COLLEGE FOOTBALL | BIG TEN MEDIA DAY

CHICAGO | The man most identifiable by his sweater vest was wearing a gray suit talking about a redshirt freshman as if he was dressed in a tuxedo and poised to accept an award on ESPN's college football awards show.

That's how excited Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel seemed to be as he discussed the impact he expects former Merrillville star Dexter Larimore to have on the Buckeyes' defensive line this season.

"Oh my, Dexter is special," Tressel said. "Dexter is a full-speed practice guy and kind of a no-nonsense, I'm-going-to-get-better-every-second kind of guy. Dexter is going to play a lot. Even though we rotate our guys on the defensive front, I would say that Dexter will play 30-to-40 snaps a game as opposed to 18-to-25.

"Dexter is going to be an excellent player. He has great strength."

Tressel said OSU's offensive linemen will have a few things to teach Larimore and some of the Buckeyes' younger defensive linemen like Doug Worthington and Robert Rose. He said if the younger linemen can mix in with some of OSU's veterans like Lawrence Wilson and Vernon Gholston, the defense has a chance to be "pretty good up there."

The loss of three defensive tackles, including starters Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, paves the way for Larimore's emergence.

Tressel said he's heard stories about Larimore's prowess in the weight room.

"A lot of the guys have been talking about his strength," Tressel said. "He's not just strong in the weight room. Some guys are weight-room guys, but Dexter is also a great leverage guy."

A heavyweight national champion wrestler, Larimore understands the concept of getting low. Tressel said there's really nothing he can see that isn't a strength for Larimore.

While Larimore must still pass the test of time, stay healthy and be consistently good over the long haul, Tressel said he expects him to eventually be as good as anybody.

"Dex's wrestling background really helps him because it helps him to stay low," Gholston said. "That's the biggest thing for a defensive guy when you're talking about taking on double teams and trying to press people into the backfield. He's not in my workout group, but I've heard a lot of great things about him in the weight room this summer.

"I think he's going to be good. If he's not a starter this year, I would think he's definitely going to be a major contributor."

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald believes former Munster star Prince Kwateng could start at linebacker this fall. The former Mustang is making fifth-year senior Eddie Simpson sweat and feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Primarily a special teams player during his first two years, Kwateng has Fitzgerald excited about his development.

After losing his senior year in high school due to injury, Fitzgerald said Kwateng has proven to be a diligent worker and a player who's improved as a linebacker.

"He's a great student of the game and has really grown tremendously in the weight room," he said. "He's really gained confidence, isn't afraid and is making more plays in the open field."

When asked if Kwateng might unseat Simpson as a starter, Fitzgerald smiled.

"He better, or I'll be disappointed in him," he said. "I'll say the same thing to the fifth-year senior, telling him: 'You've got this bulldog breathing down your neck, you better win the job.'"