So we are on to week two of the Ohio State Buckeyes 2011 and after a nearly perfect game (I am glaring at you Drew Basil and you, too, Rod Smith) the previous week against Akron, will OSU keep building on momentum or will they falter a little bit and get in a tight game? OSU proved they can and will put a world class defense on the field no matter how many players they lose for whatever reasons. Giving up zero points and 90 yards of total offense with five sacks and one interception they were flawless. The Buckeyes on offense were efficient and balanced. On special teams we were good on coverage and returns but Drew Basil missed both his field goal attempts and didn’t kick the KO’s deep enough for my liking.

Toledo, on the other hand, had a huge game against powerhouse New Hampshire. (Just kidding.) Toledo won their first game of the season 58-22 on a balanced attack of passing 304 yards and 5 TD’s to go with 287 yards rushing and 2 TD’s. The Rockets seem to want to use the 2-QB system this year since both QB’s played a lot last year. Expect a healthy dose of Austin Dantin a 6’2″ 200lb Junior from Tallahassee, Florida who completed 15 of 21 passes for 161 yards and 3 TD’s. We will also see Terrance Owens, a 6’4″ 180lb Sophomore from Cleveland who completed 10 of 13 for 122 yards and 2 TD’s.

The WR corp is led by Bernard Reedy a 5’9″ 175lb Soph. from Florida who had 5 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD’s and Eric Page a 5’10” 180lb Jr. from Toledo who added 5 catches for 60 yards and a TD.

The running game is strong and anchored by a strong offensive line. RB Adonis Thomas is a do-it-all 5’10” 185lb Sr. from Newark, NJ and he had 9 carries for 115 yards and 1 TD and added 4 catches for 26 yards. On defense Toledo didn’t impress much giving up over 300 yards and 22 points to a 1AA New Hampshire squad.

Ohio State will need to build on the previous weeks positives and fix some of their issues. Luckily OSU gets back 4 of the 8 Buckeyes suspended for part of this season. Starting RB Jordan Hall is back as well as our best cornerback, Travis Howard. Backups DB Corey “Pitt” Brown and LB Jordan Whiting are all back from 1 game suspensions for taking illegal benefits. We will also get back injured RB Jamaal Berry as well which will give OSU 2 more experienced RB’s to run behind the impressive OL. Ohio State needs to take this game serious as these other Ohio teams always come to the ‘Shoe with dreams of knocking off the school that didn’t want them. This is not the week to be looking past Toledo in anticipation of next weeks big game against Miami. Let’s hope that the Buckeyes are preparing and getting ready for a battle and keeps building on last weeks near perfection and continues to try to SHOCK THE WORLD and SILENCE THE DOUBTERS.

This weeks questions will be easier and fewer I promise :).

1.) How many TD’s will Stoneburner have?
2.) How many sacks will OSU Def have?
3.) Will OSU pitch another shutout?
4.) What will be the final score?

It is September 3rd, 2011 12:05 PM and you are on the field getting ready to either kickoff or receive the kick and you look down at the other end and you see the 2011 Akron Zips special teams. What goes through you mind? If you read any of the previews on the Zips you probably aren’t shaking in your cleats. More than likely, your blood is boiling and your mouth is watering. You see fear and undersized and under-talented competition looking back at you. You think about every word that was written about you and your brethren over the last nine months and you are seething. You remember how people dismissed you as a team and how some of your brothers are sitting or, worse, gone from the team. You look for that familiar father figure that has always been there on the sideline to comfort and support and yell and coach you but he is gone. You have been working out and practicing hard for weeks or months waiting all you want to do is hit someone and hit them as hard as you can. You are trying to live up to your teams motto: SHOCK THE WORLD. This opponent and this game won’t do that, exactly, but it is the stepping stone to the season. A season in which you will shut up the doubters and the haters and, well, you will Shock the World.

The 2010 Akron Zips were 1-11 and ranked over 100th in every possible statistical category in FBS football. Mind you the FBS only has 119 teams. Akron is returning seven defensive starters and six offensive starters. They have a few transfers coming in including a WR named A. J. Price from Penn St. and a QB named Clayton Moore from Ole Miss. They return their QB from last year, Patrick Nicely, but most expect Moore to compete for playing time early. The OL has two new starters in Paul Simkovich and Adam Bice. The running backs should be Jawon Chisolm and Broderick Alexander who is returning from an achilles heel injury. The WRs are tall and athletic and will be led by A. J. Price. Did I mention in 2010 Akron was ranked 119th in total offense out of 119 teams YIKES. They have to improve right?

The defense wasn’t much better if not worse then the offense last year. Akron scored 187 points in 2010 and gave up a whopping 421 points. They do return seven starters but the question is can the added experience make them any better? Akron has no real strengths on defense they do have a couple of JUCO transfers but honestly there isn’t much to discuss about their defense.

What should we expect from OSU? You should expect to see the 1st team out there for about one quarter each half. You should expect to see OSU play as many players as they can. You can expect to see a team determined to prove themselves to the doubters and haters. You can expect New head coach Luke Fickell to play it close to the “vest” so to say. I seriously doubt he will let his team loose on a team so undeserving of a butt whooping. The real question is can Akron do anything to slow down this team in any way and find a way to move the ball on offense?

So now we get to the fun part, the questions for everyone to answer.

Will OSU score over or under 50 points?
How many turnovers will OSU take away and lose?
Who will be the leading rusher and how many yards?
Who will throw the most passing TDs?
How many points will Akron score?
How many times will the announcers of the game mention Tattoo or Scandal?
Finally, How many times will they accidentally call Coach Fickell …. Coach Tressel?

During the Tressel era, most seasons began without the dreaded quarterback controversy that some schools seem to get into on an annual basis. While there have been a few instances of in-season shuffling due to injury or performance concerns, we have almost always had either a phenomenal returning starter (Krenzel, Smith, Pryor) or have known which youngster/patient elder is going to get first crack at the job (Zwick, Boeckman). And if this were still the Tressel era, Joe Bauserman would be the starting QB until the first loss.

But Coach Fickell is in a position that Tressel never was: he absolutely must win a significant number of games to keep this job–his dream job. That doesn’t necessarily mean Bauserman is not the answer, but his history of poor decisions in live game action and his career average of four feet per carry do not inspire excitement among the fanbase, who upon Pryor’s departure, immediately split into two distinct camps: Anybody But Bauserman and Don’t Know/Did Not Respond.

Fickell has already announced that both Bauserman and Braxton Miller will see time in the opener and that Bauserman will take the first snap. It’s probably too much to hope for that Miller takes the second snap and every snap thereafter, but at least we can rest assured that if Miller blows Bauserman out of the water performance-wise, he will be the man going forward.

Personally, I prefer a single quarterback system because I believe that continuity is one of the key intangibles to a successful football team. I don’t mind watching Bauserman and Miller battle it out against an Akron team that gives being terrible a bad name. If it carries over against a slight step up in competition when Toledo comes to town, I can deal with that, too. But if we’re heading down to Miami with an “OR” on the depth chart, I’ll start getting a little nervous.

That’s not to say that a two-quarterback system can’t work. The way that Urban Meyer (and, notably, new WR coach Stan Drayton) used Chris Leak and Tim Tebow was successful, but may not be applicable here as Tebow in that structure was essentially a fullback who could jump-shoot a TD pass if he had to. But for Ohio State, recent experiments with the dual-QB concept have been frustratingly unnecessary (Stan Jackson/Joe Germaine) or downright disastrous (Todd Boeckman/Terrelle Pryor @ USC).

If I was Coach Fickell, I would probably just start Miller from the get-go. I would have likely named him the starter as soon as I got off the phone from accepting the head coaching position (after chugging two beers simultaneously and crushing the cans on my head, of course). As it is, I feel like Miller is going to earn the job at some point in the season. The sooner the better.

If I was Coach Fickell, the first thing I would do is wrestle Jim Bollman to the ground in 1.3 seconds, choke him with one hand (the other would be high-fiving bro Mike Vrabel) until he’s as purple as Prince’s wardrobe. As pleas for mercy sputter from his cold lips, I laugh and force him to scrawl a jittery, childish signature on a conveniently-prepared resignation letter while I hover over him asking repeatedly if he wants some more of this.

Then, I would make the easiest decision of my life: Pick a starting running back to fill in for Boom Herron for five weeks.

The truth is, the talent at the position is so deep that Fickell could let the Iowa Republican party choose a starter by straw poll and it would probably work out (Ron Paul just keeps those legs churning).

But anyway, since I have to choose, here’s my depth chart, subject to change at any minute:

1A) Jordan Hall

Despite talk of a move to wide receiver, Jordan Hall is still getting plenty of reps in the backfield in practice. There is also a growing sense that the young receiving corps is catching on well. I think this points more to a motion-out role for Hall in the passing game than a full-fledged WR spot, although I do expect him to be involved in five-wide sets. Hall’s versatility (he threw a TD pass to Pryor against EMU last year) and solid running (4.9 yards a carry in 2009-2010) gets him the nod, as this offense will need to be a little more creative than usual in the early games.

1B) Carlos Hyde

I originally had Hyde pegged as a power back who would come in to convert short-yardage situations, but with Jaamal Berry still battling injuries, I have to question his reliability. Hyde has some minimal game experience, putting up 5.9 yards a carry in six games last season and is a punishing runner with a little more athleticism than one generally expects from power backs. There has been some buzz around him in fall camp, and I think he may be ready to break out.

2A) Jaamal Berry

I like Berry, but I’m afraid he’s going to be one of those guys who’s always hurt. His primary contribution to this team will continue to be on kick returns, although he may play a role in the passing game similar to Hall.

2B) Rod Smith

If Berry were healthy, Smith would probably be a solid #3. Still, he has drawn comparisons to the great Eddie George from some observers, and that alone intrigues me. I think he’ll get most of his opportunities in garbage time, but I also think he’ll make the most of them, setting himself up for a shot at the starting job next fall.

Post-Suspension

Eventually we’ll get to the Nebraska game and the return of Boom. Coach Fickell has made it clear that the suspended players will need to earn their spots back, but I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for Boom. Like Antonio Pittman before him, Herron became a dark-horse 1000-yarder last season and ripped off an awesome 89-yarder against Michigan that would have been even longer if not for one of the worst holding calls ever. I do think the carries will still be spread out a little, but Boom will get the bulk of them for the remainder of the season.

Today we are going to take a look at one of Ohio State’s real strengths: the tight ends. Recent history has shown that OSU doesn’t use the tight end in the passing game very much. They’re glorified skinny tackles, an extra blocker for the offensive line. We haven’t had this much talent at tight end in recent history either, though. Not since Ben Hartsock have we had as talented a tight end as we do with our starters. On top of that, OSU has a stable of capable backups to go with the starters that, in, previous years would have easily started and thrived if OSU used the tight end as an offensive weapon. So lets get this started and talk about the two starters and hit the talking points about the backups.

Tight End #1 – This first guy is an absolute stud. He has the ability of a wide receiver but the body of a tight end and he has improved his strength and blocking. Jake Stoneburner is a 6′ 5″ 245 pound redshirt junior out of Dublin Coffman. He has size and speed. Jake has shown flashes of greatness but has been under utilized immensely in his career. Word out of camp this year is that it is about to change dramatically. Coach Fickell has said that he expects to use the tight end in the passing game more and that Jake will line up occasionally as a wide receiver to give his quarterback a bigger target and allow him to use his size and strength to over power smaller defensive backs or take advantage of slower linebackers if the defense doesn’t realize what’s going on. Overall, Jake has a chance to be great if he is just given the right system to flourish in.

Tight End #2 – Size, size, size. That is what I see in the #2 tight end this year. Reid Fragel is 6′ 8″ 280 pound true junior out of Michigan. Reid had a fairly successful year in 2010 even as the backup tight end in a system that doesn’t give the tight end a chance to shine very often. Reid is mostly known for his power and blocking but he is a sure handed pass catcher and has proven to be a valuable asset. Given that Coach Fickell wants to use the tight end more he should see his productivity increase in 2011.

The above listed tight ends are very capable players and should shine this coming season. If for any reason though they falter or get injured the backups will fill their shoes and step right into their spots. OSU has gotten a talented group of tight ends and the guys I am about to list are ready to earn their playing time.

Jeff Heuerman – Is a 6′ 5″ 240 pound true freshman out of Florida. He was a highly touted recruit and is very good at pass catching and blocking. As a side note, his dad played basketball at, of all places, Michigan, so score this one a victory for OSU.

Kyle Schuck is a 6′ 1″ 225 pound redshirt freshman walk-on tight end from Pennsylvania who may get a chance on special teams this year.

Spencer Smith is a 6′ 2″ 236 pound fifth year senior from Cincinnati whose brother, Connor, was an offensive lineman for the Buckeyes. He is a capable blocker and finds a place on special teams.

Nick Vannett is a 6′ 6″ 235 pound true freshman tight end from Westerville. He is the highest ranked tight end recruit OSU has had in a long time and has the skills to produce early and often. He is a polished receiver and blocker already and should have a great career that will start early.

If Coach Fickell learned anything from Coach Tressel, it is that special teams is just as important as offense and defense and the the punt is the most important play in football. So today we will continue our series with the special teams players.

Kicker – This is a fairly easy call to make — Drew Basil is our kicker. (It should be noted that punter Ben Buchanan wants to be considered for place kicker.) Drew is a 6′ 1″ 212 pound true sophomore kicker from Chillicothe. Last year, as a freshman, he handled the long field goal attempts and kickoffs. He is looking to become the full time place kicker and field goal specialist this year. It is his job to lose.

Punter – Ben Buchanan became the full time punter last year and that won’t change. Ben is 6′ 0″ 180 pound redshirt junior from Westerville. Last year he had a 41.0 yards per punt punting average and he had 15 punts inside the 20 yard line. He wants to be a punter and place kicker and will try his best to beat Drew Basil in camp for the spot.

Kick Returner #1 – Jordan Hall is a 5′ 9″ 195 pound running back from Jeanette, PA. Jordan is a dangerous return guy. He was second in the B1G last year in punt return yard avg. He was 16th in the country in K/O return yard avg. He scored on a 85 yard K/O return against Michigan and had a 70 yard punt return against Minnesota. He has the speed and elusiveness to break one every time he touches the ball. He just needs to read his blocks a little better. I expect a big year from him this year as the punt returner and kick off returner.

Kick Returner #2 – Jaamal Berry is a 5’10” 200 pound running back redshirt sophomore from Florida. Last year as the “other” kick off return specialist he managed to be 40th in the nation in KO yard avg. He is more of a straight up the middle kind of runner but his speed is second to none. If he gets a lane he will bust one for sure. I expect him to be just as solid as last year if he doesn’t win the early starting running back job, look for him to make waves in the kick return game.

Punt Returner – I fully expect that if Jordan Hall isn’t the starting running back to start the season that he will most likely have this job as well. If, though, they need a guy to take over this spot I would start someone with speed and elusiveness. I suggest that player should be Devin Smith, a 6′ 3″ 190 pound freshman wide receiver from Massillon. His speed and shiftiness allow him to be the perfect punt return guy. Being a wide receiver, his hands should be golden and help OSU keep the ball for the offense. Word out of camp is he catches everything thrown his way and some he had shouldn’t have even been possible to catch. He has the hype so now it is time for him to prove his worth.

Long Snapper – In honor of el Kaiser and his storied history as a world class long snapper at The North Royalton High School [GO BEARS! -ed] I will add a long snapper to this post. After all, Ohio State did use a scholarship this year on a long snapper specialist. Bryce Haynes is a 6′ 4″ 185 pound true freshman long snapper from Georgia. He won lots of national awards for long snapper this off-season and expected to play right away at a position that is under-valued. If for some reason he doesn’t pan out, though, no worries — OSU has three long snappers on the roster. Not sure anyone else in the world can say that.

Last year Ohio State had some serious issues in special teams play and a lot of that, in my opinion, is due to the fact that OSU doesn’t have a special teams coach. I don’t understand how or why we don’t have one but we didn’t so the duties were shared by all the coaches on staff. I really felt like they needed to hire a good special teams coach as soon as possible. Ohio State has too much money not to have one, in my opinion. Thankfully Coach Fickell decided to give those duties to Coach Tressel — Dick Tressel that is. It would have been good to hire someone to handle these duties alone but Coach Tressel will handle it as well as his running backs coach duties this year. The other issue was inexperience and that OSU doesn’t use a lot of starters to help on coverage teams. I hope we see a lot of improvements in this area as everyone is more experienced and should handle the pressure better.

Continuing in our series of who we would start if we were Coach Fickell, we now take a look at our Defensive Backs.

Ironically, when most people talk about the 2011 Ohio State team they like to say that this group is going to be our biggest weakness because of players graduating and lack of experience. When I look back to 2010 season (yes it really happened no matter what anyone else says) OSU suffered a lot of injuries in the defensive back field and a lot of players got to see significant time because of it. The young backs got valuable experience against strong competition. To me, when I look at the defensive backs we have on the roster, I see this as a true strength. I had a hard time picking my starters and fully expect to see a lot of guys used this year as all of them capable of being studs.

So lets do this thing.

Cornerback – This first cornerback spot is an overwhelmingly obvious choice for me. Travis Howard is a straight up BEAST. The 6’1″ 190 pound redshirt junior out of Miami has the experience and has had the former players he learned from to become the next great CB at OSU. He is a huge hitter and his speed is top notch. His football intelligence is off the chart. He will be the anchor and leader of our defensive backs and he will probably have the least amount of balls thrown his way because of all these things so his numbers wont be huge but his impact on the team is immeasurable.

Cornerback – This second cornerback I had more trouble deciding on but if I was Coach Fickell I would want the best athletes and players on the field no matter the experience. This is a make or break year for Coach Fickell so he is able to take more chances then normally would be acceptable at OSU. Having said that, Ohio State recruited and landed what many believe is the best cornerback in the nation last year in high school. Doran Grant is a 5’11” 180 pound true freshman out of Akron. He was a star cornerback, wide receiver, and kick returner in high school as well as a state champion in track and field in the 110m and 60m hurdles. Oh, and he was also an outstanding basketball player. He is an athlete in the truest sense of the word. He has the talent on paper to be an All-American someday and why not put the best player on the field and put him in a position to succeed. Is he the safest choice? Probably not. He could have troubles at first but given playing time and surrounding him with upperclassmen I think he will become great.

Strong Safety – Orhian Johnson won this spot last year but was injured early on and lost the spot to CJ Barnett before CJ got hurt as well and then the revolving door of safeties began. Orhian is a born leader and a big time hitter. He will throw around his body at guys twice his size and come away the victor more often then not. This was an easy choice as Orhian was selected by Coach Fickell to attend the B1G media days this year which is reserved for the leaders of the team. Orhian is a 6’2″ 205 pound redshirt junior safety From Florida who hits like a Mack Truck but runs like a Ferrari. This spot is his and if he stays healthy he will fill the needs OSU is lacking after losing seniors last year to the NFL.

Free Safety – To me, this is a simple choice. When Orhian Johnson got hurt CJ Barnett stepped in a performed nicely in his place. CJ is a 6’0″ 190 pound junior out of Dayton, Ohio. He is a strong hitter and has cornerback speed and size. I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays some cornerback this year if needed but he has to be on the field. He proved himself last year and is looking to have a breakout season this year if he can stay healthy. I almost picked Christian Bryant for this slot but I have other plans for him coming up.

Nickel Package – Christian Bryant is the man for when we go to five true defensive backs. The 5’9″ 190 pound true sophomore out Cleveland Glenville saw a lot of action last year before getting injured as well. He managed to make the All B1G Freshman Team despite not playing the entire year. His size is underwhelming for a safety but he makes up for it in toughness and skill. I think he could play cornerback or safety and he even played some STAR last year when Tyler Moeller got injured. The coaches love his work ethic and his toughness. He could and may start this year at a number of different positions and if someone gets injured he could easily step right in and we wouldn’t lose a step.

Dime Package – When (and it isn’t very often but when) we do go to six defensive backs we need a guy who can play his spot and not blow his assignment. Nate Oliver is a 6’0″ 215 pound fifth year senior out of Cleveland. He is a guy who has paid his dues but has had the unfortunate case of always having better players ahead of him. He has ability and as a fifth year senior he should know his assignments by now and could fill in nicely where ever it is needed.

The guys listed above here are the six best defensive backs on the team in my opinion and all should see plenty of time. That isn’t to say there aren’t even more guys who could and probably will see plenty of playing time. Luckily for OSU they don’t have a single defensive back who is suspended or transferred out of the program. Here is a list of backups and potential replacement starters if injury or bad production dictate they are needed.

Dionte Allen is a transfer player from Florida State where he was injured but was a five-star recruit. He is 5’11” 185 pound cornerback. He is a wild card since we don’t know much about him except on paper. He could be amazing.

Corey Brown is a 6’1″ 189 pound redshirt sophomore from Pittsburgh.

Jeremy Cash is a true freshman free safety who may redshirt this year.

Dominic Clarke is a true sophomore who played well on special teams last year and could see time at cornerback this year.

Zach Domicone is a junior safety who plays on special teams mostly.

Nate Ebner is a Rugby star trying to convert to football as a safety. I am sure he is a huge hitter.

Donnie Evege is a fifth year Senior who is best known for his beautiful hair.

DerJuan Gambrell is a true freshman I think he will redshirt this year but you never know with depth issues.

Adam Griffin has the genes as the son of Archie Griffin but can he produce at this high of a level?

Vincent Petrella is a redshirt junior safety who plays on special teams.

Taylor Rice redshirt junior special teams player looking to turn the corner.

Bradley Roby a redshirt freshman who has lots of ability and just needs playing time.

Ron Tanner extremely talented true freshman free safety who should see plenty of playing time.

Jaime Wood is a redshirt sophomore who saw plenty of action last year and that wont change this year.

As el Kaiser mentioned earlier, we are going to breakdown the positional battles and players in a series of posts of what we would do if we were Coach Fickell. We’ll look at all the potential starters, their back ups and all the information we can provide.

In this post I am going to take a look at the Linebackers and who I think should start and who will see significant playing time as a backup. I will also break down the linebackers who have left the program or who are suspended for any length of time and how they will impact on the 2011 season.

Mike (Middle LB) – This one is a tough one. The player who plays here will have to replace the leadership and ability of Brian Rolle and live up to the legacy of a host of amazing linebackers that have played at OSU over the last 100 years. The obvious choice is to just move Storm Klein here, up from his backup spot from a year ago. I do really like Storm Klein and he has one of those awesome names that should be a starting football player at OSU. Having said that, though, the player who plays here needs to be able to drop in coverage and cover tight ends as well as rush the quarterback or stop the run. The MIKE is usually the field general telling players where to go and what plays the coach is calling for. Above everything, though, you need your best player at all of these things here. If I was Coach Fickell, I would move Andrew Sweat to the MIKE and start him in game one against Akron. Andrew is a Senior and a tenacious hitter and has the size and speed to be successful but if he has any glaring weakness in his new position it will be easy enough to move him back to his WILL LB spot he has been in his first three years at OSU.

SAM (Strong Side LB) – This linebacker spot, despite its name, is actually for our least experienced linebacker as it is on the strong side of the defense and has backup from the defensive line and defensive backs. This spot, to me, is made for a player like Curtis Grant, a five-star true freshman linebacker from Virginia who is making waves since he landed at OSU as the next great linebacker. He was rated the #1 LB in high school by many different publications. He has size, speed, and strength that is unheard of in freshman players. He has impressed both the seniors and coaches alike who have raved about him passing the eye test. This defense needs players like him on the field so I am going to start Curtis Grant at the SAM this year.

WILL (Weak Side LB) – This spot needs to go to a player who can line up at the end of the defensive line (on either side of the ball) and rush the quarterback or stuff the run. The player who starts here should be able to get things done with little or no help and make plays in the open field. For all these reasons it is time for Etienne Sabino to finally step up and prove he is the player OSU recruited so heavily. He redshirted last year so he is at his best physically and mentally. He has the size and speed and smarts to do well here and should get plenty of chances to prove his worth.

STAR (Hybrid DB/LB) – This is our hybrid player position who can play both as a defensive back and a line backer on every play they are in. They might rush the quarter back, play the run, or drop in coverage against a wide receiver in multi-WR sets. This is the perfect place for a player like Tyler Moeller. Tyler is a 6th year senior who has had a roller coaster ride of a career at OSU having been a star and injured on and off the field all the while becoming the fan favorite player and person he is. He is a natural leader and he has the ability to do everything on a football field. No one is tougher or a bigger hitter for the Silver Bullets. His heart is bigger then the whole state of Michigan. This is his year to stay healthy and succeed as the player we all know he can be.

Backups – OSU has taken a big hit with Seniors leaving the team from last year in Ross Homan and Brian Rolle. On top of that, stud recruit Ejuan Price left the team shortly after signing his Letter of Intent. Jordan Whiting is serving a one game suspension for his roll in the Tattoo scandal. Dorian Bell has transferred to Duquesne. All of this has left us pretty thin at LB but we do have some good back ups still who will see significant playing time this year.

Dan Bain is a senior LB who has not seen the field play as of today.

Connor Crowell is currently injured but is a highly touted true freshman linebacker who may see time on special teams before earning time as a linebacker.

James Hastings is a redshirt sophomore who also has never seen the field as of today.

Tony Jackson is a senior linebacker who has been a stud special teams player.

Storm Klein is our most experienced and talented backup linebacker and will see lots of action on defense this year and may even be a starter before it is all said and done.

Scott McVey is a redshirt freshman who will see the field this year on special teams for sure.

Ryan Shazier is a true freshman linebacker who, in addition to McVey, is highly touted and expected to get a chance to play early and often.

Jordan Whiting is suspended first game but may make waves after that for sure with such thinness at the linebacker position.