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Pryor?s Role Unclear as Buckeyes Prepare for Season
By JOSH KATZOWITZ
Published: July 26, 2008
CHICAGO ? Lest you forget, Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman had a good season last year. He led the conference in passing efficiency, completed 63.9 percent of his attempts, and recorded 25 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Along the way, he led the Buckeyes to their third-straight conference crown and their second-straight national title game.
Terry Gilliam/Associated Press
Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 ranked player in the country as a high school senior, is beginning his freshman season at Ohio State University.
But Boeckman isn?t the only Ohio State quarterback receiving attention in Columbus these days. That?s what happens when a hotshot prep quarterback, the No. 1 ranked player in the country as a high school senior, enters school as a freshman.
Boeckman was the Ohio State player representing the offense here at the Big Ten Football Kickoff on Friday, but Terrelle Pryor?s specter sat right beside him.
?I?m excited to see what he can do,? Boeckman said. ?I know he?s a special athlete and I know he can do a lot of things. But we don?t know what he can do until he gets on the pads and suits up with us Aug. 4. I?m looking forward to seeing what he could do to help us.?
That is the question ? what exactly can Pryor do for the Buckeyes?
He picked the Buckeyes over Michigan, Penn State and Oregon ? but not until more than a month into the signing period and after he had called a news conference declaring that he had not yet decided which school he would attend. Pryor, who is 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, was an all-around force as he led both the Jeanette High School football and basketball teams to state championships in Pennsylvania.
It?s unclear what his role will be at Ohio State this season ? particularly with one of the top quarterbacks in the conference returning for his senior year ? but, like Boeckman, Coach Jim Tressel is eager for the first day of practice to arrive.
?He?s going to be incorporated into our offense that day,? Tressel said. ?He?s got a lot of things that he has to build on as a foundation ? the communication system, the way we do things, the way our things work together. He?s the kind of guy, as I?ve gotten to know him more and more, that knowing exactly what?s going on is very important to him. He loves to train and compete. He has a great ability. From day one, he?ll be a guy you?ll take notice of.?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/sports/ncaafootball/26osu.html?ref=ncaafootball
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