DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has dramatically reduced its off-field problems in the past two years, but coach Jim Tressel isn't ready to say he's changed the culture surrounding the football program.

Eight players were either arrested or issued citations in 2004 and '05, but only one since then: tackle Alex Boone, who had a DUI last year.

"We're a bump in the road away from having a problem," Tressel said. "Kids are kids. And percentages tell you that if there are 100 of them (on the roster), along the way you're going to have some issues.

"(But) I'm happy with the culture of the kids on the team. That doesn't mean we're not going to have a mistake. Every day the phone doesn't ring, you're happy."

Four Minnesota players were dismissed from the Gophers team last month for their alleged part in a sexual assault.

Penn State's Anthony Scirrotto, who led the Big Ten with six interceptions last season, is facing felony charges after a campus brawl. And Michigan receiver Adrian Arrington was suspended from the team during spring practice after allegedly being involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend.

Tressel believes athletes get accustomed to preferential treatment, and that leads to some going astray.

"From the time these kids are in Little League, they're being pampered," he said. "Everyone wants them on their Little League team. Everyone wants them to go to their high school or play for their AAU team. And in college, we recruit the heck out of them. You can get tricked into thinking you're special.

"You have to work hard at trying to keep your culture the best you can and still know that kids are going to err."

OSU adds another

The Buckeyes landed their 11th recruit in the 2008 class with a verbal commitment from tight end Nic DiLillo, a senior-to-be from Madison High School, northeast of Cleveland.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound DiLillo, who is ranked as the 20th-best tight end nationally by Scout.com, committed first to Clemson and then reneged and accepted a scholarship from Pittsburgh. But when the Buckeyes finally offered a full ride after losing out on their first three choices at tight end, DiLillo changed his mind again.

Florida film no help

Junior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins is a regular in the film room, always studying opponents' tendencies and his own techniques in an effort to improve.

But one tape he refuses to watch is the national championship debacle against Florida.

"That's not a game I reference because we did a lot of things different than we usually do," he said. "We deviated from our usual game plan.

"We kind of stayed with the same things: zone coverages. We didn't put much pressure on the quarterback."

OSU coaches insist they tried everything against the Gators, and nothing was effective.

"The most disturbing thing is that we didn't play like we were capable of playing," Tressel said. "A good bit of the season, we did.

"Whether you were a coach or a player, that's the most difficult conclusion you have to face. ... When you watch the film, you say, 'Man, I could have done that better.' "

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com