COLUMBUS: He has been in Columbus since the fall of 2004, but it wasn't until Thursday that Todd Boeckman discovered what it's like to be Ohio State's starting quarterback.

In this case, it meant standing for an hour in the muggy east concourse of Ohio Stadium, sweating in full uniform while answering round after round of questions at OSU's media day.

''I guess this was my 'Welcome to Ohio State Day,''' Boeckman said afterward.

The job does not officially belong to the 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior from St. Henry. But he has been grayshirted (starting his freshman academic year late, delaying the start of his four years of eligibility) and redshirted. His every move has been orchestrated to put as much distance as possible between him and 2006 seniors Troy Smith and Justin Zwick.

''It's been three, four, five, 10 years . . . I don't know what, it's been quite a while since I've actually taken a snap, so I'm looking forward to it,'' Boeckman said. ''I'm real excited, and I've learned from some great quarterbacks here.

''I've just got to stay relaxed and focused and keep working hard; the rest will take care of itself.''

Sophomore Rob Schoenhoft from Cincinnati St. Xavier and redshirt freshman Antonio Henton of Fort Valley, Ga., are also in the mix to replace Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, now with the Baltimore Ravens. The season opens Sept. 1 against Youngstown State, and Akron visits the following week, so coach Jim Tressel will probably play more than one quarterback before the Sept. 15 trip to Washington.

Schoenhoft said the biggest challenge is getting the coaching staff ''to trust you.'' But asked how hard that is, he said: ''I've been around two years; the guys know what I'm about.''

Since the team reported Sunday and began practice Monday, no quarterback has stood out, sophomore receiver Brian Hartline of GlenOak said. But he acknowledged he's curious to watch them battle.

''All the guys are different,'' Hartline said. ''It will tell you what kind of offense or scheme they want to run by looking at the quarterback. They've all been doing pretty well, and it's hard to get a sense of who's who now. It will be interesting.''

The key for Tressel hasn't wavered as he begins his seventh year at OSU. ''We always talk about decision making,'' he said. ''I can make decisions in shorts. When the silver helmets are flying at me, I probably wouldn't do very well.''

He said the trio's physical gifts might not separate them. ''All three of those guys, I don't worry at all about their arms,'' he said. ''Sometimes I worry a little bit about them having so much confidence that they try to make all the throws. I'm confident that if they will develop the decision making, these guys are very capable of throwing the football. It's hard to say any of them can do it at this moment because they haven't had the experience of doing it consistently. I wish we had 50 practices and four exhibitions like the NFL.''

Quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels certainly wasn't ready Thursday to endorse anyone. ''I think they all had pretty good springs,'' Daniels said. ''We'll see how the learning comes along. For a quarterback, it's mental, that's the No. 1 thing.''

When Daniels was asked what's the best thing Boeckman has going for him, his answer seemed like faint praise. ''The biggest thing Todd has is he's been around a long time,'' Daniels said. ''He understands the offense probably better than anyone. He's a little bit ahead because of that. Just being here for another year and a half makes a big difference.''

But the task of finding a replacement for Troy Smith will not be easy.

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