA-record passing effeciency of 183.3 and became the first player in NCAA history to pass for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in a game.

After following Tommy Bowden to Clemson, Rich Rodriguez’s stint as offensive coordinator (1999-2000) helped turn Woody Dantzler into the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for at least 2000 yards and rush for at least 1000 yards in the same season.

And over the last three seasons at West Virginia, Rodriguez’s spread option helped turn Pat White into a Heisman Trophy contender this season.

Because of his size, something not found among Rodriquez’s past quarterbacks, most talent evaluators tend to compare Pryor to former Texas star Vince Young.

“I leave it up to people to make their own comparisons when they watch me play,” Pryor told Rivals.com in February. “It's a very nice comparison, but I haven't done anything yet. I like to watch Vince Young and Troy Smith and the quarterbacks that can move around and do things, but I don't compare myself to them.”

Pryor’s athletic ability may be on display on more than just the football field in college. Though a celebrated high school football player, Pryor is also considered an elite-level talent on the basketball court. So much so that Rivals.com has Pryor ranked among the top 30 recruits in the nation and the No. 3 small forward in the class of 2008.

Over the summer, Pryor maintained that he would like to play both football and basketball in college.

“I’ll give it a try,” Pryor told Scout.com in May. “It’s going to come down to the system I fit into and where I feel comfortable at.”

INTERVIEW WITH PRYOR (Editor's note: Other YouTube links off of this interview may not be appropriate for all audiences.)

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