Continuing in our series of who we would start if we were Coach Fickell, we now take a look at the Wide Receiver corps.

Where to start…

Well, this probably the youngest and most inexperienced group of wide receivers that I can remember in my time watching the Buckeyes.  This doesn’t mean that there isnt talent available, but the proven commodity of DeVier Posey wont be eligible (Thanks Tats!!!) until Game 6 of the season.   Let’s take a look at who we think should be starting in the wideout positions, as well as the slot receiver position where Buckeye legends are made.

Let’s get this party started!

After most of the autumn practices, there are really one 3-4 wide receiver candidates that seem to be likely contributors until Posey gets back in the fold.  These players are listed in no particular order, as they will all likely play until there are a few guys that step up into the full-time starter role, but the guys in bold are most likely to be the starters for Akron.  It should be pretty exciting and scary for Buckeye fans, as we haven’t seen an open competition like this at the WR position in many years.

Corey “Philly” Brown (Flanker)- After a “peaks and valleys” freshman year, Philly should be ready to have a breakout year.  Him and Chris Fields are the only returning wide receiver candidates with any real experience under their belts.  Brown had a nice freshman year catching eight passes for 105 yards with a single touchdown.  The disappointing side of Philly’s freshman year were some of the drops on long passes that could have been huge plays for the freshman and the team.  A little on the small side for a wide receiver (5-11; 182lb), he will continue to depend on his speed and athleticism to break down defenses for the big play.  If the team can get him the ball on the fly or in space, he should be able to bring mucho attention to his side of the field and open up the rest of the field.  Two true freshman are also waiting in the wings for their chance to make a mark in this position.  Devin Smith (6-3, 190, Fr.) and Evan Spencer (6-1, 190, Fr.) will definitely see the field for the Buckeyes this season at any of the three WR positions.

Verlon Reed (Split-End)- Probably the biggest surprise of the spring and fall has been the emergence of the redshirt freshman.  With Posey sitting on the sideline, the Buckeyes were looking for someone to step up and stake a claim at the split-end spot on the field.  Verlon has not disappointed in practices and the coaching staff are expecting big things from him in the fall.  It will be interesting to see if he translate the great practice play into an similar game performance or if he will turn into the greatest practice players evah (ala Barn Childress & Taurian Washington).  At 6-0 and 195lb, he should be able to to handle the physical nature of the Big Tweleven.  Nipping at his heels, if the performances aren’t up to par, should be Ty Williams (got to fix those drops son).  There is definitely a lack of quality depth at this position between suspension (Dammit DeVier!), transfers (Fred Jackson), and overall dumb people (Hello Carter!  Alabama JC awaits your education patronage).  Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, here and the OL position is where the lack of depth rears its ugly head.

Chris Fields (Slot)- Another player with experience from last season, Chris gets the opportunity to become another in the long line of exceptional Buckeye slot receivers.   It has been a pretty quiet fall camp for Chris, which is a good thing.  He will need to be a consistent performer in the slot position to provide a necessary safety outlet for the inexperienced quarterbacks that will start the season for the Buckeyes.  We expect a big year from Chris and he will definitely be a playmaker in the slot for the Buckeyes if Philly Brown cant open up his side of the field with his speed and quickness.  We will probably also see Jordan Hall in this position, as he is becoming a jack-of-all-trades for the Buckeyes taking snaps at running back and wide receiver.  Hell, he would probably punt, if the Buckeyes needed him.  Jake Stoneburner and the two freshman (Spencer/Smith) will also see time in the slot on certain packages/formations.

At the end of the day, the Wide Receiver position will most likely not be settled until this young corps has a few games under its belt.  You could probably put all of the names of these guys into a hat and draw a starting WR lineup that would rival a good amount of the teams in the conference.  Now they have to prove it…game on boys…game on.

Another ICYMI is back, after taking an EXTENDED vacation. And now it doesn’t even know where to start. This room is spinning and I’m feeling dizzy.

Let’s start from the top.

WE DON’T CARE ‘BOUT NOTHING BUT THIS U: I’m guessing you’ve already read it but we’ll link it anyway. It’s Yahoo! Sports promised “10/10” story about a college football program and it’s the about U. There’s no point in highlighting any one paragraph. Each one is brimming with so much juice that to single one out would diminish the others. Just read the whole thing.

DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER: Andy Staples seems to one of the few national sports writers that doesn’t seem to have it out for Ohio State, so his piece after the NCAA hearings this past Friday is a must read. It includes possibly the saddest sentence you’ll read this year as an OSU fan:

Tressel left alone, because he is no longer a part of The Ohio State University’s football program.

(Don’t mind me, it got a little dusty in here).

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL, FOLKS!: If it was just the Ohio State and Miami “scandals” (which I will use real quotes and think “air quoutes” in my head because grouping the two situations is laughable) this off season, it would have been plenty. Not so this year. This has been the busiest summer in college football for a long time. We’ve got LSU and West Virginia in trouble . We’ve got more rumblings of conference realignment with Texas A&M flirting with the SEC again. Then you’ve got all the hilarious happenings at ESPN: Bruce Feldman and Mike Leach write a book,Craig James still has a job, the Longhorn Network had plans to broadcast High School football games (violating NCAA rules) and it looks like they don’t even have anyone to carry the network, and of course suing Ohio State for more email. ESPN is a mockery of itself.

WHERE ARE WE GOING, AND WHY ARE WE IN THIS HANDBASKET?: And that’s all leading up to my belief that college athletics in general and football in particular are headed for either Armageddon or gigantic changes. We can’t keep going at this pace.

Cheating In College Athletics And The Prisoner’s Dilemma

Human behavior is altered depending upon stimuli presented to us. In a vacuum, perhaps our college athletic programs and the people running them would make better decisions that embody the spirit of fair play.

But as long as the financial inducements are what they are, the guiding principles of the Prisoner’s Dilemma dictate that missteps and misdeeds will abound.

Can’t argue with that.

MISC: Some quick links – If Google+ is your jam, don’t forget to circle us. Ejuan Price looks like he’s happier at Pitt. Cleveland Browns visited by Jim Tressel and Lloyd Carr. No word on whether they turned in resumes or not. Also no word if Tressel gave Carr another wedgie, “just for old time’s sake.” And finally, from the Browns/Packers preseason game:

Buckeye till I die!