Football Recruiting: UNC QB Prospect is a Competitor

Bryn Renner had thrown an interception in the third quarter that contributed to a 12-point deficit for his West Springfield High School team in its Virginia North Regional 3-A quarterfinal game against Centreville last November 9.

“He came off the field after the interception and he was not real happy about,’’ said West Springfield head coach and Bryn’s father, Bill Renner. “He’s an intense competitor. He knew he had put his teammates in a bad position and wanted to get them out of it.’’

And with just four minutes, 30 seconds to play, Bryn Renner did just that.

Seeing all his receivers covered on a pass play, Renner pulled the ball down and raced 78 yards for a touchdown.

West Springfield ’s defense forced a fumble and three plays later Renner connected with his tight end on a touchdown pass to complete a 30-27 come-from-behind victory.

“That’s Bryn. He can make plays with his feet and his arm,’’ Bill Renner said.

Bryn Renner will bring his dual-threat abilities to the University of North Carolina in the fall of 2009 after commiting to the Tar Heels late last week.

UNC snared Renner from schools such as Maryland , Michigan State , Ohio , Virginia Tech and West Virginia that had also offered scholarships. He becomes the 11th member of a rapidly growing Tar Heel class that also features highly touted wide receivers Joshua Adams and Vincent Ray-Ray Davis.

Renner will enter his fourth season next fall as a varsity starter at West Springfield, which is located in Springfield , a suburb community of Washington , D.C.

He spent his first two varsity seasons playing wide receiver while current Virginia quarterback Peter Lalich directed the West Springfield offense. Renner caught 95 passes for 1,332 yards and 11 touchdowns in two seasons and earned all-region honors before shifting to quarterback in 2007 after Lalich graduated.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder completed 214 of 339 passes for 2,749 yards and 32 touchdowns in his first season as the starter. He also directed West Springfield to its first district title in football in 14 years.

“I don’t like to lose at anything,’’ Bryn Renner said. “That’s the mentality I bring at quarterback.’’

Renner hasn’t limited that attitude to just football. He’s also been a varsity athlete for four years at West Springfield in basketball and baseball.

On the basketball court as a junior, Renner led the Washington , D.C. , area with a 26.6 scoring average. He hit .333 with three homers and 30 stolen bases as a junior shortstop in baseball, and was hitting over .500 through the first six games of 2008.

Professional baseball scouts have taken notice of Renner and he could be a candidate for the pro draft after his senior year. But for now Renner just hopes to be able to pursue that sport as well at UNC.

“I’m going to the spring (football) game this weekend and I’m going to stop by and talk with the baseball coaches,’’ he said. “I would love to try both in college.’’

Renner said he was sold on North Carolina after attending a quarterback camp in Chapel Hill following his basketball season and making an unofficial visit to campus in March.

“I think things just clicked quickly with North Carolina ,’’ Renner said. “I really didn’t have any set time frame as to when I was going to commit. But North Carolina had so many things to offer and I liked so much about the school. I just felt it was the best fit for me, so why wait.’’

Renner will join a quarterback corps at UNC in the fall of 2009 that should also include T.J. Yates, Mike Paulus and Braden Hanson.