Thursday, April 13, 2000
Prentice: talent and more
Miami back shines off field, too
BY John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD — Miami University football coach Terry Hoeppner got a lot of calls this week about Travis Prentice. People want to know where Prentice will go in Saturday's draft and whether he'll be a great pro.
“I tell them I have no clue,” Hoeppner said. “What I do know is the team that picks him will be getting a quality player and a quality person.”
What kind of a person a player is is becoming almost as big an issue as his 40-yard dash time. With NFL players getting arrested this offseason at an alarming rate, teams are showing a lot of concern for their image.
“Every team asked me about that,” Prentice said.
Prentice's football credentials are impeccable. He scored more touchdowns and points than any player in Division I football history. He ran for 5,596 yards in his career, the fifth most in Division I history. He has the size (5-foot-11, 225 pounds) and the speed (4.4 in the 40).
“There's no question he's a talented player,” Hoeppner said. “But whoever drafts him will get a guy they never have to worry about in terms of character and work ethic. He was someone we could point at and say to our young players: "This is how you're supposed to live.'”
Prentice heard a lot of personal questions from teams.
“More teams are focusing on that,” he said. “They want a player who will bring a good light to the team and the NFL.”
One of Prentice's biggest assets, Hoeppner said, is his durability. He never missed a game or a practice at Miami.
“He wouldn't have set all those records if he wasn't durable,” Hoeppner said. “He's a guy who on Sunday (after a Saturday game) looked like he could carry the ball 38, 40 times again.”
Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has Prentice rated as the 33rd best player in the draft. Playing at a mid-major school like Miami made it more difficult to get attention.
“I had to work harder than the guys who were on ESPN every five minutes,” he said. “I had to run more sprints, spend more time in the weight room.”
Prentice has no idea where he'll go.
“Just watching the draft analysts, I think it'll be mid-first round or high second round,” he said. “It could even be third round. I've done all I can do. Now all I can do is wait.”
Prentice could even end up with Bengals.
“I have some friends on the team,” he said. “It's close to home. That would be OK with me.”
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