The OSU veteran got back to hitting today and said he felt great after sitting out last year with a head injury.
Ohio State had its fifth practice of the preseason today, and by NCAA rules, that meant this was the first day that the Buckeyes went in full pads. So safety Tyler Moeller got back to hitting.
Moeller said he actually got in his first big shot of camp against receiver DeVier Posey on Monday, and he was right in the thick of it today, continuing to work at the star position when the Buckeyes went to their nickel package.
Moeller is coming back after missing last year with a head injury that happened when he was assaulted in a Florida restaurant last July.
"In a nutshell, it means everything to me," Moeller said of being back on the field full-go, after practicing in April but sitting out contact drills. "Playing here is everything to me. Riding the bench for three years and then getting a shot and then getting hurt, to be able to contribute to this team is everything to me."
Moeller did little during the first six months of his recovery, so he said it took a lot to get back into condition. He said during the summer he nearly passed out on three or four occasions during workouts. He said one time "about five trainers were around me ready to call an ambulance for me."
But he said it with a laugh. Now he said he's 100 percent.
"I feel really good, I feel really good about this team," Moeller said.
And he feels really good about quarterback Terrelle Pryor, which Moeller admitted wasn't always the case. The fifth-year player backed up what Pryor said on Sunday, when the quarterback said he used to be arrogant but has matured as a player and a teammate.
"Terrelle is a great player," Moeller said. "You know it's a huge difference when he first got here to now, his maturity and how he became a leader. When he first got here, I don't think too many people liked him, really. He was kind of a punk. But now I have the utmost respect for him. He's a great player and a great leader and I would follow him into battle any day."