After months of wait and
speculation, Terrelle Pryor is headed to Ohio State, presumably to back up last
year's starter Todd Boeckman. I may be a tad biased speaking as a Buckeyes fan,
but I think that this was the best decision that Pryor could have made. At OSU,
he will have time to settle in to college life as well as collegiate football, and
he'll have one of the best mentors around to aid in that process in head coach
Jim Tressel. Experts (and I) expect the Bucks to use Pryor much like Florida used
Tim Tebow his freshman year, which is primarily as a runner in certain situations.
Meanwhile, during practice, Pryor will have a chance to hone his passing skills,
which need work. We all know the guy is a phenomenal athlete, but he has yet to
establish himself as a legitimate passer.
Had Pryor gone to Michigan,
which was his second choice, he would have been thrown to the wolves from Day 1,
seeing as the Wolverines currently are without a QB who fits new coach Rich
Rodriguez's zone-read offense. For a guy with still a bunch to learn, Ohio State
presented a better atmosphere in which to do it. After all, Michigan also lost
its best receivers, so he wouldn't have had great talents to throw to.
Furthermore, OSU just signed three of the top offensive linemen recruits in the
country, so Pryor should have time to throw from the pocket once he finally does
take over as the unquestioned starter.
From OSU's perspective, not only
did they nab the #1 QB recruit in the country, they prevented him from going to
Michigan, which should give them a huge edge over their bitter rivals at least for
a few years. Also, Pryor is flirting with the idea of playing hoops as well,
which has Buckeye fans everywhere salivating. I expect that he'll end up
focusing on footballl, which is where his future appears brightest and where the
big money is awaiting him down the line.
When it's all said and done,
Pryor could end up being a huge bust, as it's never a sure-fire thing when we see
an athlete transition to the collegiate ranks. But he's given himself a better
chance at Ohio State than he would have gotten elsewhere, and he could get them
over the hump for another national title before
long.