Aug. 25--Homewood-Flossmoor senior wide receiver Kendric Pryor vividly recalls the day he received his first scholarship offer.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Pryor established himself as a multi-dimensional threat after playing wide receiver and cornerback and returning kickoffs last season. He caught three passes for 40 yards and returned three kickoffs for 61 yards in the Class 8A title game loss to Stevenson.
Pryor said his first offer from Miami (Ohio) in January started a snowball effect. He has added offers from Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Connecticut, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State, Wyoming, Buffalo and Illinois State.
"During basketball season, my (football) coach called me and said Miami of Ohio offered me," Pryor said. "I thought that was crazy. I never thought about it. The offers then started coming in. It was amazing to me. I now have the opportunity to play at the next level. I wasn't talked about much at this time last year. This year, people are interviewing me and coaches are calling me."
The Vikings' roster is filled with college-level athletes, but Homewood-Flossmoor coach Craig Buzea said Pryor is just scratching the surface of his potential. Pryor caught 32 passes for 704 yards and six touchdowns last season.
"Kendric is a pure athlete who can really do anything that you want him to do at any point," Buzea said. "He's one of those guys we have to find a way to get the ball into his hands. I think he has significantly improved from last season. His route-running is a lot better, and I think he has really dedicated himself to football this summer."
Pryor said he's been timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, with a top vertical of 38.5 inches. Pryor said he doesn't want to put an exact timetable on his college decision.
"I don't want to rush anything," he said. "I visited Wisconsin, Iowa and Miami of Ohio. I plan on getting to a game at Wisconsin, Iowa and Iowa State this year. I want to see if I can pick up any offers during the season, either halfway through my season or end of the season or even signing date in February. Most likely, it will happen halfway through the season or toward the end of the season."
Pryor's commitment likely won't come until he determines how much he will play on offense and defense. Pryor played sparingly at defensive back last season, mostly in games against teams with elite receivers, such at Stevenson's Cameron Green or Lincoln-Way East's Paul Gossage.
Buzea plans to utilize Pryor more this season.
"Kendric likes being on the big stage," Buzea said. "Those big games, like Bolingbrook, Lincoln-Way East and the title game, he thrives in those games. If he doesn't start at cornerback this season, he will still be playing a lot of corner and at safety and maybe three or four spots on offense. Guys like him don't come around very often, so you want to get as much out of them as you can."
Pryor said Wisconsin and Iowa have indicated they want to play him at cornerback, while the rest of the schools are looking at him as a wide receiver, though Wisconsin recently expressed interest in him as a receiver as well.
Watts reopens recruitment
Phillips senior defensive tackle Amir Watts laughed at his slight slip of the tongue when opening a phone conversation with a reporter.
"Hey, what's going on coach?"
Watts can be excused for the minor mistake. Since reopening his recruitment, he's been spending most of time talking on the phone with coaches.
Watts orally committed to Western Michigan in mid-April, but after exploring his options, he decided to decommit.
Watts, like many recruits, admitted he became enamored with Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck's sales pitch. A former standout receiver at Northern Illinois, Fleck is the youngest -- and probably most energetic -- head coach of a Football Bowl Subdivision program.
"The reason why I committed to Western Michigan was the type of development they have at the school and the staff and P.J., and him being the youngest coach," Watts said. "He got me real riled up about being there. I didn't commit to just commit. My mom really liked the school and it was close so she didn't have to go far to see me playing.
"I started recently thinking and weighing things, and I started feeling like I wanted to play in a bigger conference, and some of the other schools had a little bit more to offer than Western Michigan. The networks after going to those types of schools would be phenomenal and much better."
A three-star recruit, Watts will also play at defensive end this season for the highly ranked Wildcats. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Watts, a transfer from De La Salle, is one of the top unsigned seniors in the state. Watts said he has about 30 offers, with Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Syracuse headlining his list.
Watts said he's been talking with coaches from Tennessee, UCF, Purdue and Minnesota a lot in the last week.
"It's interesting because you get to see what people are all about," Watts said of his recruitment. "I'm just trying to see who has the most to offer. I want to play in a bigger conference and see some other schools since I haven't visited a lot of schools."
Narang is a freelance reporter.
