OSU football notebook: Pryor welcomed by stadium crowd

Terrelle Pryor strolled into Ohio Stadium yesterday before the Scarlet and Gray game and drew immediate recognition from the crowd. The quarterback acknowledged it with a wave. The nation's top prospect, of Jeannette, Pa., was making his first appearance in Columbus since signing a national letter of intent with Ohio State in March. He was sequestered from the media for most of the game but responded to a text message asking his impression of the atmosphere -- an announced crowd of 76,346 -- and of his reception. "Very impressive," he replied. "I enjoyed it very much." Pryor kept Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State hanging for six weeks while he made up his mind about his college choice. But even in the interim, he showed his allegiance to Ohio State. He sent flowers to quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels after he underwent surgery in February to remove a cancerous kidney. "He is my coach, and I consider him family," Pryor said. Tight end Rory Nicol was moved by Pryor's action. "In my opinion, that just speaks volumes about what Terrelle Pryor is all about as a person," Nicol said. "He'll be welcomed here." Pryor plans to enroll for the start of summer quarter June 16. Like old home week Former Buckeyes Cris Carter and Mike Tomczak also were greeted warmly by the crowd. Carter, a perennial All-Pro receiver, was the honorary coach of the Gray, and Tomczak, primarily a backup quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons, was honorary coach for the Scarlet. The two played together just one season at OSU, in 1984 when the Buckeyes won the outright Big Ten championship -- and they capped it with a record. Carter, a freshman, caught a Rose Bowl-best nine passes for 172 yards from Tomczak in a loss to Southern California. "The one thing I'm really shocked by is how much Jim Tressel has added to a great tradition we already had," Carter said. "I told the kids today, ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and that any time you go into the 'Shoe, you know what kind of performance we're looking for.'" His son, Duron Carter, a junior receiver at Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been offered scholarships by Ohio State, Michigan and LSU, among others. "It is pressure, but he has always been my son so there has always been pressure on him no matter what he decided to do," Cris Carter said. "But being recruited by Ohio State ain't no bad thing." Speaking of recruits One visiting recruit made up his mind to be a Buckeye on the spot. Darrell Givens, a defensive back from Indian Head, Md., became the ninth commitment to the class of 2009. The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder picked Ohio State over Oklahoma, Penn State and Oregon, among others. He is considered the 159th-best prospect in the nation by Rivals.com.

[More at www.dispatch.com]