Trainer | Isaiah Pryor Has "Special" Talent, Makeup
Robby Stewart believes you can separate athletes into three categories.
Stewart, the founder of Uplift Sports Ministry in Loganville, Ga., says you have Group A, players will do anything a coach asks and more. Then, you have Group C, who will often arrive late and find any way they can to avoid doing something. In between, you have Group B, who will follow the lead of one of the other two.
“The Group A, those are the ones who make it and really excel,” says Stewart, who has been training elite athletes for more than two decades. “A lot of times, you may have a guy who is projected in the first round, but I wouldn’t put him in an Group A. He’s just running straight on talent.
“When you get one of those like that who has that kind of work mentality and that kind of talent, then you’ve got something special.”
Stewart believes the Irish have something special in Isaiah Pryor, the safety who is set to enroll at Notre Dame next month after transferring from Ohio State.
“He’s definitely very focused, that’s one of the biggest things, especially at that level,” says Stewart. “You get some that are right on the talent, but some of them have the talent without the focus and some of them have the talent and the focus. He’s both.
“He has the talent to make himself a great player and he stays focused on it. There are times when everybody else may be out enjoying spring break and everything else and he’s in the weight room working. He’s definitely a focused, good individual.”
A highly-touted recruit who spent time as a starter at one of the premier programs in the country, Pryor’s focus is forward-facing.
“What he’s done in the past is what he’s done in the past,” says Stewart. “It’s what he’s doing that day that’s on his mind…He’s a great guy. He’s a great player.”
At the same time, Pryor understands those prior accomplishments do come with a certain amount of responsibility at the Christian-based center where 30 to 45 minutes of bible study is done before training even starts, especially with younger guys in the gym.
“He understands what a role model he is even in a situation like that,” says Stewart. “It says a lot. You put a young athlete like that in certain situations, especially since he’s already been in college and has already had a lot of the extras thrown at him, it could easily lead somebody to go the wrong way because of notoriety and the pride that can well up in somebody.
“Just to see the way he’s handled it up to now and keep his mind and heart right and do the right things and not getting too prideful of things. When he’s in there with those guys, he’ll take time to speak with them and actually work with them too. He’s not a guy who’s let his success go to his head and make him feel that he’s above anybody. He’s very, very lowkey and he reaches out to help. That’s a unique quality in somebody. That part of it, he really does a great job with showing his true colors.”
Stewart is convinced Pryor will be an even better player in South Bend than he was in Columbus.
“I definitely think you’ll see a big difference between him now and then when he gets on the field at Notre Dame,” he says. “He’s going to be working, I promise you that.
“He’s constantly working to be the best he can. Every day he hits the weights or the field, it’s going to be a day that he’s going to get better. Any kind of injuries he may have picked up along the way, I feel they’ll clear out and give him room to work even harder and get more results.”
While many young athletes need to either add weight or redistribute weight, that hasn’t been the case for Pryor, who has been able to concentrate on developing his strength, explosion, acceleration, deceleration and change of direction.
Stewart’s facility doesn’t do a ton of one-on-one reps versus receivers, but stresses working on short-area quickness.
“Trying to do all of the movements he does there; opening his hips, being able to go into a backpedal,” Stewart explains. “Can he shut it down and come forward? Did he break on the ball? Those kinds of things, different drills.
“At the same time, we’re trying to get him as explosive as he can and in doing that, you can actually see the physical size change. You’re essentially creating a bigger, more explosive motor, which is going to weigh more in most cases. You see his actual body size change. I don’t know if his type of body will change, but he keeps adding to what he already has. He’s already pretty lean and I don’t think you’d find any fat on him anywhere.”
Stewart says Pryor’s best football is ahead of him precisely because of his work ethic.
“I’ve had years of training with NFL players and college players, he’s one of my favorites simply because of the way he works. For me, you can take somebody who’s ranked as first-round pick, but if he’s a prima donna type and doesn’t want to work, it doesn’t make my job easier.
“You give me somebody who is a late-round draft pick or free agent, but loves to work, I love going to work with that guy. Wherever he may end up going at the next level if he gets that opportunity, man, I tell you he’s going to do everything he can regardless of where he’s slotted. Those are the kind of guys who are great to work with.”