Ranked 40 football player in the country. I highly doubt he sees the basketball court unless it’s in the offseason.
Rodney Gallagher
- Thread starter BballinsiderfromPitt
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I have talked to local football coaches (both high school and college) about him. They don't see him as an elite football player. They don't think he's twitchy enough for his size. Obviously a lot could change over the next 3 years.
Complete guess. Don’t know family at all other than his dad is football crazy. Wore a shirt with his stats from HS on them to games last year from what I heard.
It's not a dumb choice. More chances that a kid his size can be a DB or WR in the NFL than he would be as a guard in the NBA. Maybe he grows some, but he is only 6'0".
Yep! His dad is around 6’2 6’3 I believe so he’s probably got a few more inches in there. But even at that size much easier to be a pro football player if he’s top 50.
100%. Infinitely better chance to have a pro football career than basketball. Now the health variable could matter more to some and less to others, but if you’re strictly speaking of the chance to have a pro career you’re nuts if you don’t pick football if you’re an elite recruit.
I don't know what position he plays in football. but I saw him play in the WPIAL Finals, I thought he is a sure fire basketball player.
Gallagher playing football will really surprise me. I also saw Puff Johnson play (only 1 game) but Gallagher was a game changer. The WPIAL Finals I saw Johnson play, Johnson was another player on the court.
This is my opinion and my opinion only and I only saw each player play 1 game, but also Gallagher was 3 years younger too.
Gallagher playing football will really surprise me. I also saw Puff Johnson play (only 1 game) but Gallagher was a game changer. The WPIAL Finals I saw Johnson play, Johnson was another player on the court.
This is my opinion and my opinion only and I only saw each player play 1 game, but also Gallagher was 3 years younger too.
I would say Puff’s shot making ability (or perceived ability, based on his brother’s development) and size is the difference as far as translation to college here.
Something to keep in mind: it’s still super early for 2023 football rankings. A whole lot of kids who will end up as top 50 recruits haven’t played a down varsity football yet.
Duzz and capel need to tag team this. I’d take him for 3 months starting in January if that’s all you can get. Free scholarship, no brainer
Maybe you guys should tell one of the best backcourts in the NBA they are too short. Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet are doing just fine. NBA players make a lot more money in the long run, and don’t have to deal with traumatic brain issues once they are done. If the NBA doesn’t work out, then you can still make good money overseas.
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That's not correct imo. You have so many more opportunities to play basketball professionally than you do football.
Most guys aren't making the NFL or NBA so basketball has the better fallback options
I mean, you're talking about 1,696 guys in the NFL (and likely 6 or 7 positions he could occupy at his size) versus 450 in the NBA (and 1 or 2 positions he could occupy at his size). If he wants to play in this country, the NFL is clearly the better decision. If he's open to playing overseas, well that's different. But it seems like you have to be REALLY good to make it in the NBA at that height. I said this on the other board, but top 40 in college football would be like being in the top 10 in basketball... it's pretty elite. If that holds true in two years, I can't imagine him not playing football.
I’ll believe that the Duzz would actually let him play basketball when I see it. College football is filled with “sure (recruit), we’ll definitely support and allow you to play two sports!” stories that end up with the recruit just playing football.
You are so right. There is a guy who was a top 50 player as a sophmore and went the football route. I don't know how his finances are and that is none of my business, but does the name Terrelle Pryor ring a bell?
I think that if he had to do things over, may have done things differently.
There’s no guarantee he would’ve made more money playing professional basketball anywhere. He’s made 14 million in the NFL and even though that is a pay cut from Ohio State and probably has to pay for tattoos now that’s still quite a bit of money.
The dude made $14 million dollars in his career; is that the example you want to stick with? On top of that, his story had more to do with not wanting to convert to wide receiver earlier in his career. I'm pretty sure he has admitted as much. Had he done that, he might have triple those already massive earnings.
If you can make close to the same amount of money, enjoy doing it more, and have less long-term impact on your body. Then it is a no-brainer to play basketball.
Of course, but he was raw in basketball. There’s no guarantee he would’ve made that amount or anywhere close to it. He could be playing for 30k in Japan for all we know. I’d say it’s very naive to say he made the wrong choice when he’s made 14 million.
Pryor was better than Brad in HS and had more upside. Good players do very well in Europe.
You’re right he’d be a hundred millionaire. Every prospect who dominates with athleticism in HS pans out. Especially against the vaunted WPIAL. My bad man
Oh right....it’s not like he didn’t play elite talent when he was on JOTS, and do very well.
If Pryor dedicated himself to basketball, then there is no doubt he could have made it in a high level European League or better.
I agreed with you. He’d be a hundred millionaire. Nevermind his terrible attitude and constantly quitting in the middle of AAU games. I agree!
Tyrelle Pryor was the #1 or #2 recruit in the country and was probably better in high school than Tom Brady. Means absolutely nothing.
Also, has Wannamaker made $14M? Even if he has, isn't he generally regarded as one of the better players of all time in that league? So it's certainly no guarantee over there.
Lastly, there are a ton of people who don't want to relocate 2 hours for a job, let along across an ocean.
He could made great money playing either sport. You’d have to ask him directly whether he would have played basketball if he could do it all over again. Doing something you love that takes less of a toll on your body goes a long way.
The bodily toll is definitely something to consider. But we don't know which one he loved more. We've seen guys tear up MLB contracts (way more money and way less of a bodily toll) just to play COLLEGE football, let alone in the NFL.
Plus I guess we don't really know how beat up he has gotten in his career. Many people walk away relatively unscathed.
But I still think quarterback over wide receiver was a worse decision for him than football over basketball could have ever been. I just know that I have no business questioning anyone who has earned $14M and can retire in his early 30s. Give me like 20% of that over the course of a 40-year career and I'll be content.
I agree with you. If he dedicated himself to WR coming out of HS, then he would have been excellent. He had measurables that were close to Calvin Johnson.
I think we all agree that was his biggest mistake. When he played WR in goal line his frosh year at OSU the couple times he did he seemed unstoppable.
I don’t know the kid personally but I always took it as a sign that, for all the times the Steelers had a chance to sign him, they never showed much interest. They seemed to see that there was a potential for trouble if you brought him back home.
Had he come out of school now he probably gets a much longer look at QB given how mobile QB’s are back in style but yeah, if he would’ve gotten an earlier start at WR he could’ve been a special player
I mean, Pryor’s body has taken more damage from getting stabbed by that woman in the Heinz Lofts than he ever did playing football.
It’s very possible that if Pryor had dedicated himself to basketball, then he’d still be playing professionally somewhere. On the other hand, if things had played out a little differently for him in college and in the NFL, he could very easily still be pulling down an NFL paycheck. He’s probably still got the body and the athleticism to play in the league.
It’s very possible that if Pryor had dedicated himself to basketball, then he’d still be playing professionally somewhere. On the other hand, if things had played out a little differently for him in college and in the NFL, he could very easily still be pulling down an NFL paycheck. He’s probably still got the body and the athleticism to play in the league.
Pryor was ranked one spot behind Iman Shumpert as a basketball prospect and I personally thought that he was much better and that his ranking was docked a bit because everyone knew that he wasn't going to play basketball. But they were still very similar players physically and stylistically.
Iman Shumpert's career earnings are over $50 million.
Iman Shumpert's career earnings are over $50 million.
From my understanding he was being told he should go the QB route early on in HS. Vince Young had just won a National Championship at Texas (2005) and Pryor was a rising sophomore at that time if I have my timeline correct. That was very impressionable on him and with his height being similar to Young’s he was being told he could be the next Vince Young. Basketball was a harder route at his height to go pro. When you play ball in a small town and you are the talk of the town constantly I’m sure your head gets filled with lots of stuff. He definitely should of gone the WR route though.
Like I said. I don't know his personal finances or earnings nor do I care. What I am saying is this guy was a top 25 prospect in both sports. At worst even if he would have gone the basketball route he would probably still be playing in Europe. There is life outside the NBA, not the NFL
Pryor just didn't have an outside shot. I mean, jumpshot. And I always thought that would limit his ceiling in basketball.
That is something he could have improved with hard work. It really boils down whether he had a passion for basketball or not, and the right mindset. He had enough talent.
Since we are on the topic of local guys. Herb Pope is a guy who had enough talent for the NBA, but was missing the proper attitude and decision making skills.
Yeah, Pope was the type of guy, had the prototype NBA size for his position. If he could have stayed on the straight and narrow, and say went to Pitt and developed, he likely could have been a 1st Rd NBA pick.
What I am saying is important. I am far from an NBA talent scout. But I offered this....."Aaron Gray has a better chance to play in the NBA than Chris Taft" during their Soph years. My thoughts on this was 7 footers with soft hands don't grow on trees.
And "Cam Johnson can be an NBA player" during his first year here. Again, the reason, he was a wing who could shoot, who was 6'8", and that is NBA spec material right there.
