COLUMBUS — Terrelle Pryor won’t be there when Ohio State starts spring football practice today, but that didn’t prevent the freshman-to-be from being a hot topic Wednesday during coach Jim Tressel’s news conference.
Tressel said the list of Pryor’s athletic talents is long and well-publicized, but it was his desire to do great things that impressed the coach the most.
“Terrelle is one of those kind of guys who is just so passionate about becoming a great quarterback and reaching goals, and he loves to talk about it,” Tressel said of the nation’s top-rated prospect. “He constantly wants to be evaluated.”
Pryor’s thirst for perfection is probably the reason the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder has become more than just another blue-chipper. Tressel recalled his first glimpse of Pryor’s desire during his only live viewing of the quarterback on the football field.
“He called me up a few days later and wanted to explain to me about that one pass he didn’t hit,” Tressel said. “He just loves to talk about football and becoming as good as he can become.”
Not that Pryor isn’t good already.
He became the first Pennsylvanian to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards in his career. He led the Jeannette Jayhawks to back-to-back state football championships and added a basketball title during his senior season. On the basketball court, Pryor averaged 21.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.9 blocks and 2.3 steals this year.
“I remember talking to his dad after that one game in basketball where he had some unbelievable numbers,” Tressel said. “He had like six dunks and a bunch of rebounds, and his dad said, ‘Yeah, but he didn’t shoot his jumpers very well.’
“I think they are just passionate about being good.”
The dedication has spilled over to other areas of Pryor’s life. He had no sooner announced his intention to play for the Buckeyes when he contacted Tressel.
“About 1:30 or 2 o’clock I get a text from him saying, ‘Did I do good?’” the coach said. “I hadn’t even watched (the news conference). So I told him he did great. I was just going to wait and read all the articles.”
Tressel talked about other factors that have helped Pryor, including playing 16 games each season to capture his state championships.
“That’s 32 football games in two years,” Tressel said. “Plus the coaching staff really challenged him while he was there. They did a lot of different things — they did a little bit of spread, a little bit of wing-T and they did a little bit of QB run stuff.”
Tressel knows Pryor wants to be on the field from the opening snap — and that Buckeye Nation shares the enthusiasm – but said he’ll have to earn his spot just like everyone else.
“There are a lot of other guys that want to see themselves fitting into the mix at his position as well,” Tressel said. “His ability to understand the system and the ability to adjust to the speed of the game — and not the speed on his side but the speed on the other side (of the ball) — will determine just where he is in the mix.”
The early thought — which was strengthened by Pryor’s comments last week — is that the Buckeyes may try to duplicate the system Florida used during its national championship season two years ago. The Gators used Chris Leak as a traditional drop-back passer and the versatile Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy the following season, as a running threat.
The system could be productive for Ohio State as senior Todd Boeckman has shown the ability to produce in the pocket, while being limited on the move.
“When you try to spread your offense there’s a lot more banging on the quarterback,” Tressel said. “So if you can share some time between quarterbacks, that’s a good thing.
“Plus it keeps the other team on its toes. You don’t ever want to give the defense a free pass by knowing your quarterback is not going to run.”
** The Buckeyes will have six true freshmen — their most ever — participating in spring practices. To be eligible to practice, a player must’ve graduated from high school.
The six Ohio State freshmen are 6-foot-8, 322-pound offensive lineman Mike Adams from Dublin; 6-5, 296-pound offensive lineman Mike Brewster from Orlando, Fla.; 6-3, 232-pound linebacker Etienne Sabino from Sunny Isles, Fla.; 6-8, 298-pound offensive lineman J.B. Shugarts from Klein, Texas; 6-5, 230-pound wide receiver Jake Stoneburner from Dublin; and 6-2, 220-pound linebacker Andrew Sweat from Washington, Pa.
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. 

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.