Archives for July 2015

Well fall camp hasn’t started yet and that three quarterback competition has already gone down to two. Per a report from Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel…

Miller’s fallback plan has become a reality, as he told SI.com on Thursday night that he plans to start the 2015 season playing H-Back—a hybrid receiver position—for the Buckeyes. Miller hasn’t completely closed the door on playing quarterback, as he estimates that he’ll spend 80% of the time during training camp at receiver and 20% with the quarterbacks. But Miller said with more than two months until he’ll be completely healthy at quarterback, he’s approaching this season as primarily a wide receiver.

“For the most part, it’s going to be H-Back and punt return,” Miller said in a phone interview on Thursday night. “It’s a long process to get back totally to throwing and throwing every day. This is the smarter thing for right now, God blessed me with a lot of talent and different opportunities. I’m going to have fun with that and still score a lot of touchdowns and help the team out and be dominant at that.”

Just think about that for a second. Imagine not JT or Cardale will be on the field at the same time as Braxton Miller. For the love of all that is holy that is not fair to the rest of CFB.

I will have more on this story tomorrow on The Buckeye Blitz Radio Show.

Nick Bosa

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247sports- 30
Rivals- 17
Scout- 2
ESPN- 3

Kareem Walker

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247sports- 114
Rivals- 22
Scout- 23
ESPN- 21

Demario McCall

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247sports- 38
Rivals- 66
Scout- 70
ESPN- 52

Jonathon Cooper

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247sports- 17
Rivals- 148
Scout- 34
ESPN- 93

Jake Hausmann

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247sports- 198
Rivals- 54
Scout- 93
ESPN- 149

George Hill

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247sports- 73
Rivals- 177
Scout- 74
ESPN- 193

Austin Mack

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247sports- 77
Rivals- 208
Scout- 85
ESPN- 229

Tristen Wallace

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Rivals- 3*
Scout- 102
ESPN- 129

Tyler Gerald

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247sports- 152
Rivals- 4*
Scout- 165
ESPN- 97

Terrell Hall

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247sports- 51
Rivals- 202
Scout- 261
ESPN- 162

Luke Farrell

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247sports- 168
Rivals- 195
Scout- 158
ESPN- 155

Michael Jordan

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247sports- 213
Rivals- 4*
Scout- 148
ESPN- 112

Tuf Borland

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247sports- 195
Rivals- 4*
Scout- 279
ESPN- 3*

Malik Barrow

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247sports- 4*
Rivals- 103
Scout- 3*
ESPN- 4*

Kierre Hawkins

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247sports- 3*
Rivals- 4*
Scout- 273
ESPN- 4*

Wayne Davis

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247sports- 3*
Rivals- 4*
Scout- 240
ESPN- 3*

Jack Wohlabaugh

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247sports- 3*
Rivals- 4*
Scout- 3*
ESPN- 3*

Kareem Felder

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247sports- 3*
Rivals- 3*
Scout- 3*
ESPN- 3*

Drue Chrisman

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247sports- 3*
Rivals- 3*
Scout- 4*
ESPN- NR

A day after saying it was down to Florida State and Ohio State, 5-Star recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas, Nick Bosa has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s been one of the most popular 2016 targets not just for being highly ranked, but because he is the younger brother of Ohio State All-American Joey Bosa. “I cant say it because Joey will get mad, but the little brother (Nick) might be better than Joey.” said assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas, and former Buckeye great Cris Carter.

Suddenly, the likely departure of Joey Bosa after this upcoming season won’t be as harsh with another Bosa coming in to take his place. If he is indeed better than Joey was at the same point in their career’s, then the B1G and the rest of the country should be scared. Urban likes to build his teams around the trenches, and a strong and deep defensive line, and he’s doing a great job at that with his 2016 class. Nick joins two of the best weakside DE’s in the country in Jonathon Cooper and Terrell Hall, and a 4-star DT from IMG Academy in Malik Barrow. This class will likely add one more Defensive Tackle, but out of all the great players committed on this D-Line, and even the team as a whole, Nick Bosa will likely be the highlight.

As we all know, and are probably tired of hearing, Urban made the H-Back position famous at Florida with Percy Harvin. For those of you who don’t know, the H-Back position is a slot receiver who can occasionally play running back.  Although Percy wasn’t the only man at the position, he was the best, and therefore the man who gets the fame from it. The past couple years, Urban and all Buckeye fans have been looking for “Percy 2.0”. The search has gone through Jordan Hall, Philly Brown, Chris Fields, (most notably) Dontre Wilson, Jalin Marshall, and now it’s on to Sophomore RB turned H-Back Curtis Samuel. None of those guys – except maybe Jalin, who played well late in the year – have really lived up to the almost unrealistic Percy Harvin hype. So now, we’re going to take a look at how Dontre and Jalin statistically faired in their first season as a duo at H-Back, and how they compare to Percy Harvin and his back-up (who played more like a Curtis Samuel) Jeff Demps.

So, as you can see, our H-backs last year really didn’t compare to what Florida’s did in 2008. People may argue that it’s just a skill difference in favor of Florida, but I don’t think that’s the entire case. Also, you have to remember that Dontre missed the last 5 games of the season, and that Jalin didn’t greatly come on until the last several games, but still, they didn’t have nearly as many attempts as Percy and Jeff had. So, from here we’re going to look at the possibilities as to why they aren’t as involved, why their numbers aren’t as good, and then give a prediction about this upcoming season.

Personnel

This is likely the biggest reason that the H-Backs didn’t get as many attempts as the 2008 UF players did. There was/is simply so much depth at Ohio State, that one will not get enough touches to produce as well as Percy and Jeff did. Remember, Urban hadn’t had a 1,000 yard RB until Carlos Hyde in 2013, so that means at Florida, Urban didn’t really have a work horse to give the ball to 15-20 times a game. He had speedsters like Percy and Jeff that are change of pace players who could get the ball more often because there isn’t somebody getting the ball really often like Dontre and Jalin had in Ezekiel Elliott. Because of the lack of a consistent RB, Percy and Jeff were both in the top 4 in rushing yards that year for their team. Jalin and Dontre finished 5th and 7th respectively. Also, Florida didn’t have a dominant, big wide receiver on the outside in 2008. Therefore, they had to look for more receiving production from the H-Backs, more specifically Percy. Percy was first in receptions, and 2nd in receiving yards, just behind Louis Murphy who finished with 655 receiving yards. Jalin did end up 2nd in receptions (in thanks to plenty shovel passes that count as receptions, but are basically running plays), but ended up 3rd in receiving yards by a wide margin. The two leading receiving yards for the 2014 Buckeyes were Michael Thomas and Devin Smith who ended with 799 and 931 yards respectively. So, a difference in depth and skill throughout the team is a huge reason why the H-Backs don’t do as much now as they did in 2008.

Scheme Change

This is another big reason that could potentially be why the H-Backs aren’t used as much. Although much of Urban’s system has stayed constant, I think it has changed. Urban is obviously a very intelligent coach, so when he recognizes that a change is needed he tries it, and if it works out to be better, then he will change it. I think he recognized that a power run game was a necessity. He has definitely implemented that into his system here at Ohio State, and I can’t imagine anytime in the near future that a RB doesn’t come close to or exceed the 1,000 yard mark. Obviously, this means that the speedy guys like Dontre and Jalin won’t get as many touches, but when you have a guy like Ezekiel Elliott, that’s something you have to do.

Also, when there’s a work horse like Ezekiel, you don’t really won’t to take him off the field. You want to complement him, and keep defenses on their heels with the outside run game. For the 2014 team, the main outside run was the shovel pass, with the H-Back coming in motion, then the snap with the quick toss. On this play, the formation is very similar for all of them, and easy to identify, so it’s often predictable. The only way to change that is to more often put them in the backfield, and for Urban to be comfortable with them in the backfield, he wants them to be a little heavier so they can take the consistent hits throughout the season. This is one of the easiest spots to see a changed mind from Urban, because Dontre and Jalin are both heavier than Percy was in college, yet they aren’t allowed in the backfield as often as he was. That’s a huge advantage for both Demps and Harvin because coming out of the backfield is much more difficult to predict than the shovel sweep.

Prediction for the upcoming season

For myself and many fans, the H-Back is one of, if not the most exciting position in all of football. That position isn’t just a fan favorite, it’s also an Urban Meyer favorite. Urban is constantly on the search for the “Next Percy Harvin”, and his pitch has been that the offense is built for the H-Backs. 2017 recruit Emmanuel Greene recently said “He (Urban) says that the offense is basically for us kind of guys, that’s under six foot.” I think that says a lot towards how Urban wants the offense and the H-Backs to go. Although his scheme and ideas have changed he still knows he needs those quick, versatile guys that can change the game on any given play. This year, with a year of experience under their belts, I expect the H-Backs to be very successful. Will they ever put up the same numbers as Percy Harvin? I doubt it, because Urban doesn’t need them to be. He needs them to be consistent and make big plays when they are needed. I believe that this year they will do that, and perhaps, Urban won’t even have to look for the “Next Percy Harvin,” but maybe the next Jalin Marshall or Dontre Wilson.

Highlights below: (Warning : Explicit Music)

On yesterdays The Buckeye Blitz @PatrickASchmidt and myself (@SYRmotsag) talked about recruiting with a focus on who and what to watch for this weeks recruiting show Friday Night Lights. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we did doing the show…

THE BUCKEYE BLITZ RADIO SHOW

Im commiting to thee ohio state🔴⚫⚪🌟🌟🔥🔥

A photo posted by its_a_cage_thing (@its_a_cage_thing) on Jul 20, 2015 at 7:03pm PDT

Seems almost 24 hours ago Ohio State received a commitment from a player for the 2017 class and it has flown under the radar until now. Defensive Tackle Cage Jerron from Winston Woods High School in Cincinnati, Oh committed to the Buckeyes via his Instagram account. Cage is a 6’3-275lb DT that is rated by 247Sports as a four-star defensive tackle, 17th best DT in nation and 9th best player in State of Ohio. ESPN has him as a four-star as well, 15th best in the position and 8th best in the state. Rivals meanwhile has him as only a three-star and 18th best in the state. Here is what ESPN says about the Buckeyes newest commit (via Insider)

STRENGTHS: Thickly-built with an explosive first step. Fluid athlete who maintains speed in transition and has the speed to make plays from the backside. Powerful at the point of attack and difficult to move out of the hole. Active pass rusher that fights through the whistle. Strong tackler. … AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: On the shorter side and lacks the length to play on the edge. Needs to refine his punch, hand placement and pass rush arsenal. … BOTTOM LINE: Cage is a stout defensive lineman who is disruptive in the trenches. With further refinement, we believe he can develop into a very productive DT for a Power 5 program.

The Scarlet and Gray now have Five of the top 11 players in the Great State of Ohio committed to their program. Keep building that fence coach Meyer, love it when the top talent stays home.

You can view Jerron’s highlights here via Hudl

Welcome to Buckeye Nation Jerron can’t wait to see you donning the Scarlet and Gray and be a part of something special.

It is that time again seems like a weekly thing these days but here is ESPNs first rankings for the 2017 class so lets see how OSU commits fared….

COMMITS

Josh Myers- #3
Shaun Wade- #14
Marcus Williamson- #17
Todd Sibley- #33
Jake Moretti- #112
Bruce Judson- #135
Danny Clark- #216

TARGETS

Isaiah Wilson- #2
Richard LeCounte- #8
Donovan Peoples-Jones- #12
Jeff Thomas- #30
Isaiah Pryor- #38
Trevon Grimes- #45
AJ Epenesa- #58
Robert Hainsey- #73
Tyrell Ajian- #76
Paris Ford- #78
Cam Spence- #87
Corey Malone- Hatcher- #94
Lamont Wade- #118
Fred Hansard- #127
Keyshawn Johnson Jr- #150
Jaylen Harris- #157
Danny Davis- #184
Emmanuel Green- #187
Cole Kmet- #197
Jerron Cage- #200
Santino Marchiol- #233
Craig Yeast- #255
Connor Heyward- #260
Matt Bockhorst- #284
Javonte Richardson- #291

OTHER B1G COMMITS

Hunter Rison- #257 Michigan State
Juan Harris- #272 Iowa

“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.” ~ Ulysses S. Grant

Leave it to a native Ohioan to spell it out what needs to be done in order to win. West Point graduate, Civil War general, and former United State President, I am willing to bet Ulysses S. Grant would have given football coaching a shot if it had been around in his day.

While counting down the days until the 2015 college football season begins, I thought I would pass the time by ranking and reviewing the upcoming 2015 Ohio State opponents, from least difficult to most difficult. This ranking system of mine will be highly subjective, prone to possibilities of injuries, transfers, or other unforeseen events that could dramatically impact its accuracy. As always, I encourage comments and critique about what I have projected.

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We are getting into the stretch of games that I believe will be challenging for Ohio State. Not impossible, not insurmountable, but the type of games and opponents that Ohio State fans would be wise to not overlook or be overconfident about as the games approach. I am willing to bet that Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff will be on guard against any overconfidence with the players.

Penn State Nittany Lions (Game 7)

2015 OSU Opponent Ranking: 4 out of 12

Players Recruited By Ohio State: WR Saeed Blacknall, TE Adam Breneman, TE Mike Gesicki, OT Paris Palmer, OT Sterling Jenkins, DE Garrett Sickels, RB Saquon Barkley, OL Steven Gonzalez, OT Ryan Bates, DB Garrett Taylor. I am more than willing to bet I may have inadvertently missed on some players; please let me know and I am happy to correct my error(s).

Game Date: October 17, 2015

Kickoff Time: 8pm EST. ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 telecast TBD.

Location: Ohio Stadium

Rationale For The Ranking: Ohio State destroyed Penn State in 2013, 63-14, under the lights, in Ohio Stadium. The first year of Coach Meyer’s tenure, in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State defeated Penn State 35-23. Last season, Ohio State had to rally in two overtime periods to defeat Penn State, 31-24. While Ohio State will be heavily favored in this contest, with the improved talent base that Penn State is accumulating, this will certainly be in the big game atmosphere category. Looking at Penn State’s schedule, I would not be surprised if Penn State comes into Ohio Stadium undefeated, ready to avenge last season’s close loss.

Prediction: Night games in Ohio Stadium are always special. The fans have all day to tailgate, Coach Meyer traditionally targets recruiting visits for top prospects, and the opportunity to have a strong national television audience are all factors to be weighed. Ohio State will be favored, based upon these factors, but Penn State Head Coach James Franklin will be playing upon the underdog role in getting the Nittany Lions ready for this one.

Previous Posts In The Series:

12 – Hawaii
11 – Western Michigan
10 – at Indiana
9 – at Illinois
8 – Maryland
7 – Northern Illinois
6 – at Rutgers
5 – Minnesota

Now that the eleventy billion award watch lists have all (at least as best I can tell) been announced lets breakdown how all the Buckeyes did…

Paul Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player)

Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson

Bednarik Award (Best Defensive Player)

Joey Bosa and Josh Perry

Maxwell Award (Best Player)

Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett, and Ezekiel Elliott

Rimington Award (Best Center)

Jacoby Boren

Mackey Award (Best Tight End)

Nick Vannett

Ray Guy Award (Best Punter)

Cameron Johnston

Nagurski Award (Best Defensive Plyer)

Vonn Bell, Joey Bosa, Darron Lee, Joshua Perry, and Adolphus Washington

Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman)

Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein, and Adolphus Washington

Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back)

Vonn Bell

Butkus Award (Best Linebacker)

Raekwon McMillan and Josh Perry

Biletnikoff Award (Best WR)

Michael Thomas

Davey O’Brien Award (Best QB)

Cardale Jones

Doak Walker (Best RB)

Ezekiel Elliott

Lombardi Award (Best Lineman or Linebacker)

Joey Bosa, Taylor Decker, Darron Lee, Pat Elfien, and Adolphus Washington