BIG TEN FOOTBALL Buckeyes begin without Clarett

The Youngstown native remains the target of an NCAA investigation.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- Ohio State sophomore running back Maurice Clarett did not attend Wednesday's media day at Ohio Stadium.
He might as well have.
"[He's] definitely on everyone's mind," junior running back Lydell Ross said. "But we're not going to let it affect the team. Everyone's just staying focused."
Clarett, a Youngstown native and Warren Harding High graduate, has been held out of preseason practice pending an NCAA investigation.
"My goal and my hope is to get our entire family together as quickly as we can," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "But we're going to move forward and coach like crazy the guys who are here."
The investigation, along with allegations about Clarett's academic problems stemming from a New York Times article last month, has drawn national attention.
But the team insists it's not a distraction.
"We've had some problems in the past," senior wideout Michael Jenkins said with a shrug. "It's something we're used to."
Added senior defensive lineman Will Smith: "This is the time to concentrate on football. We're not worried about the off the field stuff."
Not same without him
But for all the talk about moving forward, Clarett is still arguably the best college football player in the country. And the Buckeyes aren't the same team when he's not on the field.
"Of course it hurts when you lose a player like Maurice," freshman tight end Louis Irizarry, who just graduated from Ursuline High, said. "Everyone is just trying to stay focused and stay together."
That's easy to say now, but no one really knows how long the investigation will drag on. It could become more of a distraction as the weeks wear on.
Tressel said he's confident that Clarett will stay eligible, but hasn't heard much from the NCAA.
"We were told they would move as quickly as possible," he said. "But they need to move at their pace."
The Buckeyes open their season on Aug. 30 at home against Washington, which gives them some time to adjust to life without Clarett.
Maybe too much time.
"We'd definitely like to know for sure [whether he can play this season]," senior quarterback Craig Krenzel said. "But if it's still pending at the time of the Washington game, I don't think it's the end of the world.
"We'll be ready and prepared no matter who's on the field."
Backups ready
If Clarett can't play, Ross and junior running back Maurice Hall will step in. Both are saying the right things about wanting Clarett to return, but it's obvious that they're excited about the opportunity to play.
"Definitely, you always think about that," said Hall, who added 10 pounds of muscle in the off-season. "Once I get the chance, I want to show my skills."
And Ross, who looked like a future star when he split time with Jonathan Wells as a freshman, hasn't exactly been enamored with all the attention showered on Clarett over the past year.
"I'm going into camp as I always do," Ross said. "I want to start and I want to be the No. 1 guy."
Ross said he hasn't been following the news and when asked what he thought about Clarett not being at the photo day, he said, "I didn't know he wasn't at the team picture. I thought he was."
Still in contact
Tressel has stayed in contact with Clarett over the past few weeks, but says he has to be careful what they talk about because of the investigation.
Clarett has not been attending practices.
"He's not required to be there, but he's free to stop by," Tressel said. "He's not suspended from being in the group. I know he'd rather be here and he plans to be here.
"He knows he has responsibilities and with those responsibilities are privileges that come or don't come.
It's a big issue, but Tressel has bigger issues to worry about -- like defending a national championship.
"The thing I'd like to talk about most is 2003," he said. "Right now, the only thing I can work on is football."
scalzo@vindy.com