As it becomes more and more clear that the Raiders are ready to make Matt McGloin the starting quarterback over the guy whose stint as quarterback of the future has passed into history, it’s time to share a few intriguing facts about the past relationship between McGloin and the man he’s about to officially supplant.
With Terrelle Pryor being a third-round pick in the 2011 supplemental draft and Matt McGloin being both undrafted and, in the land rush after the draft, unwanted, their NFL path echoed their mutual high school experiences.
A loyal reader passed along an intriguing link to a 2010 article from the Altoona Mirror. On Wednesday, November 10 of that year, Pryor and his Ohio State Buckeyes were preparing to face McGloin and his Penn State Nittany Lions. Asked about McGloin, Pryor was blunt.
“I never heard of him,” Pryor said.
But McGloin had heard of Pryor, who definitely has since heard of McGloin. At the time, McGloin said that Pryor’s extended effort to pick a college had made it harder for other quarterbacks to find colleges.
“I think everybody was following what he was doing, especially the quarterbacks,” McGloin said. “I know a couple guys, including myself, that didn’t get offers because of him. Schools were waiting to see what he did. . . . It was frustrating, but at the end of the day I think I made the right decision.”
McGloin’s decision was to walk on at Penn State, where he played well enough to not be drafted or signed in April. Eventually, McGloin had tryouts with the Redskins and Panthers before joining the Raiders in May.
McGloin has since climbed the ladder on Oakland, and he’s now in the process of knocking Pryor to the curb. If it happens, it’ll be a measure of vindication for McGloin that has been a long time coming.