OSU coach sets high goal for Pitcock
Heacock tells Piqua grad he could be part of nation's best duo
By
Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | Having little to prove and with his starting spot secure, Ohio State's Quinn Pitcock has been told not to rush his recovery from minor offseason shoulder surgery.
But while a player of his stature can afford to take a carefree approach to spring practice, the senior defensive tackle still feels like a walk-on clamoring for the last spot on the team.
"I've gotten nervous every year," he said. "All the players they recruit are highly touted in the papers, and I try to read about them and get to know them that way. I start to believe they really are better than me.
"When they get here, they end up being like I was — not ready for the college level. But I never relax."
The Piqua native was a second-team All-Big Ten pick last season, although an aching left shoulder kept him from being as productive as he was as a sophomore. His tackles dropped from 49 to 28 and his stops behind the line of scrimmage went from 7.5 to 3.0.
But defensive coordinator Jim Heacock told Pitcock and classmate David Patterson that they could be the best pair of defensive linemen in the nation. And after seeing a snippet of themselves on video — they blew up a rushing attempt by Penn State last year, forcing the ballcarrier to be tackled by his own blockers — the duo found credence in their coach's compliment.
"I was surprised when I heard that," Pitcock said. "But after watching us on film, I kind of saw where he was coming from. On that play, we did everything perfect. The potential is there."
Contact Doug Harris at 225-2125.