Football: Buckeyes Hold Annual Photo Day Thursday – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Buckeye football team enjoyed a gorgeous day inside Ohio Stadium Thursday evening as Ohio State held its annual photo day. Media members from all around the state showed up to get their first glance at the 2008 Buckeyes.
Ryan Pretorius, senior place kicker
On locker room atmosphere
“In the locker room and weight room, everyone is going absolutely crazy. It’s an atmosphere I’ve never seen in the five years I’ve been here. If we keep that up, we should have a good season.”
On season goals
“Staying consistent. We had four blocks last year. Obviously it’s a team effort and our goal is to be perfect this season.”
Steve Rehring, senior offensive lineman
On his senior season
“It’s back to square one. But from the beginning of camp it has been fun and we are just trying to get better.”
On the team atmosphere
“It’s great. This is a family and it’s been a family since we’ve been here. Some have moved on but new guys come in year after year and become family. We have a lot of young guys that are fitting in well.”
Brian Robiskie, senior wide receiver
On the preseason hype
“There has been a lot of hype, but first and foremost we are focused on winning another Big Ten championship. Everything else, we just need to take one step at a time.”
On the freshman class
“All of the freshmen have been really impressive so far. We just have so much depth this season and so much talent. The freshmen will just make us that much better.”
Brandon Smith, senior tight end
On the team’s goals this season
“Of course every year our main goal is to win the national championship, but we also want to win a third-straight outright Big Ten title.”
On the team’s hardest hitter
“I’m the hardest hitter I hit every chance I get.”
Brandon Saine, sophomore running back
On choosing not to enroll early at OSU
“I’m glad I stayed in high school and experienced my senior year with all of my friends. I never really thought about enrolling early and I think I made the right decision.”
On coaches’ expectations and how he can be used
“I like to think that I am versatile and I think the coaches know that they can use me in a lot of different ways.”
Lawrence Wilson, junior defensive lineman
On losing weight
“I feel good. I feel light. I feel better. I’m ready to play.”
On season goals
“Obviously, our main goal is to win both the Big Ten and national championship. But the main goal is to win the Big Ten.”
Chris Wells, junior running back
On his confidence level
“It’s incredible. I feel so much better as a running back and as a runner.”
On Terrelle Pryor
“He’s ready to learn. He’s always around the older guys trying to pick things up.”
On team bonding
“I’m just trying to enjoy everything. It’s so rare that you get to be in the hotel with this group of guys and have fun.”
Maurice Wells, senior running back
On team strengths and weaknesses
“Our strength is all the experience we’re bringing back. Our weakness is that we’ve been to the national championship twice and lost twice. That’s always going to be in the back of our minds and the voter’s minds. We have to get over the hump”
On team goals
“We just have to take it one game at a time. Our goal is to win the Big Ten, but our first challenge will be Youngstown State. They always come to play hard. To go to the national championship we really have to concentrate on each individual game and take it from there.”
Malcolm Jenkins, senior defensive back
On the 2008 season
“Everyone is really focused. It’s great to see the young guys are really hungry. Everybody is in a really good place. I’m excited to see everyone make some good plays this year on defense.”
On going to the national championship
“We have potential to go back to play in the BCS title game. Nobody on the team thinks we’re guaranteed to go. We know we need to work hard for it. We know we have potential and maybe we can make it back this year.”
On improvements for this season
“I’ve been working on my conditioning this summer. I’ve also been working on little things like foot placement. It’s my senior year so I need to improve on the little things.”
Cameron Heyward, sophomore defensive lineman
On Terrelle Pryor
“I played basketball with him in Pittsburgh and he’s an awesome basketball player. As an athlete, he’s a very good athlete. When you can run a 4.3, you always have a chance. He has a power game to go along with his athleticism.”
On Lawrence Wilson
“He’s focused. He looks a lot stronger and he’s lost a lot of weight. We’re glad to have him back and he’ll be able to help us a lot this season.”
James Laurinaitis, senior linebacker
On his senior season
“You expect more out of yourself as a senior. It’s funny to look back on my freshman year and you wondered why the older guys were so hard on you. Now, I find myself doing the same thing to the younger guys.”
On Ross Homan
“Ross is a tough and quick kid. He plays football and doesn’t think too much. He is extremely hard working and hopefully he’ll stay healthy this year.”
On coming back for senior season
“A lot of us came back for education, friendship and the great program that Ohio State has. Coach Tressel runs an excellent program here. Ohio State has a lot of alumni around the world that supports you. I also didn’t want to miss special times like senior day at the Horseshoe.”
Thaddeus Gibson, junior defensive end
On facing adversity as a sophomore
“It was a learning experience. As I look back on it now I wouldn’t change a thing. But at the time it was just a tough situation. It made me grow as a player and as a person.”
On moving to defensive end
“I’ve tried to maintain the same speed I’ve always had when I was a linebacker. I needed more weight but I was able to keep the speed. Coach Lichter got me in the weight room and now I’m more of an explosive player.”
Marcus Freeman, senior linebacker
On the potential of the 2008 Buckeyes
“I think this team has the potential to win every game it plays, as long as we stay focused and keep our eyes on the goal. We have to get out there and prove ourselves again. We’re excited about our position, but at the same time we have a pretty big target on our back.”
Brian Hartline, junior wide receiver
On his goals for 2008
“It’s pretty simple. We want a Big Ten Championship, a national championship, a win over Michigan and a win over USC. There are big expectations for us this season, but you get used to that around here. It’s early in the preseason still, so we have to just concentrate on that right now.”
