Dream up the ideal Ohio State quarterback. He would possess the ultimate physical tools: tall, strong, athletic, agile and smart, with a rocket arm. Then he would maintain the qualities one can't teach: passionate about the game, the desire to be a strong leader, and a fervent hatred of the Michigan Wolverines.
Well, that quarterback currently dons scarlet and gray. No need to pinch yourself; Terrelle Pryor is the real deal. A thought that sends chills down ones spine: Pryor hasn't even started his sophomore season yet.
The prodigy has demonstrated a sense of cockiness, a notable swagger, a dynamic awareness of pride that is typically reserved for the 15-year veteran gunslingers of the NFL.
Buckeye backers worried about another thrashing at the hands of USC setting the table for another disappointing season? Pryor's candidness can quell all fans' fears.
After Pryor's transition to the collegiate level resulted in a 10-3 campaign, the poised competitor told me during a spring interview, "We're going to improve; me as an individual, and as a team. So you don't have to worry about that."
Those are pretty ambitious words for any freshman to spew out. But this isn't any ordinary young talent.
Physical skills will only get an athlete so far. Mental abilities give a player an edge that separates the elite from the talented. And rarely does a freshman pick up on that additional advantage so early in his career. Pryor has done that.
After committing a pair of costly turnovers late in a 13-6 loss to Penn State last year, the freshman claimed full responsibility for the defeat. In just his fifth game as starting quarterback, the boy wonder showed signs of manhood.
"We watched the Penn State game, and the fumble comes up and then the pick," he said. "I just look at myself and put my head down. I don't want to watch it, but that's what you have to do. That's how you grow up as an individual and as a man."
Pryor certainly isn't wasting any time in putting together the pieces of the mental puzzle that perplexes so many athletes in football. Perhaps his greatest asset- above the blazing speed, daunting size, powerful body, improving arm strength- is his desire to lead.
Instead of waiting around for the light bulb to go off in his mind, he immediately took it upon himself to demand respect in the huddle.
"When you come in as a starting quarterback and fight your way in, you have to grow up," he said. "You're leading grown men now, 23-24 year olds. You have to be older and be more of an adult. I'm going to become a great leader."
Any ideal quarterback must possess the desire to avenge critical or heartbreaking losses. OSU fans want that leader who will stick his nose right in the middle of the Buckeye-Wolverine rivalry. Well, check off another asset that the young phenom possesses. Pryor feels OSU owes a bit of a payback to several schools.
"I have to make sure I have everybody right and everybody together and make sure we're getting after it," he said. "There's teams out there waiting for us and there are teams out there that we owe some stuff to, so we just have to bring it."
So, take your pick. Recruit a gunslinger with the rocket arm strength to find receivers streaking down the sidelines 60 yards downfield. Find an athlete who can bring speed and agility to the position, wreaking havoc on opposing defenses with his legs and footwork. Locate an intelligent quarterback, a la Craig Krenzel, who can compensate for a lack of physical tools with that mental edge and leadership.
Or follow the Buckeyes and watch the total package under center. He arrived at Ohio State with the physical tools necessary to excel. But he also came with the will to grow into a well-rounded quarterback that we typically only see in our dreams.
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