Top 2021 RB Evan Pryor On Notre Dame Radar, Could Visit Soon

Evan Pryor‍ still has three more high school football seasons left, but the 2021 North Carolina running back has already cemented his status as a national recruit.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder from Cornelius, N.C., currently has offers from North Carolina, Duke, Georgia, Penn State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi State.

“It’s humbling actually because if you’re not staying up on your grades or still grinding, those offers may not be there in four years,” said Pryor. “It was really a wake-up call to me to keep grinding and keep working.”

Notre Dame was by William Amos Hough High School recently and although the Irish couldn’t have extended communication with Pryor, they were able to say hello and leave a message.

“They said just to stay focused on school and to keep grinding because those two things go hand in hand,” Pryor explained.

Even without much beyond hello, Pryor was excited to have the Irish drop by to check on him.

“It felt great because they’re such a high-quality program,” he said. “A school like that comes by to see you, it gives you self-awareness that, ‘Hey, I’m pretty serious if a school like Notre Dame is coming by.’”

Pryor’s father is from Indiana.

“I know a bit about the school already,” he said. “My dad is from Hammond, so he knows a bit about Notre Dame.

“I go back every summer. My dad does a camp down in Hammond, Ind.”

Pryor has already taken trips to schools like Penn State, Tennessee, North Carolina and Duke. He described the trips as “great.”

“They treated me right, making sure they hit all of their great points about their campus and school to make you want to think about going there,” he said.

“I’m supposed to be going to South Carolina the beginning of this summer.”

And he plans to swing by South Bend when he gets back to Indiana this summer as well.

“We’ve already planned on that one,” he said.

Pryor, who has been clocked at 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, has been told college scouts like his complete package as a running back.

“I can do more than just downhill running,” he said of what coaches have told him. “I can catch the ball out of the backfield, be in the game on third down, I can pick up blitzes.”

He acknowledged Penn State is one school that has his attention already based on academics. Comfort will be a key factor in his ultimate decision.

“A place that brings me in and I really feel warm with them. This is a place you’re going to be a lot and people you’re going to be around a lot. So, somewhere I feel bought into and where everybody feels like family.”