Terrelle Pryor’s Saga: The Backstory of Ohio State’s Junior Quarterback

Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and Penn State.

These were four of the most powerful football schools in the country. They were four schools that even the most jaded and big headed high school recruits would be honored to receive a scholarship offer from.

Their lofty stature seemed irrelevant, however, when it came to the anticipation they all had for the decision of one young Pennsylvania teenager. They all sat with bated breath waiting for his answer to the question everyone was asking—which school would Terrelle Pryor commit to?

Pryor was the biggest recruit in the nation during the 2007-2008 recruiting year. The 6‘6 225 pound superstar hailing from Jeanette, Pennsylvania was a five-star can’t miss prospect in the eyes of every single talent evaluator.

The one time Pitt basketball commit had the build of a power forward and the athleticism of a track star. His arm was nothing to shake a stick at either.

During his senior season at Jeanette, the dual-threat quarterback threw for 1,790 yards while rushing for another 1,901 yards on his way to amassing over 3,000 total yards on the year. He would finish the year with 60 total TDs (36 passing, 23 rushing, 1 receiving).

Pryor was lavished with high praise and prestigious honors for his efforts leading the Jayhawks to an undefeated state championship season. The college football world was excited to see what school the young quarterback would choose to attend.

They thought they would get the news on National Signing Day, but February 6th came and went without any decision from Pryor’s camp. It wasn’t until March 19th, after Pryor helped his school win a basketball state championship, that he finally announced his intentions.

Pryor announced his intentions to sign with Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

In the end, he chose to shy away from the spread offenses of schools like Oregon and Michigan. Instead he decided to come play some Tressel ball.

The Ohio State offense was not one known for razzle and dazzle and running quarterbacks, who made big plays with their legs.

Most figured the dynamic relationship would be interesting to say the least.

By all reports, Pryor came to campus much like another fellow superstar quarterback recruit—Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen. He was cocky and he knew exactly how to rub all of his older accomplished teammates the wrong way. Terrelle hadn’t earned their respect yet but was already walking around like he had.

Terrelle was also walking on to a team that already had a starting quarterback, Todd Boeckman, who had just led the team to a national championship appearance.

He was not quickly accepted by his teammates, and it wasn’t until Boeckman faltered in a 35-3 loss at USC that Pryor finally earned the starting gig. The freshman would lead the team to eight victories as a starter, while only faltering once in a loss to Penn State. Pryor finished his first season with 1,311 total passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns. He also added over 600 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

He showed enough promise as a freshman to warrant some big offseason hype for Ohio State. In 2009, the Buckeyes were ranked in the top ten and expected to win the Big Ten title handily.

It was not to be though. After failing to take care of business at the end of the game against USC early in the year, Ohio State was officially knocked out of national title contention in their seventh game of the season at Purdue. The Boilermakers upset the heavily favored Buckeyes 26-18.

The fans cried out after the defeat. According to them, it just wasn’t fitting together. Terrelle Pryor didn’t fit this offense and he didn’t fit the team. Many criticized his passing or lack thereof. With the two losses on the season, many labeled Pryor an unmitigated bust.

How quickly they seemed to forget that Terrelle was still simply a sophomore. A young kid bound to make mistakes and have his fair share of miscues.

After the loss, Pryor did exactly what you want your quarterback to do—he settled down, regrouped, and went to work. He heard the critics and now he had to do something about it.

The Buckeyes quarterback showed them all a thing or two in his monumental performance in the Rose Bowl victory against Oregon to end the year. He showed everyone watching that his potential was true and his hype was warranted.

We watched him mature, blossom, and sail through the rough waters to become the player that stood on that postgame stage in Pasadena with a rose in his mouth and a trophy in his hand.

From that high school recruit who dazzled us all with his with uncanny ability and maturity, to that punk kid who walked onto the Columbus campus cocky and arrogant, all the way up that superstar who stood triumphant on the stage—we have sat and watched Terrelle Pryor grow up in front of our eyes.

The junior now heads into the 2010 season with great responsibilities and expectations. People around the nation are looking for Pryor to lead this edition of the Buckeyes on a national championship run.

The schedule includes a few given tests—Miami, Wisconsin, and Iowa—as well as some tricky hoops to jump through—Illinois, Penn State, and Michigan. It won’t be an easy ride, but it sure has what it takes to be an entertaining one to watch.

With Tim Tebow gone, Terrelle Pryor just might be the “it” player of college football. When he’s at his best, he’s dynamite must see action. Ohio State fans are surely hoping that is the Terrelle Pryor they’ll get to see a lot of in 2010.