The Rest of the story on Brian Pickryl

[Vito Corleone]

Someone posted this story on the Texas rivals site, its a great read

Life of Bryan
Bruce Feldman weblog

While doing research for the recruiting recaps series a few months ago, I became intrigued by one-time Texas blue-chipper Bryan Pickryl.
Five years ago he was a lanky defensive end from Oklahoma, who, along with Vince Young, Rod Wright and about two dozen other touted prospects, made up the nation's top-rated recruiting class. Despite packing only about 215 pounds on his 6-5 frame, Pickryl was still so quick and relentless, he started five games for UT at defensive end, notching 4½ sacks as a true freshman. He did even better in the classroom. He was a biomedical engineering major who earned a 4.0 GPA in his first semester at UT.

But, just as it would seem like his star was set to take off, his football career seemed to fade away.

The short answer, according to some clip searches, was that Pickryl's career was derailed by a series of shoulder injuries. In researching that recruiting series, I'd say about 10 percent of all the recruits from those classes back then were lost because of injury. Another 10 percent bottomed out due to off-field problems, and probably another 20 percent got washed away by academic trouble.

I didn't think too much more about Pickryl till I headed down to Austin for another story on a Longhorn all-world recruit who had gotten sidelined by his own devastating injury. That story, known by some inside the UT football program, is "the miracle story" about the recovery of Tony Hills, and is in the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine. In a way it felt like the flip side of what I thought was the Pickryl story, but turns out it isn't.

Life without football is going pretty well for Pickryl.

The injury problems actually had started long before he arrived at UT. Back in 1998, his right shoulder first popped out of joint. Then, a few games into his senior year at powerful Jenks (Okla.) High School he suffered a torn labrum. Still, Pickryl played the rest of the season trying to keep the shoulder from popping out of its socket, and waited until after the season to have surgery.

When he showed up in Austin that winter, he weighed just 204 pounds. His lack of bulk though, didn't stop him from making an instant impact for the Horns. However, for as well as he played, he kept having trouble with his shoulders. He had another shoulder surgery after his freshman season. Then, in the second game of his sophomore season, he dislocated his left shoulder. This injury was actually even more debilitating than the one to the right side, which was an anterior tear. This one was a posterior tear.


Pickryl spent two months in a brace that kept his arm at a 45-degree angle out to his side. "It looked like I was Robocop," he said. "I couldn't sit down in desks. I actually had to withdraw from class (for a semester.)" Showering with the brace wasn't an option. He was reduced to using a wash cloth.


The series of shoulder injuries made Pickryl wonder if he could last playing football. Genetically, he obviously has been blessed with many of the traits -- the quickness, the balance, the flexibility, the instincts -- needed to be an elite pass rusher. Unfortunately, his tendons might not have been strong enough to withstand the pounding of the sport. Pickryl was unsure about his next move. After sitting out a season, he worked hard to get his strength back. He got up near 250 pounds and estimates he was about 80 percent back. He had a sit down with coach Mack Brown, talking about "long-term stuff."


Brown explained that, for selfish reasons, he wanted Pickryl to come back, but added that he knew the kid didn't need this long-term. He would support him regardless. "We'll treat you like part of the family either way," Brown said.


Pickryl's parents were split on what they wanted him to do. His father, who told him he loved him unconditionally, voted comeback. "He's so into Texas," Pickryl said. "He was like, 'You gotta play. There's just no other option.'"


His mother, though, didn't want to see him hurt. Ultimately, Pickryl realized there is a lot more he hopes to do in his future. "I want to be able to pick my grandchildren up some day," he said.


Pickryl still was a part of the UT football program, assisting in recruiting. He showed recruits and their families around the UT football complex on gamedays, lending his perspective on life as a student-athlete. He also volunteered to help out on the academic side too, as a tutor, but not many people are taking engineering classes, he said.


The toughest thing about not playing, he said, is that he missed the competition. And of course, he would've loved to have been out there with his old teammates in the Rose Bowl when they won the national title. It fulfilled a vision he had when he signed on with UT as part of that celebrated group. "I knew our class was something special," he said. "We had a lot of competitors. Everybody hated to lose."


While many from that class are headed to the NFL, Pickryl is heading to Lille, France during the first part of the summer in order to take a class called Biomedical Imaging Modalities.


He is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2007 and is hoping to get a medical internship or research with a faculty member during his senior year of school.


Sounds like this is one blue-chipper who did just fine at the next level.

[Cicero]

Riveting

[Vito Corleone]

For someone who hates the NBA because of their thug ghetto mentality I would think this story would have some appeal to you. But I guess if its not about FSU players getting free shoes then it has no appeal.

Pickryl was a 5-star athlete that didn't pan out yet he has still made good on the free education he was given.

[Cicero]

The free shoes angle?? What was that, like 13 years ago???


Im all about human interest stories about people that overcome rough spots in their life, I just dont think anyone cares about some random kid on the Texas football team.

[War Stoops]

Good story, Vito. His father is my boss so I've seen up close where Bryan gets his intellect.

[SunCoastSooner]

Texas recruiting someone from Jenks, OK? I call bullshit.

No, actually, it is a good story. Glad his life is turning out OK.

Is Prickyl the kid who wasn't really from Oklahoma but moved there during his Junior year from Minnesota, specifically for football?

Everyone recruits Jenks, BtH. Ask Killian and Legacy how much they appreciate the Jenks football program as well.

[Killian]

Everyone recruits Jenks, BtH. Ask Killian and Legacy how much they appreciate the Jenks football program as well.

Ode to the Wisne brothers and Jason Beckstrom.

Too bad those three didn't get the coaching they deserved.

[Vito Corleone]

The free shoes angle?? What was that, like 13 years ago???


Im all about human interest stories about people that overcome rough spots in their life, I just dont think anyone cares about some random kid on the Texas football team.

Some good stories never get old.


Pickryl in 2k6 is an unknown, but in 2k2 he was a 5-star DE from Oklahoma that was as much a can't miss prospect as anyone Mack has ever recruited. This kid had it all but the shoulder injuries were too much to overcome. But instead of dropping out he has used his scholarship and will one day be a great engineer for some company.

It's stories like this that keep me coming back to college football.

[the_ouskull]

I stopped reading it when I found out that he left our state to play football.

Sin,
Oklahoma Fan Acting As Texas Fan

[King Crimson]

he did a nice job jumping offsides in the 2002 Oklahoma-UT game to set up OU's last minute in the first half TD....4th down toss from Hybl to Trent Smith. in a game that UT was controlling....until then and Quentin ran it down their throats for most of the 4th quarter.

i wish the kid well, but this is a football board.

and then Mack took a knee. ballsy.