With the annual Spring Game just around the corner, there are many reasons to be excited about the 2019 team. The biggest elephant in the room is the changing of the guard between Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. In epic fashion, the keys were handed over to him, leaving Ohio State in more than capable hands to lead this new era of Ohio State football forward and onto big things.
From day one of taking the sticks from Coach Meyer, he assembled quite an impressive staff that returned only Brian Hartline, who is now their full-time wide receivers coach, Larry Johnson, who will act as the teams Associate Head Coach and the defensive shot-caller, Tony Alford, who returns to coach the Running Backs, Kevin Wilson, who is responsible for the Tight Ends and finally, Greg Studrawa, the O-Line head honcho.
The Buckeyes lost a few of their coaches. Some were not retained and others left for jobs elsewhere, but I personally wish them the best, but they also managed to improve on the fly by poaching a couple of former rivals to add to the team in Greg Mattison and Al Washington. They both jumped ship to help the team improve the play of the front seven. Jeff Hafley was added to coach up the DB’s and he came after a stint with the 49ers. Day also added the former Oklahoma State O-Coordinator Mike Yurich, who is a bright, young offensive mind who will be coaching the Quarterback room.
Coach Day has assembled a team comparable to the Avengers, with every coach being some form of a rising star or a threat to opposing coaches, with the core group of coaches acts as the foundation to ensure their potential is reached. The offense has the potential to scorch teams and the defense has the depth to outlast teams in the trenches. Excitement outweighs the dread, but we have to be patient.
Expectations:
Offense:
Even with a new Head Coach, the expectations at Ohio State remain sky-high. That is what all coaches to don the Scarlet and Gray have hovering over their heads. With a couple of pass-friendly and pass-happy coaching in tow, the Buckeyes have a potent group of coaches that will look to maximize their talent and play to their players strengths.
I fully expect a balanced offense that fall in the 55/45 model. Balance is key and so is speed. The Buckeyes are loaded at just about every level on offense and defense, but a 55% pass and 45% run gameplan could cause defenses to scramble or panic. This would be awesome and as a fan I am excited to see what develops as the season inches closer.
Quarterback is a two-man race, with Fields likely to be the starter. He is locked in a battle with Baldwin, but you just never know. The odds are in his favor and it is his job to lose. For Running Back, it is Dobbins’ show as the feature back with Teague, Crowley, and McCall vying for playing time. This is not the deepest skill position at Ohio State. The Wide Receivers room is stocked full of talent with Mack, Victor and Hill being the most experienced and young players like Olave, Gill, Wilson, Harris and Gardiner looking for snaps as well. Tight End is also competitive with Farrell leading the way and Berry and Ruckert waiting in the wings. The O-Line will have to find new starters and they have a lot of former four/five stars fighting for the jobs available, but Jonah Jackson, a Grad Transfer from Rutgers will be one of the key cogs along the line with Wyatt Davis.
Defense:
The defense is also very deep at every position. With the addition of three new defensive coaches, their collective views will show in year one of the Day Era. Not only have they stockpiled the talent over the years at Ohio State at just about every position, the position coaches have also been compiled and every coach on the roster either brings years of experience with them or is a rising young coach that got his shot at one of the best places in Ohio State.
The front four is beyond deep, even after the losses of Dre’Mont Jones and Nick Bosa. Young returns, as Smith and Harrison continue to develop during the offseason. Defensive Tackle is also deep with Landers returning and Vincent, Garrett and Togiai in tow, the look to get after opposing offenses by consistently harassing and disrupting opposing offenses.
The Linebackers also get a boost with a simplified defense that will allow them to fly around the field and make plays. DB’s get a boost as well being taught to look back for the ball, which was part of the problem last year as they look to turn it around. Playing faster will help the defense a lot and I cannot wait to see them dominate with the new scheme because the defense over the last couple of years has been so frustrating, but I believe it will revert back to the Silver Bullet standards over the next couple of seasons.
Special Teams:
I think with Haubeil and Chrisman at the forefront, the Buckeyes have game changers at their disposal. The returner positions and gunners need to be identified and with recent struggles with fielding kicks, I hope they find sure-handed players that won’t make mistakes. Either way, Special Teams is in good hands.
Wow, it lives! Welcome back MOTSAG.
Haha, it is great to be alive once again Tom! If I stayed away for too long, I apologize. Being active duty is tough on my writing schedule, but I will try to be better with it. Thank you for being awesome lol.