Better Know A Buckeye: Terrelle Pryor
March 19 2008: Pryor signs with Ohio State
The decision to attend Ohio State was not a new one, as it’s basically the decision he reached in early February before being convinced to step back, give Penn State another look, and make sure that he’s not rushing into anything. The reason for the decision, though? One of comfort. At the end of the day, Pryor felt more comfortable at Ohio State than he did anywhere else. He enjoyed the camaraderie with the other 2008 signees, and not just any one of them1, but indeed all of them.
The other rewarding story behind Terrelle Pryor’s eventual commitment to Ohio State is his bond with Jim Tressel. As Pryor mentioned later in his specific “Making of the Brew Crew” articles on Scout, he identified Jim Tressel as the main reason why he committed to Ohio State, over the efforts from Rich Rodriguez at Michigan and overtures from Tom Bradley.
When asked what was the main reason he chose Ohio State, Pryor was quite direct in his answer.
“Why I chose Ohio State is because of Jim Tressel. That’s it,” Pryor stated emphatically. “I could have went to a lot of great places, but I want to play for coach Tressel. There were a lot of other reasons, like the friends I have here, the distance from home and a few other things, but the main reason is coach Tressel. I want to come here and win a championship for him.”
Pryor later added that he would be more than upset if he doesn’t win a national title for Jim Tressel (and Joe Daniels) in his four years at Ohio State.
In another publication, I offer some reasons why the commitment of Terrelle Pryor was a special one for Ohio State recruiting. Clearly the Buckeyes did not need Terrelle Pryor in their class, per se. They certainly were not lacking at the position of quarterback and they already had a stellar recruiting haul that would have had Buckeye fans understandably excited for what the future will hold. However, Terrelle Pryor’s commitment gives the Buckeyes an immediate gamechanger for the 2008 season. Tressel has indicated that Terrelle Pryor will see the field in 2008, and more than likely as a change of pace, middle-reliever. Granted, I think it would be foolish to plow Pryor straight ahead in the same vein as Urban Meyer used Tim Tebow, since Tebow is built like a fullback and Pryor is not. Further, I’m a little curious how often Pryor gets used on 3rd and short/goal line situations, considering the Buckeyes have a Heisman candidate at tailback. That said, what Pryor will do in the short term is force a total adjustment from defenses accustomed (and game-planned) for the I-formation offense built around the 4 Bs2. Pryor showed in the Army All-American Bowl that he is indeed a game-changer, and an elite-caliber athlete. There’s plenty of reason to be excited for what Pryor will do on the field.
But it’s also important to consider what Pryor’s commitment does for Ohio State recruiting. People who follow Ohio State recruiting have heard before (and have probably voiced this themselves before) that Tressel couldn’t recruit with the top programs in the country. That criticism was answered in a big way with the commitments of Mike Adams (Rivals #3 overall), Michael Brewster (Rivals #12 overall) and the many other All-Americans and other top notch prospects comprising the 2008 class. The commitment of Pryor gives Tressel and staff not only the #1 overall prospect in the country, but also proof positive that Ohio State’s usual pitch (positive, family-oriented atmosphere) can secure some of the top recruits in the country. Adams, Brewster, Posey and others were big time prospects that were welcome athletic additions to Ohio State’s program, considering the recent string of losses against the nation’s best. Getting Terrelle Pryor, whose athletic ability among the other class of 2008 prep stars is unquestioned, was the scarlet ribbon on an already exceptional recruiting haul.
- though I mention DeVier Posey as a close friend of Pryor. [↩]
- Beanie, Boeckman and the Brians… I guess I can put Ballard in here too for alliteration’s sake… [↩]
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
holy shiiiiittttttt
thanks for getting me fired at the illiteracy factory
Dude. This is 27 pages single-spaced at .7 inch margins, when taking out the images.
Dude.
You’re not expecting anyone to read this, are you? This must be the longest post in the history of college football blogging. When was the last time you went out anyways?
Wow. I now have plans for the evening.
I’d give you two thumbs up, if I weren’t wasting my time giving my computer screen hand gestures. Great work, man.
I love the SpaceBalls reference on page 18…….
Hmm, I don’t know when the last time I got out was, but 27 pages single-spaced? That’s a little exorbitant even for me.
Great article. I think you know more about Terrelle than he does. Thanks for all the hard work – this had to take a while to finish.
Wow. Amazing work. Now I’ll have something to do at my summer job tomorrow for a couple hours.
Vico, you can now open the sweet nectar of Gods, Pabst Blue Ribbon, in a jubilant celebration.
You have now reached “legend” status, my friend.
Speaking of pp 18, is Strawberry Mansion not the coolest school name ever?
Whew! I’m exhausted! I squandered an hour of my employer’s time, and still had to finish it at home. So many cool links to follow. Naturally, after getting my fix, I can only ask … nah, nevermind. Take a few days off, then we’ll all hit you up for the next, and last, BKAB.
I think I’ve read about this somewhere else (if not, I can’t believe I’m the only one with the idea), but on the subject of the signing day postponement that got everybody so freaked out/made Terrelle look like an attention whore: it seems reasonable to assume that TP knew where he was going but didn’t want to deal with hostile crowds at PSU during the state basketball tourney and simply waited till after it was over to announce.
That was a monster of a piece, nice work.
My cat’s name is Terrelle.
Fantastic piece. Incredibly researched and supported. I learned many new things. Kudos.
That was a great post and this has been a great series, now i can’t wait for the last one.
Oh, I forgot to include this: http://www.pittsburghsportsinsider.com/?p=1095
Take a look at what Joe Paterno (allegedly) told Terrelle Pryor early into his recruitment.
senior year stats: http://jeannettejayhawksfootball.blogspot.com/2008/08/rollover-stats-terrelle-pryor.html
and lastly: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07241/812755-365.stm
- pay careful attention to the stories of him stealing the ball of the tee, and hurdling a would-be tackler at the 5 yard line and landing 3 yards in the end zone.
Dude, you made it onto The Big Lead and SI’s Campus Clicks.
Dude.
Bandwidth gets chewed through, but no one’s contributed to the Give Us Money Campaign. That gets a dismayed “Dude”.