TopFrog
Lifelong Frog
GoFrogs: Matt Pryor
This feature article originally appeared in the TCU Gameday Program, which is free to all fans at each TCU football home game. Each week, GoFrogs.com will publish the features from the previous edition of the TCU Gameday Program.
by Kennedy Harvey, TCU Athletics Communications Intern
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Reflecting back to the beginning of his high school career, senior TCU offensive lineman Matt Pryor would never have expected to be where he is now.
“I didn’t start playing ball until freshman year of high school,” explained Pryor. “To be honest, I didn’t even want to play football.”
Pryor and his mom attended his cousins’ football tryout where he was recognized on the sidelines by the coaching staff.
“The coach looked at me from across the field and yelled ‘Come here!’” He grunted as his mom forced him out on the field to play. “They threw me a pair of cleats, I practiced pretty well, and that’s how it all started.”
Although Pryor was out on the field playing his freshman year, he admitted it was not until sophomore year when football truly became a passion.
“My cousin really pressed the idea of what football could do for me, and that played a big role,” he recalled. “That’s when it clicked that I could do something with this.”
The thought of what football could do for him both physically and mentally really pushed him to see it through, and consider the game as something he could play after high school.
“Physically, it could keep me in shape. I was a little chunky kid growing up, so I needed something that would help me drop some weight. Mentally, it got me to college, so that’s a big role,” said Pryor.
Before he knew it, offers from colleges started flowing in and the world seemed to grow immensely before his eyes. He was able to imagine life outside of Long Beach, California, where he was born and raised.
“To be honest, I thought California was the only state,” he admitted. “My aunt lives in Victorville, and when we traveled out there I thought ‘Where are we?’ It was still part of California.”
Pryor’s first trip to Texas was during his official visit to TCU, where he met former offensive line coach of 12 years, Eddie Williamson. Williamson coached Pryor for his freshman season but is credited as the person who sold him on TCU’s football program.
“Coach Williamson really pressed the issue of both trying to improve my football ability, while getting me an education at the same time,” said Pryor. “I really fell hard for that, and then they took a chance on me. Switching your mind between football and school is hard, but it is all part of the process.”
Pryor feels it is important to see college all the way through and get a degree. Scheduled to complete his degree in criminal justice with a minor in sociology in December, Pryor is forced to think about his future.
“I think getting my degree is a big deal because I do not know how football is going to pan out,” he acknowledged. “Hopefully, I play a long time, get drafted and all that, but in the end, it will be really helpful if I have my degree.”
With that said, Pryor still has one season of football left as a Horned Frog, and he intends on making it one that will be remembered by the team, and the graduating members in particular.
“Coach Patterson always says the goal is to give the seniors the best season we can, so that’s my goal,” said Pryor. “I am going to work hard, set up opportunities to get to the next level, and just see how it plays out.”
For the last three seasons, Pryor has had the same goal of getting the seniors the best season possible, but as a senior, he finds himself in a different role this season.
“I feel like freshman year when I was new here. I was getting used to school and getting adjusted. Sophomore year I saw a little playing time, but still, I was not sure what I was doing. Then junior year, when I started my first game, that was when I realized this was the real deal. I had to step up and focus. Now senior year it’s like ‘Where did time go?’ It’s here and I’m trying to think back about when I first got here and I can barely remember that.”
With 11 regular-season games left in his college football career, Pryor has big expectations for himself and the rest of his team.
