By MATT MARKEY
Toledo Blade
August 19, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Any conventional mathematical formula is out the window when you sit down and try to calculate Ohio State's net worth at the quarterback position. Addition by subtraction just doesn't cover it here.

The Buckeyes have lost two quarterbacks since the end of last season, and recruited just one who is expected to play this year. Yet Ohio State looks richer and deeper, and healthier and wealthier at quarterback.

"That's a position in which you'd like to feel like you're well stocked, and I think we are," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said as the Buckeyes prepare for the Aug. 30 opener against Youngstown State.

First, the minuses.

Rob Schoenhoft who would have been a redshirt junior this fall, transferred to Delaware in January. Antonio Henton, who would have been a redshirt sophomore this season, transferred to Georgia Southern this summer. Since those are both Football Championship Subdivision schools, the former Buckeyes can play right away.

The obvious addition came in the form of Terrelle Pryor, the top recruit in the country who waited until mid-March to name Ohio State as his college choice. His combination of running/passing/athleticism give him a shot at playing quickly.

Pryor joins sixth-year senior starter and first-team All-Big Ten pick Todd Boeckman and Joe Bauserman, a former professional baseball player who had originally committed to the Buckeyes as one of the top-rated high school players in Florida, but then spent three seasons pitching in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization. Bauserman practiced with the Buckeyes last season, but did not play in any games as he negotiated the transition back to football.

Tressel said over the weekend that the two departures, factored in with the arrival of the ultra-talented Pryor, have left Ohio State in a real less-is-more situation.

"No question, that was probably the best thing for all involved," Tressel said about the transfers. "Because you do need repetitions, I don't care how talented you are. Until you've been in there and you're doing it, and you make some mistakes, you can't learn. You always want to give kids opportunities, and at quarterback there's only one ball."

The balance sheet for Tressel looks like this: a proven, experienced commodity in Boeckman; a tough, seasoned, blue-collar competitor in Bauserman; and an exciting wild card with Pryor.

"Todd is a veteran, he's got total command of what we are doing, he's been very accurate, making good decisions, and we're giving him a lot of responsibility on the line of scrimmage," Tressel said. "He just looks the part of that returning quarterback from a good team.

"Joe is as scrappy and competitive as we've had, he's got a lot of life in his arm, and he progresses all the time. Terrelle has extraordinary ability, he throws it probably a lot better than some people might think, and he's got a lot of presence in the pocket, a lot of poise, and he can keep the play alive."

Tressel readily admitted that working with three players in the primary rotation at quarterback has been much more manageable than spreading the reps among four or five individuals. He also seems content with the variety of skill sets and experience in his quarterback group.

"I feel very blessed to have three guys like that," Tressel said. "You never know what happens down the road as to how you can use them all, if and when there are injuries, and those kinds of things."

Boeckman said he is excited about Ohio State's options at the position, and welcomes the company, and the competition. "Everyone knows that with Terrelle coming in here, we've added a real special player, and a guy with a lot of talent," Boeckman said when the Buckeyes met with the media recently. "I'll do whatever I can to help Terrelle and Joe progress, and just having them there is going to push me to be a better player. I think we're all competitors, and we can all feed off each other, and make this a real solid position on the team."

(Contact Matt Markey at mmarkey@theblade.com.)