I was able to have an extended conversation with three-star safety prospect Andrew Pryts earlier this morning.
He's really trying to stay away from the media right now. Since he's getting close to making a decision here in roughly the next 2-3 weeks, there have been a lot of people bugging him of late. I think I have one of the better relationships with Andrew, so I should be able to keep in touch with him casually between now and his decision, but I wouldn't expect to see many articles on him and what not. He's only speaking with just a couple reporters.
From everything I've gathered over the past 24 hours - and this comes from both Pryts and PSU contacts - Penn State is now firmly in the mix. Andrew did admit that he cooled on PSU back in the spring and earlier this summer, but he was also adamant that recent discussions over the past 4-6 weeks have improved PSU's chances substantially.
Both Notre Dame and Ohio State are also still in the mix. I've seen people discuss that one or both schools may have cooled on Pryts, but Andrew is definitely under the impression that he can commit to either. I've heard nothing that would contradict that from my colleagues.
Stanford and UCLA are also still in play, but I do get the vibe that PSU, OSU and Notre Dame will likely be his top three.
As mentioned above, I expect a decision to come sometime in August. It could drag into the first week or two of September, but I think that's doubtful. However, I asked multiple times if it could come this week and he made it pretty clear that next week, or the following, are much more likely. He's busy with two-a-days this week and isn't thinking about recruiting much until that wraps up.
Right now, I'm not prepared to say Penn State is the leader here. I do believe they've improved their chances substantially, but I think even Andrew is still trying to sort this all out. I think all three of those schools are pretty much neck and neck, with UCLA and Stanford behind them slightly.
One really good thing for PSU is that his visit this past weekend does appear as if it'll be the final visit he takes before making this decision. As of today, no additional visits are in motion.
Also, one final thing: He's definitely a safety. I've seen a lot of talk about him potentially being a linebacker and again, I'll stress that PSU has only ever mentioned safety to Pryts. UCLA and one or two others have said he could be a hybrid player, but PSU has always maintained that he's strictly a safety prospect.
Long story short, we'll just have to see how this all plays out. I truly believe that even Pryts still has to sort this all out. Penn State could very well be the school that he commits to, but as of today, I don't think even Andrew really knows.
He will likely have final discussions with all of these schools, including UCLA and Stanford, next week, so I think those will impact his final decision.
For the time being, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at PSU, Ohio State or Notre Dame. However, the important thing to remember is that PSU wasn't even in this discussion two weeks ago, so they're definitely headed in the right direction. Whether that late surge is enough for them to surpass OSU and Notre Dame, we'll have to see.
He's really trying to stay away from the media right now. Since he's getting close to making a decision here in roughly the next 2-3 weeks, there have been a lot of people bugging him of late. I think I have one of the better relationships with Andrew, so I should be able to keep in touch with him casually between now and his decision, but I wouldn't expect to see many articles on him and what not. He's only speaking with just a couple reporters.
From everything I've gathered over the past 24 hours - and this comes from both Pryts and PSU contacts - Penn State is now firmly in the mix. Andrew did admit that he cooled on PSU back in the spring and earlier this summer, but he was also adamant that recent discussions over the past 4-6 weeks have improved PSU's chances substantially.
Both Notre Dame and Ohio State are also still in the mix. I've seen people discuss that one or both schools may have cooled on Pryts, but Andrew is definitely under the impression that he can commit to either. I've heard nothing that would contradict that from my colleagues.
Stanford and UCLA are also still in play, but I do get the vibe that PSU, OSU and Notre Dame will likely be his top three.
As mentioned above, I expect a decision to come sometime in August. It could drag into the first week or two of September, but I think that's doubtful. However, I asked multiple times if it could come this week and he made it pretty clear that next week, or the following, are much more likely. He's busy with two-a-days this week and isn't thinking about recruiting much until that wraps up.
Right now, I'm not prepared to say Penn State is the leader here. I do believe they've improved their chances substantially, but I think even Andrew is still trying to sort this all out. I think all three of those schools are pretty much neck and neck, with UCLA and Stanford behind them slightly.
One really good thing for PSU is that his visit this past weekend does appear as if it'll be the final visit he takes before making this decision. As of today, no additional visits are in motion.
Also, one final thing: He's definitely a safety. I've seen a lot of talk about him potentially being a linebacker and again, I'll stress that PSU has only ever mentioned safety to Pryts. UCLA and one or two others have said he could be a hybrid player, but PSU has always maintained that he's strictly a safety prospect.
Long story short, we'll just have to see how this all plays out. I truly believe that even Pryts still has to sort this all out. Penn State could very well be the school that he commits to, but as of today, I don't think even Andrew really knows.
He will likely have final discussions with all of these schools, including UCLA and Stanford, next week, so I think those will impact his final decision.
For the time being, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at PSU, Ohio State or Notre Dame. However, the important thing to remember is that PSU wasn't even in this discussion two weeks ago, so they're definitely headed in the right direction. Whether that late surge is enough for them to surpass OSU and Notre Dame, we'll have to see.
