By: STEVE HEMMELGARN (NewsAndSentinel.com) –

There may be more Ohio State football players in the NFL as rookies this season than just the seven who were drafted.

Three have already signed as free agents: punter A.J. Trapasso with the Titans, offensive lineman Alex Boone with the 49ers and defensive lineman Nader Abdallah with the Jaguars.

There are others getting free-agent shots at the pros: tight end Rory Nicol (Redskins), fullback Brandon Smith (Bears) and offensive linemen Ben Person (Lions) and Steve Rehring (Bengals)

But of all the names bandied about, the one that intrigued me the most was former Buckeye quarterback Todd Boeckman. You remember him, started finally as a fifth-year senior in 2007 and led OSU to its second straight BCS national championship game.

Boeckman led the Big Ten in passing efficiency that season, completing 63.9 percent (191 of 299) of his throws for 2,379 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

But alas, after a 35-3 drubbing by USC in the third game last fall, Boeckman – although one of the Buckeye captains – was replaced as a starter by freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor for the rest of the regular season.

However, in the Fiesta Bowl, Boeckman lined up under center for OSU on its first offensive play and completed a 14-yard pass to Brian Robiskie for a first down.

In fact, Boeckman played a big part in the Buckeyes’ near-win over Texas that night, splitting the signal-calling duties with Pryor and, in fact, even finding Pryor with a five-yard scoring strike in a fourth-quarter comeback that didn’t hold up in the end.

But even before his stirring last college hurrah in Phoenix, Boeckman, although the Buckeyes’ ”forgotten man,” hadn’t been forgotten by NFL scouts.

And now the Bengals are giving Boeckman ”an opportunity to fulfill my dream,” he said. ”It’s a great opportunity for me. That’s all I wanted – to show what I’m capable of doing.

”You look at my film and I have good accuracy, good touch on the ball and a solid arm, Hopefully, all that translates to the NFL.”

Here’s hoping too one of the good guys in college football gets that chance to follow/chase his dream.

• The Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be inducted in June, and it’s a good one.

The selectees: Marietta sports stalwarts Bill Bonar and Sam Gwinn; the late Jimmy Nelson Buzzard (Pennsboro High School); Jeff Corder, one-time leading career tackler and a state wrestling champion at Ravenswood High School; Joe Crislip (Parkersburg South High School), who will join Terry Crislip (2008) as the first brothers to be inducted into the MOV Sports Hall of Fame.

Also: Andi Daniels, part of four state championship squads in three sports at Parkersburg High School; Jack Jones, godfather of Williamstown track; Dave Miller, two-time undefeated state wrestling champion at South, first recipient of Dutton Award as state’s top wrestler; Rick Petty, Williamstown, won the Kennedy Award in 1971; PHS’ Dave Winans, recipient of the Hunt Award as the most outstanding football lineman in West Virginia.

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