Is Pryor Ready To Live Up To The Hype?

When a reference such as “the chosen one” is made, Ohio sports fans immediately start looking for Lebron James. In 2007, many high school football talent evaluators spoke in the same reverence when discussing football greatness regarding a young high school quarterback from Jeannette, PA. That’s a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to when you’re eighteen years old, yet Terrelle Pryor has done just that. Now at the ripe old age of twenty, the only Pennsylvania high school quarterback to run for 4,000 yards and throw for 4,000 yards in the history of the state moves into his second season at Ohio State, the first season as the incumbent starter.

The Buckeyes entered 2008 with great expectations. Coming off a loss to LSU in the BCS National Championship Game , the team returned 22 of its top 24 players from a 2007 team that won 11 games and played in its second straight national championship. One of those players happened to be senior quarterback Todd Boeckman. Boeckman  passed for 2,375 yards and 25 touchdowns and was a first team Big Ten selection in 2007. With Boeckman back and expectations high, there was much discussion from media and fans about how Pryor would integrate into the Ohio State offense. I’m sure Tressel’s initial thoughts centered around the creation of offensive packages that Pryor could run to offer a change of pace that fit his athletic talents. What ended up happening was a complete assimilation of Terrelle Pryor into the offense and the future starting now for Ohio State.

A foot injury to Chris “Beanie” Wells in the third quarter of the season opener versus Youngstown State left the Buckeyes’ offense totally disjointed. The following week against Ohio University, the Buckeyes had to rely on some late fourth quarter heroics, including a fumble recovery off a botched snap on a punt that OSU recovered on the Ohio 25-yard line. The miscue set-up an eventual 2-yard touchdown run by Brandon Saine. Later, Ray Small returned a punt 69 yards to seal the victory 26-14. The following week against perennial power USC, perhaps the most anticipated non-conference matchup of the year, Pryor’s number was called to provide a change of pace to the disappointing Ohio State offense. The offense seemed to be missing its heart and soul with Wells out for the second straight week. Though Pryor’s seven completions for 52 yards and eleven carries for 40 yards weren’t enough to offset the 35-3 pounding the Buckeyes suffered at the hands of the Trojans, the freshman showed some spark to an offense that looked lifeless for the second straight week.

The following week, Tressel delivered his most surprising decision in his eight years at OSU. The ultraconservative coach decided to displace his senior captain with a true freshman at the quarterback position. Tressel obviously believed Pryor was clearly the best option for Ohio State to win. He made the determination in five days to insert a freshman into the starting line-up and never look back. Remember, Ohio State was a team that some had picked to play in the national championship game and everyone knows you can’t expect to win with a freshman quarterback. However, it was clear Tressel wasn’t surrendering when the Buckeyes placed the fate of their season in Pryor’s arm and legs. Tressel did something unexpected because he new this kid was special and possessed the mental toughness and desire to succeed.

Pryor didn’t disappoint, leading Ohio State to five straight wins including a 20-17 victory at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison against the 17^th ranked Badgers and a 45-7 victory at Spartan Stadium against 20^th ranked Michigan State. Each week his confidence grew and he showed the nation some of his freakish athletic talent. At 7-1, the Buckeyes were looking poised to make another late season run. The air eventually came out of the balloon for the Buckeyes as they lost a showdown in Columbus to Penn State 13-6. It was then that I actually started to believe this kid from Pennsylvania was special. The disappointment he felt for his senior team mates and what the loss of the game meant to them started to show. This young man was more than just an athlete or someone interested in self accolades. He was an individual who cared about the team. A new leader was being developed in Columbus and Tressel knew what he was doing all along.

A season of promise that brought hopes for national championship redemption ended in a share of the Big Ten title, a blow out win versus Michigan, and another disappointing BCS bowl loss. The experience Pryor gained was instrumental in preparing him to fill the role of leadership being vacated by Chris Wells, Brian Robiskie, James Laurinaitis, and Malcom Jenkins for the 2009 season. As we now transition into a new season, based on what we’ve seen, there isn’t any question Terrelle Pryor is going to be a good college football player. The question is will he be a great college football player and live up to the hype?

What we have learned about Terrelle Pryor to date is that he’s a great athlete with a desire to lead his team. He possesses physical skills that are not the norm. Fast and elusive are just a couple ways to describe this unbelievable athlete when he gets out of the pocket. Anyone who has seen him play has to admit he’s impressive and very accomplished with his feet and legs when it comes to running the football. What we haven’t learned about Terrelle Pryor in 2009 is whether the efforts to improve throwing the football will yield the growth we’ve seen in other areas. This improvement is paramount if Ohio State expects to reach elite status as a team capable of winning the national championship.

Tim Tebow draws criticism from pro scouts when they talk about his throwing capability and how it translates to the NFL. But, Tebow’s passing ability is light years ahead of Pryor’s. Tebow showed great improvement in his sophmore season, completing 66% of his passes for over 3,200 yards and 32 touchdowns on his way to the Heisman Trophy. That may not be a realistic expectation for Pryor. He has to improve his ability to make all his throws, something he didn’t show last year. Pryor has a strong arm, but hasn’t shown accuracy when throwing the ball down field. He pushes the ball when it looks like he’s trying to display touch, which often results in the ball floating. The report out of Columbus is that they have worked extensively with his feet and throwing motion to try to improve the speed on his throws. Only real game action will prove if the necessary adjustments have been made, and September 12^th is quickly approaching. Pryor has garnered comparison to Vince Young and Buckeye fans are hoping that he can repeat what Young did in 2005; win a national championship.