COLUMBUS - Brash is one of the dominant traits in Terrelle Pryor's genetic makeup. The Ohio State quarterback looks in the mirror, and the alpha male of the pack is staring back at him.

Last year, he had to keep that hyper self confidence partially cloaked, be humble, and force himself to defer to the elders. With a senior starter returning at the position, Pryor was the understudy.

That lasted less than a month, but even after he replaced Todd Boeckman in the Buckeyes' lineup, Pryor was careful to be diplomatic and respectful of the veteran. Once Ohio State turned the page following the Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas, the makeup of the team changed, and so did Pryor.

Two weeks into spring practice, it is clear Pryor is different and more like himself.

"Terrelle's always been confident, but now I guess he's more comfortable in his role," sophomore wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said Friday. "He's the quarterback, so he's naturally a leader on the offense, and he seems really comfortable with it. And he's doing a great job at it."

Pryor said despite his glitzy credentials as the nation's No. 1 recruit and its top-rated high school quarterback, when he arrived here there was more of an adjustment to major college football than he expected. After playing in all 13 games last season as a freshman, and starting nine of them, Pryor has banked a lot of valuable data.

"Once you know what the defense is doing, it's a whole different ball game, and that's the way I look at it right now," Pryor said. "The game, it's slowed down a lot, and that's helped me out."

Will that additional sinew cause him to lose some of that fifth-gear speed that allowed Pryor to seemingly glide past defenders? "Never," he responded.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said his plan for Pryor this spring involves reinforcing the lessons learned in 2008 and expanding the playbook from there.

"I think what you try and do with Terrelle or anyone that played early is try and take what you think they already know and make sure we continue to do that well," Tressel said. "And then take some of the things that we really think we're going to need to be able to do and get better at them so you have confidence in all phases of your offense."

Sophomore running back Brandon Saine can hardly disguise his anticipation over the prospect of lining up in the same backfield with the fleet-footed and elusive Pryor, and then letting the defense guess what's next.

"I'd like to run the option with Terrelle because he's a great person to run it with," Saine said.

Offensive lineman Jim Cordle said with a talent like Pryor taking the snaps, the Buckeyes have to guard against relying too much on his athleticism and open-field, improvisational skills.

"Obviously, with Terrelle, he can make a play no matter what," Cordle said. "But we've got to be able to do things and not just count on Terrelle to take off."

Pryor said he has spent the three months-plus since the bowl game adding strength, studying defenses, and refining his footwork.

"I've really been working on my footwork and getting my timing down with my receivers," he said. "The only difficult thing about winter quarter was knowing that we lost our last game. We're just trying to fight back after that. Winter quarter gets you back in the right frame of mind."

Pryor said he also has improved his passing accuracy, and he is getting more power into his throws. He said he was certain the rest of the Buckeyes were making big strides as well.

"We're going to improve - me as an individual and us as a team - you don't have to worry about that," Pryor said.

When the ball isn't live and in his hands, Pryor said his role has expanded even more.

"I want to lead this team to big things," he said. "We've got some seniors and guys that have been here longer, and it's their team. But it's my team too. I'm just here to be a leader on offense, to lead by example, and lead vocally."

A week away from his first spring game as the Ohio State quarterback, Pryor's panache is no longer diluted with freshman deference. His explanation is simple.

"I've gotten a lot more comfortable, and that's what it's all about - getting comfortable."

Contact Matt Markey at:

mmarkey@theblade.com

or 419-724-6510.