Terrelle Pryor’s Career Stats: If He Leaves Ohio State, Where Does He Stand In Buckeye History?

In light of Terrelle Pryor’s suspension, we’ve speculated that the Ohio State quarterback may elect to forego his senior season and declare for the NFL draft. Pryor is among the highest-profile quarterbacks in college football, and Ohio State is among the nation’s most storied programs. Where exactly does he rank in Buckeyes history?

At the very least, Pryor has etched his mark as the only Buckeye to lead his team in passing yards and rushing yards in the same season. In terms of passing yards, he’s currently fifth in Ohio State history.

If Pryor were to keep up his season’s pace at the Sugar Bowl on January 4th, and if he weren’t suspended for part of next year and managed to put up as many yards, he would be on pace to finish with over 8,700 passing yards, shattering Art Schlichter’s record. Now, if he were to return to the Buckeyes in 2011, assuming the same pace and accounting for the five games he’d miss, he would still eclipse the mark with over 7,600 yards.

Raw statistics aren’t as telling as we’d like them to be, since not every Buckeye quarterback gets to play 13 games a season. Regardless, Pryor would have an outside shot at breaking Schlichter’s record for most attempts (951). As it stands, Pryor already has 55 career touchdowns -- two short of Bobby Hoying’s record -- and that doesn’t account for his 17 rushing touchdowns.

Statistics and records won’t motivate Pryor’s decision to stay or leave, of course. We’ll leave it for Buckeye fans to decide whether Pryor is the school’s greatest quarterback, but the statistics indicate that, at the very least, he belongs in the discussion.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates on Terrelle Pryor and the other suspended Ohio State players. For more, check in with our Ohio State blog, Along The Olentangy.