A pair of Terrelle Pryor’s Ohio State teammates wished him well Tuesday, saying the former Buckeye quarterback can be effective in the NFL.
“I hope he does awesome, maybe I’ll run into him again down the road with another team,” said senior center Michael Brewster, Pryor’s long-time friend. “He’s a great athlete, a great player. I think he’ll do well.”
Pryor left the Buckeyes on June 7, just one week after Jim Tressel resigned as head coach. He was three years into his collegiate career when he decided to forgo his senior season.
“Its just another thing, we lost him a little earlier than we thought we were going to,” Brewster said. “Now it’s someone else’s turn to step up.”
Brewster said this situation is no different than if he had left a year early. He said it was something that could have happened without the tattoo for memorabilia scandal.
On Dec. 23, 2010, the NCAA suspended Pryor, running back Dan Herron, receiver DeVier Posey, offensive tackle Mike Adams and defensive end Solomon Thomas for five games for selling memorabilia and receiving improper benefits. Linebacker Jordan Whiting also received a one-game ban.
In order to be eligible for the Sugar Bowl, Tressel made the players sign a promise to stay for their senior season.
A promise, broken.
Pryor, in his attempt to pursue a professional career, worked out with ESPN correspondent and former Super Bowl champion head coach, Jon Gruden. Pryor’s segment on Gruden’s show, NFL QB Camp, is set to air Thursday evening on ESPN.
Senior quarterback Joe Bauserman said if he didn’t have anything else going on, he might check out Pryor’s workout.
“I wish him the best… He’s been one of my friends for four years, I hope we continue to be friends,” Bauserman said. “(Pryor is) an unbelievable athlete, he’s got the tools, it’s up to him to take advantage of it.
Bauserman said Pryor gave no indication to his teammates that he was going to leave school.
“When you guys heard about it, I heard about it.” Bauserman said. “He never made any ideas that it was going to happen.”
As one of the four options at quarterback, Bauserman said the departure of Pryor does not change his mentality.
“We were still going to work for the job for the first five games,” Bauserman said. “Now we’re in it for the long haul.”
True freshman Braxton Miller, redshirt freshman Taylor Graham and redshirt sophomore Kenny Guiton will be competing with Bauserman to earn the starting job next year.
Brewster said he has had limited contact with Pryor since June 7.
“We haven’t gotten a chance to talk too much lately, just because he’s been real busy in Miami,” Brewster said. “We’re definitely not going to lose a friendship.”
Brewster was admittedly disappointed that Pryor was not going to be there for his senior season.
“He was a great player, we started 36 games together, he’s the only quarterback I’ve started with since I’ve been in college,” Brewster said. “He’s going to be missed greatly.”
