Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1210272
50 MARCH 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER The Pyne family has had great suc- cess on and off the football field for several decades. George Pyne II was a pioneer of professional American football and played for the Providence Steam Rollers in 1931 and 1932. His son, George Pyne III, played for the Bos- ton Patriots of the American Foot- ball League and saw action in all 14 games during the 1965 season. Moving along in the lineage, Pyne III's son, Jim, spent several years in the NFL and had his jersey retired by Virginia Tech. He played in the NFL as an offensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1994-97), De- troit Lions (1998), Cleveland Browns (1999-2000) and Philadelphia Eagles (2001-02). The Pyne family was the first in history to have three consecu- tive generations play professional football. Jim's brother, George Pyne IV, was a two-year starter and captain for Brown University as an offensive lineman, and earned All-Ivy League honors in 1987. Pyne IV has been a highly success- ful businessman and is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer for Bruin Sports Capital. Prior to his role at Bruin, Pyne IV was the President of IMG Sports & Entertainment. He also spent 11 years working for NASCAR as its Chief Operating Officer. Pyne IV has two sons, Drew and Brendan, both of whom are continu- ing the family tradition of playing football past their prep days. Brendan played linebacker for Brown Univer- sity, his father's alma mater, and re- corded 178 tackles from 2017-19. He recently made the switch as a gradu- ate transfer to the University of Colo- rado in December to play his final season of college football in 2020. Even Drew Pyne's grandfather on his mother Helene's side of the fam- ily, Paul Harney, is in the PGA Hall of Fame with 11 professional victories. His cousin Kevin Pyne is a Boston College offensive tackle commit in the 2020 class. Being a great athlete — especially in football — runs in the Pyne family. The most decorated athlete of them all — at least as a prep recruit — is Drew, who signed with Notre Dame in December 2019. There's been a spotlight on the Pyne family for a century, something that Drew certainly understood as just a child. And before he even sat down in a high school classroom, he already had college coaches offer- ing him a scholarship to play at their universities. Nick Saban and the Alabama Crim- son Tide offered Pyne a scholarship as just an eighth grader. Big-time programs such as Florida State and South Carolina offered him as well. LSU, Michigan, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, among others, offered him dur- ing his recruiting process, but Pyne grew up a huge Notre Dame fan and couldn't pass up picking the Fight- ing Irish. Pyne wore No. 10 at the high school level (and may get the chance to in college as well with Chris Finke Drew Pyne Is On Target With His Family's Football Tradition Pyne hails from a family with three generations of professional football players. As a four-year starter in high school, he holds the school career records for passing yards (9,411) and touch- downs (105). PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM DREW PYNE QUARTERBACK 6-0 · 181 NEW CANAAN NEW CANAAN, CONN. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 117 7 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 221 13 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 19 8 STATISTICS • Finished his career with 9,411 yards, 105 pass- ing touchdowns and 35 interceptions, and added 292 rushes for 1,182 yards and 20 scores. • In 2019, Pyne threw for 2,107 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions, plus had 57 carries for 259 yards and eight scores. • Is New Canaan's career leader in passing yards and touchdowns, throwing his 100th career touch- down pass on Nov. 15, 2019. NOTABLE • Born on Dec. 5, 2000 • Played in 49 games during his high school career • Two-time Connecticut state champion, as well as New England regional champion • His father, George Pyne IV, held the position of chief operating officer at NASCAR and was an All- Ivy League football performer in college • His grandfather, George Pyne III, played for the Boston Patriots in the AFL • 2019 Connecticut High School Coaches Asso- ciation All-State selection • Grew up a big Notre Dame fan ALL-STAR GAMES • Completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards with a touchdown in the Under Armour All-America Game Jan. 2 in Orlando, Fla. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on April 16, 2018 and enrolled in January 2020. • Earned offers from Alabama, Florida State and Penn State while he was in eighth grade. • Earned an offer from Notre Dame in the sum- mer before his sophomore season. • Recruited by quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees. • Made handful of visits to Notre Dame, includ- ing an official trip for the USC game on Oct. 12, 2019. • Was a vocal recruiter for Notre Dame's 2020 class on offense. 2020 PROJECTION • Will get quality time to learn the quarterback position behind the seasoned Ian Book during the spring and vie for No. 2 role with Brendon Clark. THEY SAID IT Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees: "We identified right away how good of a fit Drew was for Notre Dame and the culture we have here. It certainly doesn't hurt that he grew up a big Brady Quinn fan. He understands what makes Notre Dame special and it made it a really good fit for us." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He doesn't show any overwhelming physical abilities; he is just good at everything. I was impressed with his ability to thread the needles. He has a good enough arm to throw the deep out with authority, and one thing that really caught my eye was his playmaking ability. Mentally, he processes things quickly and he stays composed. He's still working on his weight and strength, but believe me, this young man can play the game."