COLUMBUS — Ohio State coach Jim Tressel feigned surprise when some reporters scooted by him during media day Thursday, as they headed toward the student section.

“Where you going?” Tressel said.

It was a rhetorical question. Humorous, but rhetorical nonetheless. He knew exactly where they were headed — right to the guy in the No. 2 jersey: Terrelle Pryor, the prized recruit whom the Buckeyes landed last spring after some now-forgotten drama.

If there was any hint that was a problem, it didn’t show.

Still, for a young man who spent a lot of time in the glare of the spotlight because of his football and basketball prowess, Pryor seems bewildered by all of the attention. But when he responds that he wonders why he’s getting so much attention, it sounds like a genuine sentiment.

In case he needs a refresher course, here’s why:

During his senior season of high school in Jeannette, Pa., Pryor rushed for 1,899 yards and threw for 1,899 yards and accounted for 58 touchdowns. During his high school career, he passed for 4,340 yards and rushed for another 4,238. In a state as football crazy as Ohio, that’s what the fuss is about.

Yet, Pryor seems humble, knowing that this is a different level for him.

“No matter what your rank is you have to come in and prove yourself,” he said. “You’re supposed to be who you are. You’ve got to prove yourself to your teammates that you can help them on the field.”

Maybe that’s why the first phone number he asked for after signing with the Buckeyes was that of senior quarterback Todd Boeckman.

“He’s an older guy, and I think I can learn a lot of stuff from him,” Pryor said. “He’s a good quarterback, and I think he’ll be tops in the NFL. I work with him every day; he’s pretty good. I knew I had a good quarterback to learn off of for one year.”

After just a few days in practice, Pryor’s still adjusting. That makes sense, given that the level of competition has changed from what he faced in western Pennsylvania.

“It’s just like the U.S. Army All-America Game,” he said of joining OSU. “It’s a lot faster kids, stronger kids. It’s a lot different.”

Tressel said Pryor has surprised him in one regard, but everything else comes as advertised.

“If you watch drills, he throws it even better than I thought he would,” he said. “When you get into the group things and he’s trying to figure out the coverage and he’s not sure where ours are going, it slows down his release a little bit, but he stills shows a good ability to make decisions.”

Boeckman, Pryor’s competition and adopted mentor, agrees with his coach’s assessment.

“I think he’s getting better each and every day,” Boeckman said. “He’s still young. He’s got a lot to learn, but he has all the skills.”

That’s not to say Pryor lacks confidence. Far from it. He knows what he’s capable of doing.

“Once I get the packages down, and technique, everything will just fall into place,” Pryor said. “As of right now, I need to learn the offense more — more stuff than I already know.”

Pryor also talked about how, during the first few days of camp, he threw three interceptions, and his teammates ultimately came to him. They told him those types of plays would have to be shaken off if he was to be successful at the collegiate level.

“If he needs work, if he needs help, if he messes up something, I’m going to tell him,” Boeckman said. “If he can help us out in any way, I’m all for it.”

Tressel would not define Pryor’s role for this season.

For now, redshirt freshman Joe Bauserman is Boeckman’s backup. That doesn’t mean that Pryor won’t play.

During his recruiting period, the possibility of Pryor being used in the way Florida employed a similarly skilled Tim Tebow as a freshman was mentioned.

“Common thought is Terrelle can do such extraordinary things at times that you might want to utilize those things at the right situations,” Tressel said.

For now, Pryor is more interested in just getting the offense down, not allowing himself to look too far into the future.

When asked whether he had seen any OSU-Michigan games, he playfully said: “I want to see what the first game is like. Forget the Michigan game.”



Thomas is a columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal. Reach him at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com.