Terrelle Pryor Maturing Before Our Eyes: A Changed Man for Ohio State

A week into fall camps at Ohio State, we're witnessing something we expected earlier but nonetheless should be happy about: Terrelle Pryor appears to get it.

Pryor admitted to The Columbus Dispatch Sunday at OSU Media Day that he came into Ohio State as an "arrogant freshman" because he had heard for several years about how good he was in high school.

Then we saw him be humbled in the fumble which cost the team a chance to upset undefeated Penn State in 2008, and his speech in 2009 which defended his eyeblack tribute to Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick.

But we also saw what Ohio State fans had been hoping for since Pryor committed to Ohio State in March 2008 when he put on an MVP performance against the Oregon Ducks in the 2010 Rose Bowl Game.

Now it seems that his personality has changed, for the better.

Pryor seems like he has matured very quickly, after going through a season in 2009 which saw its ups and downs, including the upset loss at Purdue and an OT win over Iowa.

The change in his personality seems to have caught on with his teammates, including S Tyler Moeller who is back in practice after missing the 2009 season with head injuries sustained from an altercation with Florida native Ralph Gray Decker.

Moeller spoke to The Plain Dealer Tuesday and said that when Pryor was a freshman in 2008, many of his teammates were not too fond of his arrogance, but that he has become a much better leader recently.

Sports Illustrated and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll both have Ohio State ranked second in the country right behind defending champion Alabama, so the Buckeyes will need Pryor to be at a high level.

Based on the early word out of camp, it appears that Pryor will be at another level when the season kicks off September 2 at night against Marshall.

Other Buckeye Bits:

• Freshman RB Rod Smith still has not checked into fall camp despite taking summer classes in Indiana. The back is still waiting to hear from the NCAA Clearinghouse as to whether or not he can come into OSU or if he will follow the same path as RB Carlos Hyde and go to prep school for a season.

• The-Ozone.net's Brandon Castel reported Monday that redshirt freshman RB Jaamal Berry has been getting reps as a kick returner. After missing his freshman season due to various injuries, Berry, a Miami native, feels that he is stronger and is ready to contribute in any way possible.

Thoughts from Projected Depth Chart (from the-ozone.net):

• In case you didn't know, the Buckeyes are officially loaded at RB. We might have to wait to see who wins the spot as the third back on the depth chart between Berry and Jordan Hall, the latter of which showed flashes of talent in spot duty in 2009.

• Whoever is the LT whether it be Mike Adams or Andrew Miller will have to win it outright. OSU can ill afford to go into 2010 with question marks at LT.

• This might be the most deep OSU team in years. In positions such as DL, LB, and RB, the backups could potentially start at most other schools in the Big Ten if not anywhere else.

This article can also be found on Storm the Field.