The Ohio State community recently embraced former head coach Jim Tressel by adding him into their Hall of Fame.

Neither in the plaque nor in the induction program mentioned Tressel’s end with the NCAA sanctions that forced his resignation in May of 2011.

His popularity and success has been over shadowed by his eventual replacement Urban Meyer. Meyer has gone 41-3 as the head coach of the Buckeyes and is fresh off the schools eighth national title.

Tressel’s recruiting prowess was amongst the best in the country when he manned the ship at OSU. Each season diminishes Tressel’s stamp on the university with his players’ playing out their scholarships for the scarlet and gray.

Two players in particular look to have very bright futures in the league which happen to be some of the last impact players Tressel recruited.

There were only a handful of players left in the visitors locker room at Heinz Field after the San Francisco 49ers took one on the chin against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 43-18.

One of the last remaining players to leave was former Buckeyes and current 49ers’ running back Carlos Hyde.

His slow methodical walk from the shower back to his locker was littered with wet towels along with cut rolls of duck tape from the player’s arms and legs as the clean up crew scrambled to stuff the giant bins with game gear for safe passage back to San Francisco.

It was not the kind of afternoon the Cincinnati, OH native envisioned for himself coming off a tremendous 168-yard rushing performance in the final game of Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. The outstanding performance left him atop the NFL in rushing prior to the conclusion of Week 2 in the NFL.

Hyde had plenty to be excited about heading into the second game of his second season. For starters, he awoke to his 24^th birthday in the city Pittsburgh and was going to go head-to-head against his former college teammate and best friend, Ryan Shazier.

“I told him we were going to get him before the game,” said Shazier.

He led the Steelers in tackles (15) that helped bottle up his college buddy for a 43 yards rushing and a dismal 3.1 yards per carry.

“Definitely the best game of my NFL career,” said Shazier after the win.

Injuries robbed Shazier from making a real impact as a rookie last year but with a clean bill of health the Steelers are seeing the production that matches the selection of being the 15^th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.

There is a buzz surrounding Shazier amongst the inner-circles in Pittsburgh that anticipate a very bright future for the 2013 first-team All-American.  Shazier is built in the mold of an oversized safety with cornerback speed which allows him to close in on opponents like a heat seeking missile.

His steps are quicker and reaction is faster and it results in him being in the right place at the right time before anyone else defensively makes the play.

That is how your build the reputation of being a playmaker in the NFL.

“You could tell he was a little wound up,” Shazier said of his best friend Hyde before the game. “He wants to do good every week but we had to shut him down. That’s one of my closest friends.”

Best friends from the same college, entering the NFL the same year along with the potential to make many Sunday afternoons memorable with highlight reels.

“I take this whole game serious,” Hyde said. “It’s my job got to take it serious. Coming out and performing like I did after the week I just had it is unacceptable.”

Hyde was selected in the second-round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played his rookie season behind the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher Frank Gore, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency this past March.

It is his place and time to establish himself as the featured back in the San Francisco offense.

“He’s a really good runner,” said Shazier. “He has great vision.”

That is just the tip of the iceberg of the talent Hyde possesses. He brings power and speed along with a shiftiness absent of most players his size (6-foot, 220 pounds). Able to witness up close his personal disappointment and frustration after the Week 2 defeat, the 49ers’ have a player with a deep passion to be the best.

“It was the first time I actually got to go up against him,” Hyde said referring to his best friend Shazier. “In college we never really had the chance to go up against each other.”

Talking about Shazier and reminiscing about his college days, Hyde’s demeanor arrived in a better place than when it left the shower.

He smiled when bringing up how both he and Shazier would talk about playing against one another in the NFL while they were student athletes in Columbus, Ohio.

“He’d come hit me and holla,” Hyde said (laughing) during their first NFL match-up. “I’d tell him he already knew what it is (Hyde referring to his frame and power) but it was definitely fun playing against him though.”

Hyde and Shazier could end up being the last two great Ohio State recruits by Tressel to go on to have long term Pro Bowl caliber careers.

Their close bond helps make their journey a little more personable as they embark in their breakout sophomore seasons in the NFL.