Take a tour of our countdown of the top senior college football prospects in the St. Louis area.
EAST ST. LOUIS — It was a phrase Terrell Berryhill heard the first time he attended an football game.
"Welcome to the house of pain."
That slogan resonated with the 6-foot-6 and 270-pound senior offensive tackle.Â
"From that first snap of the game, you have to be dominant," Berryhill said. "Every part of the game, you have to be physical because that guy across from you isn't going to stop, so you can't stop either."
Berryhill, No. 13 on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 football recruiting countdown of the area's top senior college recruits, announced his verbal commitment to Purdue University in June. He also has received offers from Illinois State, Kent State, Lindenwood, Miami (Ohio), Missouri State, New Mexico and South Dakota. Â
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Barry Odom, formerly head coach at UNLV and the University of Missouri, is in his first season as the Boilermakers coach after a 1-11 campaign in 2024. Odom guided UNLV to 20 wins in two seasons, including 11 last season, the most in UNLV program history while in the highest division of college football.
Berryhill is joining former East St. Louis standouts Leontre Bradford and Jesse Watson, who are starting their second season with the Boilermakers.Â
But the NCAA Division I prospect needed a few years to develop — and maybe a few extra sandwiches.
"We knew he had the tools," East St. Louis offensive line coach Cliff Young said. "He had the footwork and the hand placement. And he was smart. But he was undersized and that's something we couldn't control. Fortunately, he had a great dad in his corner who stayed with him. He got him the protein shakes, peanut butter and jelly before and after practice and stuff like that. His dad played the big part in this whole process."

East St. Louis’ Terrell Berryhill Jr. (left) goes through drills during a football practice on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Ill.
While he was waiting for his body to catch up to his natural talent, Berryhill soaked in the leadership of former standout East St. Louis offensive linemen like Miles McVay and Brandon Henderson.Â
McVay, a 2023 East St. Louis graduate, signed with the University of Alabama and has transferred this season to the University of North Carolina. Henderson, also a 2023 graduate, is heading into his third season at the University of Illinois.Â
"When you talk about a kid like Berryhill, it's all about trusting the process," Flyers head coach Darren Sunkett said. "A lot of kids, when they're not playing early, they sit around and sulk, you know. Instead, he took the opposite approach. He trusted what we were teaching. You love coaching those types of kids."
Last year, Berryhill was part of an offensive line that paved the way for 2,392 rushing yards and 2,840 passing yards en route to the Flyers' 11th state championship and a 13-win season.ÌýÌý
"I think as a full offensive line, not giving up sacks, I feel like that's a great thing to look at," Berryhill said. "If we have multiple running backs rushing for 1,000 yards, I mean, at some point they're going to look at the line and think, 'They're up there doing their thing.' "
As good as last year's success was, Berryhill and his teammates want more this year.
The Flyers' schedule is loaded against the likes of powers such as Bergen Catholic (N.J.), Bishop Gorman (Nev.) and IMG Academy (Fla.).
"We're coming for everything," Berryhill said. "We want to go 14-0, of course. We want to win a state championship. But of course, we're looking for national things. That's why we're playing the guys we're playing, because we want to be looked at in that national ranking."
Take a tour of our countdown of the top senior college football prospects in the St. Louis area.