According to a report from Yahoo Sports, defensive Jamal Marcus is reportedly leaving the Ohio State football program due to academic problems. The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Marcus was not dismissed and the decision to leave was mutual between the program and him.
Marcus was going to compete for one of the starting defensive end positions due to starter Noah Spence serving a three game suspension. Spence already served one game in the Orange Bowl last season where Marcus filled in for him. Marcus had six tackles int that game and raised a lot of people’s eyebrows with his performance in that game. Unfortunately Buckeye fans will never see his full potential in a scarlet and gray uniform.
Some in the national media (ESPN in particular) are pointing out the Buckeyes are thin at defensive end, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Steve Miller and Tyquan Lewis should fill in nicely for Spence the first two games, alongside Joey Bosa. It’s only two games and of course ESPN is trying to make this a bigger deal than it should be. The Buckeyes will be just fine without Marcus. It’s disappointing to see Marcus’ time at Ohio State end like this, but it isn’t going to hurt the Buckeyes too much.
As for where Jamal Marcus will end up, here is one possibility:
Wouldn't be a huge surprise if departing Ohio State DE Jamal Marcus ends up at James Madison. Everett Withers, JM head, recruited him to OSU
— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) May 27, 2014
One more fallout from this is this now drops the Buckeyes down to 82 scholarships. This is the number the Buckeyes have to be at due to the NCAA sanctions from “Tatoo Gate.” This is the final season the scholarship reduction is in place for the Buckeyes.
While the absence of Marcus will hurt in those first two games, it won’t make the Buckeyes completely vulnerable. Remember it’s not even June yet, so Urban Meyer and the coaching staff have months to prepare for this loss.
Yeah, Jamal had a nice Orange Bowl, but if there’s any place we can absorb a loss, it’s on the defensive line.
Whether it was a dismissal or academics or whatever, it’s still a bummer to see someone go out in this manner.
Yes the defensive line is more than capable of absorbing this blow. I was excited to see Marcus possibly break out this season and it’s a shame to see him leave, especially this way. I’m anxious to see how Lewis performs now.