SEBASTIAN — Don’t blame Nate Pryor if he isn’t a fan of the college football recruiting process. He thought he would be playing in the Big Ten or the Big 12 next season. Now, he’ll have to settle for Bethune-Cookman University and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after signing with the school. He joins teammate Phillip Norman at the school while fellow Shark James Clark, signed with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Pryor might have the last laugh. After thriving as a running back for Vero Beach High as a freshman, he played more wide receiver than running back as a sophomore and junior at Vero Beach. Pryor transferred to Sebastian River High right after the start of the season this past fall when he and his mother moved.
In Pryor, Bethune-Cookman will get a running back who has not been overused before reaching the collegiate ranks.
On Wednesday, Pryor signed a letter of intent to play football for the Daytona Beach school. His Sharks teammate Phillip Norman also signed a letter of intent with the Wildcats. Another teammate, James Clark, signed with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Bethune-Cookman, which won the MEAC with an 8-0 record this past season and finished 9-3 overall under coach Brian Jenkins, needs a running back and Pryor could start as a true freshman. Barring an injury, Pryor will play significant minutes this fall while other freshmen standouts around the country will be sitting through a redshirt season.
“The campus is cool and they’re in need of a running back,” said Pryor, who rushed for 648 yards as the Sharks won the Class 6A, District 14 title on their way to an 8-3 overall record. “Playing time was a key factor. They have what I want to major in — sports management. And, the coaches there are straight forward.”
Wisconsin, Stanford, Iowa, Minnesota, Iowa State, Boston College, Temple, Georgia Southern and Florida International seemingly coveted Pryor before the season started and while he still was a member of the Vero Beach High football team. After transferring to Sebastian River, the recruiting letters stopped coming.
“When nothing was offered, I have to do what I have to do,” said the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Pryor. “I was shocked when I heard Phil (Norman) was coming, too. That’s cool; I’ll know at least one guy there.”
Each year, Bethune-Cookman plays its traditional rival, Florida A&M, in the Florida Classic at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The game lost some of its luster this past season when Florida A&M’s band was suspended after a hazing incident during the 2011 Florida Classic. The band should return this fall, allowing the halftime show of the Florida Classic to be one of the best in the country.
“I love that; it turns me one when the bands play,” Pryor said. “It gets the adrenaline of the players going. A band is a big factor for a football program. … I like the campus and the size. It’s not a busy school; you can get to your classes on time. I also like the history of the school and Mary Bethune.”
Mary McLeod Bethune, who helped found Bethune-Cookman, was a civil rights leader and educator, who was an advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt.
Former Sebastian River football coach Randy Bethel, who was fired in December after 16 seasons as the Sharks head coach, thinks Bethune-Cookman will be a perfect fit for Pryor.
“Nate just wants to go and compete,” said Bethel, who played tight end for the University of Miami from 1988 to 1990. “I was excited to learn that he was going to Bethune-Cookman. They run a spread offense, but it’s balanced. They run the ball, but they can get the ball downfield as well. Nate doesn’t have a lot of miles on his legs, so that (lack of pounding) should help him. He also could line up in the slot or on special teams. He’s a versatile young man.”
Pryor’s stepbrother, Marcus Jackson, plays left guard for the University of Tennessee. Because of the distance from Florida, his parents often are unable to see him play. That won’t be the case with Pryor.
“He might have wanted to play out of state,” Bethel said. “It won’t be too bad the first time when he’s short of money and he needs mom and dad. They can get something to him real quick when he’s in Daytona Beach.”
Norman will continue to open holes for Pryor to run through as a member of Bethune-Cookman’s offensive line. Norman, who has played everywhere on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Sharks, is slated to play guard.
“Phil will be scary to look at in two years,” Bethel said. “He’s just a baby but, in two years, he will be a physical specimen and a dominant player.”
Norman wants to be a pre-med major with the goal of eventually becoming a doctor. Bethune-Cookman has a good track record of football players in the past who have been able to balance the work in the classroom with the rigors of the football gridiron.
“School comes first,” the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Norman said. “I should be able to do it with discipline. It’s a relief to be able to go somewhere and get an education and play football. … My parents can go to see the games. We talked about that.”
Norman won’t turn 18 until Aug. 22.
“I talked to the dean and he told me about their (pre-med) program,” Norman said. “He said that he would like to have me there.”
Bethel always has been impressed with the balance in Norman’s life.
“You have to give a lot of credit to his parents,” Bethel said. “They stayed on him and he bought into that.”
Clark, a 6-2, 218-pound linebacker, will join a Louisiana Lafayette team that has won the New Orleans Bowl in each of the past two seasons en route to consecutive 9-4 seasons.
“The coach (Mark Hudspeth) made everyone feel at home (during a recent visit),” Clark said. “He ran across the field with a suit on. That gave me a feeling of how it’ll be. It’s a relief now (to sign). There’s no more stress.”
Clark had settled on the University of South Florida before Skip Holtz was fired as the the Bulls’ head coach. After that, the coaching staff had selective amnesia as to who had been offered scholarships. Kentucky, Auburn, Florida International, Georgia State, Memphis, Mississippi and Rutgers also had shown early interest in the 18-year-old Clark.
“They’re going to use me at outside linebacker,” Clark said. “They want me to blitz and put pressure on the quarterback.”
“James will be fantastic at that level,” Bethel said. “They do a great job of disguising their defensive schemes. He will improve their defense with his speed and explosiveness. He’ll be real comfortable in that small environment. It will be good for him.”
With the signings of Pryor, Norman and Clark, 41 football players have earned scholarships since the school opened in August 1994. The number now is 134 for athletes in all sports.
