Houston Pruitt

[Jimmy Chitwood]

this is what White kids are dealing with ...

senior free safety Houston Pruitt is probably the top defensive back in Arkansas. he's 6-feet tall and runs a 4.5, was offered a scholarship to Tulsa as a sophomore, and had 20 pass break-ups, 11 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles in his junior year alone ... yet despite his being a senior now his only scholarship offers to play football are to the aforementioned Tulsa and Louisiana-Monroe.

maybe it is recruiting evaluations like ESPN's that have something to do with it. i mean, how many caste speakclassics can you cram into one report?!?

Pruitt is a very physical and aggressive football player. He has good size and is quicker than fast. A tough guy that attacks quickly on run support; really closes to the ball well. Keeps good leverage on the ball carrier when coming up from inside out from the free safety position in cover three. Equally effective in run support when coming downhill from the hash when in the two deep. Really likes to punish the ball carrier and drive through the block but must be careful to not be out of control. A reliable tackler when one on one in the openfield. As solid of a pass defender as run supporter. Breaks instantly on the pass and takes great angles to make a play on the ball or try to separate the defender after the catch. Does an excellent job of undercutting the receiver and anticipating where the route will be broken. Very alert and shows field smarts; a lot of natural instincts. Pruitt is a vey solid defensive back that plays like a linebacker but is not too out of control when playing safety. He has the great combination of quickness, toughness, intelligence along with a motor that never quits. He has the chance to be a very productive safety at the next level.

that next-to-last sentence has to be some kind of record for backhanded caste compliments!

so, what did he do? he accepted a baseball scholarship to Arkansas where they actually give him credit for his talent.

here's a profile on Pruitt that came out today in the Northwest Arkansas paper. some excerpts:

Pruitt, Har-Ber's all-time leader in tackles (207), made a commitment to play baseball for Arkansas after he received an offer in July.

Although Pruitt said the decision was bittersweet, he said it's something he won't regret. For now, however, he's just trying to help the Wildcats (3-0) win their first state championship.

This season, Pruitt has totaled eight tackles for a defensive unit that has only allowed 109 rushing yards. Overall, Har-Ber has given up only five touchdowns in three games.

"I think this is a defense that other teams know is physical," Pruitt said. "That's what we preach in practice everyday, just being physical. We're not afraid to hit you in the mouth straight up and not even think twice about it. That's just our mentality."

Last season alone, Pruitt totaled 20 pass break-ups, 11 interceptions â€" including one for about a 90-yard touchdown â€" and he caused four fumbles while making 70 solo tackles.

"When Houston is on the field, it's like another coach is out there," Har-Ber secondary coach Mark Taylor said. "He does half my job for me, and that's because of his instinct. It's amazing to see how well he can read an offense and then make sure everybody is in their right spot.

"Without Houston on our defense, it just wouldn't be the same, I don't think there's any doubt about that."

here is a short highlight video from his sophomore season. you can see his ballhawking ability pretty quick.

no one will ever get to see this incredible ballhawk making plays on the college grid iron because of the caste system ... yet they insist on saying that the best players available are on the field. right ...

 

[Riddlewire]

I prefer to see the silver lining in Houston's story.
He'll join Ben Crumpton on the 100% Caucasian Diamond Hogs.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

that's certainly one way to look at it Riddlewire. and it's not a bad thing considering how poorly football teams were rating him. according to the profile i linked above, as a junior, Pruitt batted .462 with six home runs, 35 runs scored, five doubles and 20 runs batted in, ending the season with a .710 slugging percentage. From the mound, he was 2-1 with four saves.


the Razorbacks baseball team signed 3 White athletes whowere amongthe fastest kids in the state regardless of race, all of whom starred on the gridironbut were completely ignored by college football recruiters: Franco Broyles, Ben Crumpton, and Matt Vinson. all ran between a 4.43 and 4.48 in the 40.

sadly none of them went out for track ... *sigh* and none were offered D-I football scholarships, either, despite their size,speed, and production.