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Football
Torrence Focuses Fully on Football, Lets Baseball Slide
By Tony Gerdeman

Last year, Devon Torrence started the season embroiled in a battle for the starting cornerback position opposite Chimdi Chekwa. Andre Amos won the job over Torrence initially, but both saw the field about the same amount of time.

Devon Torrence
Photo by Dan Harker

The coaches preferred Amos’ experience and greater understanding of the position, but loved Torrence’s raw ability. They knew that they had to get him some snaps in order to see how he would do in the face of adversity.

His big break came in week two against USC. He came off the bench and recorded eight tackles, including a sack, and also defended a pass. Torrence was inserted into the starting lineup the following week and he has been there ever since.

“Last year I felt like I was just out there in the fire,” Torrence recalled, “and either I was going to get burned or I was going to make some plays. Fortunately I made some plays and got the starting job.”

Getting burned is something that no cornerback ever wants to have happen to them, but the prospect of such circumstances never seemed to bother Torrence. He is supremely confident in his athletic ability, but as last season wore on, he soon realized that there is much more to the position than simply being an athlete.

“I really think midway through the season, I just really grew as a cornerback and learned the position,” he said. “I believe I took to the position very well, and I really tried to study a lot of guys like Malcolm Jenkins and all of the corners and defensive backs who came through here. And a lot of guys helped me too throughout the season. Malcolm would text me and say something like ‘aim lower on your tackles, you’re doing a great job’. It really kept me positive and motivated throughout the season.”

Devon Torrence
Photo by Dan Harker

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, that Torrence took a bit longer to find his niche than some. He started his career as a wide receiver and wasn’t given the benefit of a redshirt season. As a sophomore, he saw action in all thirteen games, but mostly on special teams and only received spot duty at cornerback.

When he looks back to his high school football days at Canton South, he admits that he was lacking many of the nuances of the game.

“I really didn’t understand a lot about football and about the game,” he said. “I’ve always had the ability physically, and coach Tress would always tell me that.”

“Coach Hazell, when I was in the receiver room, he said that I had to work on my football IQ.”

But then Torrence readily admits that he went to Canton South because it was a baseball school.

Ah yes, baseball. Perhaps the biggest reason why Torrence never saw serious duty until he was a junior. In 2007 and 2008, Torrence played minor league baseball in the Houston Astros’ organization during the spring and summer. But in 2009, he turned himself over fully to the Buckeyes, and the results were dramatic. So dramatic, in fact, that he’s doing it again this year, but a little bit of him still yearns for baseball.

“Every day I wake up and I feel like something’s missing from my life,” he admitted. “Every time I see something on baseball, I get that urge to go play. But right now, my situation is that I’m at Ohio State getting ready for my senior year of football. I’m sure the Astros are very aware of that. They’re very supportive. They’ve always been supportive of the situation.”

“Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back to baseball within the next couple of years. But right now I’m just focusing on winning a national championship here.”

With Torrence staying on campus throughout the spring and summer, there are things he intends to improve upon.

“I definitely really want to work on my tackling,” he said. “I’m not afraid to hit anybody. I feel like I’m capable of being a big hitter. Last year, I believe it was just really learning how to position my body at the collegiate level at cornerback.”

He’s not just setting his sights on hitting, however.

“I really want to get my hands on a lot more passes and break up more passes this year,” he said. Then he paused and added, “Of course, they’ve got to throw it my way.”

And looking back on last year while looking forward to this season, Torrence acknowledges that being thrown into the fire isn’t always a bad thing.

“It was just really a blessing. I learned a lot. I learned enough to where I’m going to have a breakout senior year. That’s really my goal for this last season.”

Well, that and the aforementioned winning of the National Championship, of course.

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