Ohio State Buckeye Bits: Debating Terrelle Pryor's Heisman Chances

With college football far in the rear-view mirror for 2009, it's never too early to start thinking about 2010.

And for Ohio State fans, one of the remote possibilities aside from an outside shot at playing for a national title is QB Terrelle Pryor having a shot at being Ohio State's second Heisman Trophy winner in five years.

Anyone who saw Pryor's performance against the Oregon Ducks on a torn PCL ligament can debate that the potential is there for him to become an elite QB.

Right now, Pryor is not the type of QB that can win games with his arm. But he certainly can make some big plays in the passing game.

He does have the tremendous running ability that has terrorized most of the Big Ten in the past two seasons, matching great speed with physicality.

And in 2010, Pryor will be playing with a much more experienced unit offensively.

With the linemen from the great 2008 and 2009 classes gaining experience, and a suddenly deep stable of RBs, Ohio State has a chance to make Pryor look really good.

Most of that will depend on his progression.

While Pryor admits he still has pain in his knee, that hasn't stopped him from hitting the weights as offseason training began earlier this week in Columbus.

He understands that in his junior season, he needs to be a leader both on and off the field.

And lately, it seems that Pryor has matured based on his press conferences since his infamous presser after the win over Navy in week one.

2009 was definitely a roller coaster year for the top recruit of 2008 as ranked by most recruiting services.

But towards the end of the season, Pryor learned how to manage games, and in the Rose Bowl, how to win them.

If he can keep the momentum rolling with a talented supporting cast behind him, there is little reason not to think that Pryor has a shot of being in New York City as a Heisman finalist.

With that said, of the finalists from 2009, only Mark Ingram, the current Heisman winner, is returning in 2010.

It may be hard to pass Ingram, especially if Alabama can run through the SEC gauntlet undefeated once again.

But with a playmaker as electrifying as Pryor, anything is possible.

Other Buckeye Bits

-DB Christian Bryant of Glenville in Cleveland just made his verbal commitment to the Buckeyes Wednesday afternoon, picking OSU over North Carolina.

Bryant was an Army All-American selection at DB and made quite an impression as one of the better shutdown corners in practices that week.

Bryant continues the Glenville pipeline that has brought great players such as Donte Whitner, Jermale Hines, Ted Ginn Jr., and Troy Smith, among others to Columbus.

-RB Carlos Hyde is the only member of Ohio State's 2010 recruiting class who enrolled early at OSU for winter quarter.

Hyde, a 225 lb RB, was originally a recruit of 2009 but spent the fall at Fork Union Military Academy, a prep school where he has gotten his grades to the point where he could re-enroll at Ohio State.

Hyde spent the fall getting acquainted with another 2010 OSU recruit, standout DE/OLB Jamel Turner, at Fork Union in Virginia.

-All-American LB Jordan Hicks is expected to announce his college decision this Friday afternoon at his high school in Lakota West, Ohio, according to Bucknuts.com's Bill Kurelic.

Hicks has the Buckeyes, Longhorns, and Gators in his top three, though few think he will go to the Gators.

Texas has been the favored school for months, but Ohio State has a small, outside shot at stealing Hicks away.

Either way, neither pick would be too much of a surprise. But I don't see enough to convince me that Hicks will stay in-state, so expect him in Austin for 2010.