An Ohio sports editor suggests Ohio State should have recruited Ohioan Ricky Stanzi a little harder

This is a rhetorical question, because we all know the answer:

Who, anywhere, would have suggested a month ago that Ohio State should have pursued Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi harder when Stanzi was a prep in Mentor, Ohio?

Two years later, Ohio State signed the prep quarterback of prep quarterback in Terrelle Pryor, before Stanzi had taken a snap for the Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes were set.

Any perception can change. Here's an excerpt from sports editor Mark Podolski's column in Monday's News-Herald, a newspaper in suburban Cleveland:

If Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had to do it all over again, do you think he would have given Lake Catholic's Ricky Stanzi more than just a look-see four years ago when he was a high school senior and had his offer from Iowa in his back pocket?

Purdue had five turnovers, including two Pryor interceptions, in Ohio State's hideous 26-18 loss to Purdue Saturday. Suddenly, Buckeye fans are questioning Pryor's ability to quarterback, as well as the kind of help (or non-help) the sophomore is getting from his head coach and offensive line.

More from Podolski:

We all know about hindsight, but this is a recruiting decision worth second-guessing. No one is saying Tressel should not have recruited Terrelle Pryor. Any big-time school would have gladly welcomed the player who was "the nation's top recruit" two years ago.

Stanzi, though, is proof recruiting is the most inexact aspect of the game. Projecting how players, especially quarterbacks, handle adversity, pressure and criticism, adapt to an offensive system and execute in front of 100,000 fans is why coaches are paid millions.

And:

Meanwhile, the seemingly can't-miss Pryor looks completely lost as OSU's starter. Two fumbles and two interceptions in a humiliating loss to Purdue, and a disturbing propensity of regressing instead of progressing from week to week, are proof of that.

Stanzi isn't bullet-proof, either. Like Pryor, he's been the subject of criticism by Hawkeyes fans because of his eight interceptions. But there's no denying Stanzi is handling adversity, pressure and criticism, has adapted to Iowa's offensive system and executed well on the big stage.

In the last two games, victories over Michigan and Wisconsin, Stanzi has made the critical plays when his team absolutely had to have them. When analyzing QBs, that's without question the truest measure.

Woody Hayes had a saying, "Either you're getting better or you're getting worse. You never stay the same," which typifies the directions of Pryor's and Stanzi's college careers.

For Podolski's complete column, click here.

Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch, one of the Big Ten's sharpest media guys, had the following to offer in BuckeyeXtra on the Dispatch's Web site:

There's no need to sit down Pryor for good. He is a tremendous talent, and his run threat definitely would be missed from an offense where the scramble appears to be one of the standard plays. But considering how much Tressel -- like most coaches -- values possession of the ball, there is no way he is happy with his second-year starting quarterback turning it over four times Saturday. There was also the wild pitch to Brandon Saine that Saine recovered. Most coaches have consequences for a performance such as that, and they usually include at least a little bench time if, for no other reason, to chill for a while and get a grip.

For the full "Inside the Beat" article from May and Ken Gordon, click here.

Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Dispatch says this season might be a bit of a write-off for the Buckeyes, but necessary to see how far Pryor can take OSU in the next two years. An excerpt:

At 5-2, second place in the Big Ten and No. 19 in the BCS standings, this season isn't lost, but it's not going to be one to remember. It's a step back, something that happens at programs all the time. What matters is whether it's worth it, and that won't be determined until 2010 and 2011.

For the full post by Lesmerises, click here.