Archives for August 2013

A few weeks back it was reported that Najee Murray was kicked off the team. A few days later Coach Meyer made it known that Najee was “Suspended Indefinitely”. Word has come out tonight through our friends at Eleven Warriors that Najee has been granted his release from the team.

Kyle Rowland with the full report on his dismissal had this to say…

Ohio State sophomore defensive back Najee Murray has been granted his release from the football program, sources told Eleven Warriors. An Ohio State spokesman confirmed the report.

Murray had been suspended for a “training camp issue,” according to head coach Urban Meyer. Sources indicated Murray’s departure was a mutual decision.

Last season, the Ohio State secondary (especially safety) seemed to be under siege much more than in years past. Some of that can be credited to the lack of tackling by the linebackers or abysmal and inconsistent pressure from the defensive line. While fingers can definitely be pointed, the safeties main responsibility is to minimize big plays and keep the ball in front of them. Unfortunately at times, neither of these things happened. As the season progressed though, so did the quality of play. The Buckeyes should be stout at safety this season behind Seniors Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett. They will look to follow in the footsteps of former Buckeyes greats such as Jack Tatum and Mike Doss.

Last Year Performance

The safeties came into the season with experience under their belts. Both Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett had already garnered starting experience before the season began. While neither impressed on a regular basis during the 2011 campaign, they knew their play had to improve coming into 2012. For the most part, it did. The secondary as a whole gave up 243.5 yards per game (78th in the nation) and a whopping four passing plays of 70 yards or more (led the nation). However, much of this came in the first half of the season. As the Saturdays continued to pass, the safeties continued to get better. Urban Meyer even started to praise Bryant and Barnett during his weekly media briefing. Barnett led the secondary in tackles per game (6.2). Bryant ended the season as a 2nd Team All-Big Ten coaches selection and Barnett was an Honorable Mention for the coaches and media.
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Let’s admit that last season the position of the Tight End was under utilized. The Buckeyes tight ends combined for 17 receptions for 217 yards.

Key Losses: This is a position that didn’t have any key players lost from last season. I know Jake Stoneburner was a tight end but he moved over to wide receiver for Ohio State last season. This last week there was a Buckeye tight end that was unfortunately lost to a career ending injury. Urban Meyer confirmed that redshirt freshman Blake Thomas suffered an injury that ended his football career.

2013 Starters: Jeff Heuerman a 6 foot 6 inch junior from Naples Florida is a tall and athletic target for Braxton Miller. He played in 11 games his freshman season and all 12 last season. Being the most experienced tight end is apt blocker and route runner. Jeff said he feels more comfortable playing in Tom Hermans offense this training camp compared to last season and expects big things.

The other co-starter Nick Vannett who is another large body coming in at 6 foot 6 inches and weighing 255 pounds. A redshirt sophomore who finished fifth in receptions last season. Vannett played in all 12 games last season.

Other Tight Ends: True freshman Marcus Baugh is Urban Meyer’s first tight end recruited for Ohio State. He comes to Columbus from Riverside, CA, and is going to be another large target for Miller possibly. Baugh stands 6 foot 4 inches and weighs 233 pounds. Marcus is going to have to work extremely hard to get on the field this season. He got himself into some legal trouble this summer and has landed square in Meyer’s dog house. He will be suspended for the first game of the season and still hasn’t yet (at the time of me writing this post) had his black stripe removed.

Charles Kinzig from Gates Mills is a walk on this winter. Like Heuerman and Vannett, Kinzig is a beast standing at 6 foot 6 inches and weighing 235 pounds. It is too early to tell what type of player he might be for the Buckeyes.

Former defensive lineman J.T. Moore was just announced as moving from the defensive line to the tight end position this last week by Urban. Moore is 6 foot 3 inches and weighs 262 pounds and is a junior. Not sure what to make of this move just yet but Meyer and company must see something in him.

Expectations: This season everyone is expecting all offensive positions to step up and be more of a threat. We all know that Meyer and Herman expect better play from their tight ends and know how to use them properly. This big strong guys will be a great help blocking for the running game and their height should be an advantage in the end zone for Braxton this year.

Here is a highlight of Jeff Heuerman catching the two point conversion against Purdue this last season to help the Buckeyes tie up the game sending it into overtime where the Buckeyes pulled out the tight win.

For five years, I have reviewed the upcoming senior class at Ohio State. Generally speaking, I have applied a simple “rule of thirds” to the recruiting classes – a third will turn out as expected and start, a third will contribute in some way, but may not turn out as fully expected, and a third may wind up not contributing in a great manner to the program.

When reviewing the eighteen players signed by former head coach Jim Tressel in February 2010, this theory will truly be put to the test. Coming off the impressive Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, Ohio State signed what was considered to be a class modestly ranked by recruiting analysts at rivals.com (25th) and scout.com (20th). Ohio State’s class was considered behind both Penn State and Michigan in B1G recruiting rankings for 2010. Prime Ohio State offensive line targets Seantrel Henderson, Matt James, Moses Morgan, and Chaz Green all spurned Ohio State on Signing Day 2010.

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Starters (33%)

1. PK Drew Basil – Basil began his placekicking career at Ohio State in 2010 rather inauspiciously, missing two field goal attempts that season. Basil made his mark handling the kickoffs, becoming the full-time placekicker for the 2011 season. Although Basil was not called upon as much during the 2012 season for field goal attempts, Basil will be a key component for the 2013 team.

2. WR Corey “Philly” Brown – Brown arrived at Ohio State after an outstanding high school career at running back. Moved to wide receiver, Brown truly emerged as the Buckeyes’ top receiving threat during the 2012 season under Coach Meyer’s offensive scheme.

3. DB Christian Bryant – Bryant played as a true freshman in 2010, earning a full-time starting position for the 2011 season. Maintaining the “Glenville pipeline” to Ohio State, Bryant is a hard-hitting safety who will be expected to provide leadership for the Buckeyes this season.

4. RB Carlos Hyde – Originally intending to be a part of the 2009 Ohio State recruiting class, Hyde spent the 2009 season at Fork Union Military Academy working on his academics. Hyde played sparingly in 2010, had a challenging 2011 season fighting for playing time, and emerged as Ohio State’s top rushing threat for the 2012 season. Hyde has been suspended for at least the first three games of the 2013 season for a well-publicized incident at a Columbus bar, resulting in at least a quarter of his senior season at Ohio State eliminated. Hyde will need to make every carry truly count in 2013.

5. OT Andrew Norwell – Norwell was arguably the top player signed by Ohio State in February 2010. Ranked eighth in the scout.com 100 when signed by Ohio State, Norwell played in eleven games as a true freshman as a backup. Norwell moved into the starting offensive line in 2011, moving between left tackle and left guard.

6. CB Bradley Roby – Roby was a “flip” from Vanderbilt, choosing the Buckeyes later in the recruiting process. Redshirting in 2010, Roby earned a starting position for the 2011 season at cornerback. Recently suspended for the 2013 season opener against Buffalo, Roby should contend for All-American honors this upcoming season.

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While these players above have emerged as starters for Ohio State, part two of this series will review the players from the class who have either become occasional contributors for Ohio State, or departed the program altogether.