The Big Ten media days have come to a close, with this afternoon's 37th annual Kickoff Luncheon finishing two days of conference camaraderie in Chicago. Among the tidbits from today:
Tressel confirmed Eugene Clifford's departure from Ohio State for Tennessee State.
"Eugene is a great kid and in my opinion he just needs a fresh start,"
Tressel said. "He's going to be fine and I'm hoping someday that we see him graduate. (He has ) great ability. I think it'll be a very healthy situation being a little further distance from home in this particular case and hopefully good things can happen."
* Terrelle Pryor continued to be the topic of the session and Tressel told everyone who asked that he expects Pryor to play a role in the offense this season. And Pryor will be rooming with starting quarterback Todd Boeckman during preseason camp, as the Buckeyes continue their tradition of matching up young players with veterans. Now he can't wait to see Pryor in action when camp starts on Aug. 4.
"I'm as anxious as anyone,"
Tressel said. "You get lost in everything you read - I want to see it."
* Freshman lineman Mike Adams, recovering from shoulder surgery, could be back sooner than expected. Eleven days ago, Tressel thought Adams might be ready a few games into the season and wouldn't be ready for any contact during the preseason.
"The latest words I've been hearing is that Mike Adams might make it back for the beginning of camp. I'm not going to count on that, but when I bump into him, he says, 'Coach, I'm going to be ready day one.'"
