As a person who really enjoys the recruiting process and all the drama it produces, the one thing I have always found most difficult to pin down is how big any year’s class can be. If you ask any recruiting expert how big or small any school’s class size will be they will generally give you a range and not a number. How hard can it be to see how many players are on scholarship and how many graduating seniors there are? Therein lies the problem: between players leaving or getting kicked off the team and players jumping early to the NFL and figuring in red shirt years it seems that the math is just too difficult to compute for seemingly smart human beings. So I have set out on a conquest to figure out just how big the Buckeyes 2013 class will be so we can figure out exactly who we will be taking. This is a scientific experiment and as such will have a +/- but I hope to try and get us the most accurate number possible.

So lets do some math (bear with me as I had to take Algebra 3 times in high school due to horrific math skills):

• OSU is allowed to have 82 players on scholarship for 2013. (Thanks a lot NCAA)
• OSU finished 2012 with 81 players on scholarship. (Thanks a lot Stefon Diggs)
• By my count there are 18 Seniors on Scholarship.
• Storm Klein kicked off the team.
• Kenny Hayes leaves the team due to medical reasons.
• Adam Bellamy has been absent from team activities and was not in official team photo (OSU has NOT confirmed he has left the team but rumors are rampant).
• I can’t include any JRs who may leave OSU early for the NFL but I dont think we will have any either so I will assume zero will be the number for this experiment.

So here is where we currently sit: 1 + 18 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 22 players in the 2013 class. So far we have 16 members of the 2013 class. That leaves us with 6 spots left in the class. In my educated opinion that will include 2 linebackers, 2 wide receivers, 1 offensive lineman, and 1 defensive back.

Based on a collection of most of the recruiting experts that I read and listen too (even though they seem to be wrong more then right since Urban took over the team) I am going to make an educated guess as to who we fill up those 6 spots with. Based on the last 5-6 guys who joined the team though I am sure I will be dead wrong.

LINEBACKERS

1. Mike Mitchell is a 6’4″ 220 lbs LB from Plano Texas and is rated the 121st best player in the nation by ESPN. Mitchell broke the SPARQ record this summer and is an off the charts athlete he said he plans to visit OSU before he makes his decision.

2a. Daniel McMillian is a 6’2″ 220 lbs LB from Jacksonville, Florida and is rated the 43rd best player in the nation by ESPN. He is currently committed to Florida but has announced he will visit OSU soon and if he gets on campus anything can happen.

2b. Tyquan Lewis is a 6’3″ 225 lbs DE/LB hybrid player rated a 3 star by ESPN. Honestly it seems like he has wanted to commit for a long time but for whatever reason just hasn’t pulled the trigger. He is starting to feel a lot like fellow North Carolina natives Lewis Neal and Josh McNeil who were both heavy OSU leans or commits who were just waiting for SEC offers to flee. OSU is just getting their foothold in NC and a lot of players down there still want to go to SEC/ACC schools.

WIDE RECIEVERS

1. Shelton Gibson is a 5’11” 173 lbs WR from Cleveland, Ohio and is rated as the 196th best player in the nation according to ESPN. Honestly I just don’t know why he hasn’t committed yet. He is as heavy of a lean as you can get.

2a. James Quick is a 6’0″ 180 lbs WR from Louisville, Kentucky and is rated the 57th best player in the nation by ESPN. This one seems to be destined to play for Louisville but never doubt Coach Meyer.

2b. Devon Allen is a 6’0″ 187 lbs WR from Phoenix, Arizona who is a 3 star by ESPN. This one will probably come down to his hose state schools and OSU.

2c. Robert Foster is a 6’3″ 190 lbs WR from Monaca, PA and is rated the 23rd best player by ESPN. This guy has been up and down on his love for OSU but is currently up so who knows.

2d. Tony Stevens is a 6’4″ 184 lbs WR from Orlando, Florida and is rated the 173rd best player in the nation by ESPN. He is currently committed to Florida St. but also has said he will visit OSU and loves Urban Meyer. If he gets to campus look out.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

1. Donovan Munger is a 6’3″ 280 lbs DL/OL from Shaker Heights, Ohio who is rated the 281st best player by ESPN. Munger is a DT prospect but projects as an OLman at OSU if he chooses to join the class. Honestly I think that may be the hold up with him.

2. Dorian Johnson is a 6’6″ 285 lbs OT from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania who is rated the 27th best player in the nation by ESPN. He was a PSU commit before they got destroyed by the NCAA. Recently he said it is down to Pitt and OSU. He fits what Urban wants in body style but I feel like he is more likely to end up at Pitt.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

1. Vonn Bell is a 6’0″ 190 lbs Safety from Rossville, Georgia and is rated the 60th best player in the nation by ESPN. Vonn is wanted by just about everyone in the country. It will be tough to get him to leave the south but in Urban we trust.

2. Christopher Worley is a 6’3″ 190 lbs Athlete from Cleveland, Ohio and is not rated by ESPN. Glenville Pipeline is all that needs to be said.

So those are the biggest candidates to fill those last six spots. It will be a slow race for sure as Coach Meyer doesnt seem in a hurry to finish off the class. If I had to guess right now on which six it would be. I would say Mike Mitchell would be the only LB. I think they go three wide receivers with Gibson, Stevens, and Foster. One offensive lineman and I think it will be Munger. One defensive back and I think they will hold a spot for Bell until signing day.

So there you have it folks I did the math for the size of the class and gave the names of possible recruits and finally named who I thought the final six would be. More likely then not I am completely wrong so don’t hold it against me if I am after all I am just a fan and not an expert.

What do you think? How many will we have in this class and who will fill out the class in your opinion?

In case you missed it is Men of the Scarlet and Gray’s semi-regular look at items that would interest the casual and seriously hard core Ohio State fan, be they news items, interesting blog posts or funny cat memes. It’s all here and it’s all for you.

Not directly related to Ohio State, but GQ has a few excerpts of Joe Posnanski’s (one of my top five favorite sports writers) upcoming book, Paterno.

“My name,” he told Jay, “I have spent my whole life trying to make that name mean something. And now it’s gone.”

He never said what he meant by “something.”

Glad you’re a Buckeye, bro: Two days into ESPN’s All-Access show featuring the Buckeyes and I’m pretty much ready to punch a horse for Urban Meyer and Mickey Marotti. Mrs. Kaiser doesn’t “get it” but I could pretty much watch a 24 hour TV channel of Urban Meyer. All Coach Urban, all the time.

And speaking of Maroitt, man, watching “Mick” lead these training drills I couldn’t help thinking: Is this a football camp or a North Korean military training exercise? Sheesh that guy has the troops in synch.

Luke over a Land Grant Holy Land has been doing recaps of the show and you can catch the episodes on YouTube here (until they get taken down, of course).

I mentioned this in the comments yesterday about Urban’s uses of tight ends in his offense, but Nick Vannett has been turning heads at practice.

“Nick Vannett is one of the most improved players,” Meyer said in the midst of answering an unrelated question pertaining to his quarterbacks. “He’s going to be right in the middle of this thing, and I didn’t see that at all in the spring. If you noticed, I didn’t even bring his name up because he really was not a very functional guy in the spring. I love giving credit where credit is due.”

In today’s feel-good story, check out the Dayton Daily News’ story about two former football players reunited after their sons became friends this year at camp. Small world.

That Dayton Daily News article also mentions Urban Meyer’s tradition of putting black stripes on freshmen helmets. Started as a way to eliminate freshman hazing (going all the way back to Bowling Green State University in 2001) it has transformed into a rite of passage:

“The symbolism of it is defining them as a freshman,” said junior center Corey Linsley, whose little brother is freshman lineman Joey O’Connor. “When they become a grown man, as we’re always talking about, that’s when there will be kind of a ceremony in which the stripe is removed.”

(Now we just need some black stripes for these freshmen bloggers we’re bring on board)

Finally, a few quick hits from around the web: Black Shoe Diaries are doing their rundown of B1G recruiting classes. Here is there look at their take on Ohio State’s class. Paul over at Pre-snap Read is ranking 124 college football teams and he just hit Ohio State at #21. His list is a sight to behold. This should be symbolic of a few things, right? (oh, and don’t forget to vote on your favorite moment from the 2011 season in our Final Round of the Football Moment Bracket Challenge)

And finally, finally we’ve got “Why SEC Isn’t As Great In Football As You Think“. I actually hope the sportsMonkey goes into more depth on this article (he’s the one that sent me the link in the first place), but for now, just go read the whole thing.

This is another Guest Post from MotSaG reader and blogger hopeful Matthew “Porter” Coffman. We are allowing all those interested in blogging with us to submit an “audition” article or two to get used to the format and as a way for the rest of you MotSaG’ers to get to know them. This is Matt’s second submission.

GETTING OFFENSIVE: A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYE OFFENSIVE STAFF

Picking up with where we left off, we turn to the coaching staff that will do its best to make us forget that offensive gameplans such as this ever occurred.

In addition to bringing back the forward pass, the Buckeye offense will look to improve upon last year’s anemic production ranking 104 in total offense, 114 in passing yards, and 29 in rushing among the FBS schools. While the rushing production kept the relatively one dimensional offense moving, it won’t be difficult to improve all of the offensive statistics with a more balance, multifaceted attack.

Tom Herman

Molded with the ideals of Coach Meyer, Tom Herman will lead the Buckeye offense and will also be in charge of developing the quarterbacks here at Ohio State. In a previous stop at Rice University, Herman led the Owls to finish in the top ten nationally in passing offense, scoring offense, and total offense in 2008. In his two years with the Owls, Herman’s offenses broke over 40 school records. Then, in his most recent season at Iowa State, the Cyclones averaged nearly 390 yard per game under Herman’s direction.

Earlier this week, Coach Herman said that the Buckeye passing offense had improved on a scale of 1 to 10 from a 2 in the spring to a 4. Herman continued “lightyears, lightyears, lightyears, lightyears better. We actually can throw and catch a football.” He did, however, admit that the Buckeyes passing offense is “still not real good” but it is a “lot better” than at the end of the spring, crediting the work during the offseason for the improvement.

The progression has also been noted in the Buckeyes young signal caller, sophomore Braxton Miller, as Herman explained that “he’s a lot more mentally confident and you can see a little bounce in his step. He’s certainly still got a long ways to go, but you can tell he studied in the offseason and he’s worked with his wideouts in the offseason and that’s paid dividends here as we’ve started camp.”

And when asked to comment on how the offensive philosophy would change with the injury to Jordan Hall, Coach Herman explained, “There’s a misnomer that the spread [offense] has to be finesse.” He continued “we certainly pride ourselves in being able to run the ball downhill. We just happen to do it by incorporating the quarterback in the run game and a few other bells and whistles here and there. But the runs are the same as they were in 1965. So I don’t know that our running-game philosophy will change much. We will have to figure out ways to get the ball on the perimeter maybe a touch more. But that’s not that difficult to do as a staff.”

I know I am not the only one who thinks that it sounds like we have a staff who is able to get the best out of its players and get the ball in the hands of the playmakers.

Ed Warinner

Assisting Herman in his duties as Offensive Coordinator is Co-Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Ed Warinner, who will replace the creator of Walrusball who has taken his “talents” to the East Coast. Coach Warinner is the perfect complement to Herman’s spread attack through the air as he has helped coach four schools to lead the nation in rushing. In addition, in his two years at Notre Dame, not only did Warinner coach the team to its best per carry rushing averages since 2003, but his teams also only allowed 17 sacks this past season and 20 in 2010. Braxton Miller will be the first to welcome lower sack numbers as he was running for his life last year when the Buckeyes allowed 46 sacks.

While four of the starting five up front are clear in Jack Mewhort at left tackle, Andrew Norwell at left guard, Corey Linsley at center, and Marcus Hall at right guard, the starting right tackle job has been a competition between Reid Fragel moving over from TE and freshman Taylor Decker, who has been with the team since the spring. To date, Fragel has shown the ability to run block, but he has trouble with pass rushers on the outside, while Decker is still developing physically and trying to learn the offense.

“What a difference there is in this mentality of hitting it in there, being physical and attacking,” Warinner said when commenting on the offensive line’s development. “I like where we’re headed in that direction. Competing, wanting to win, not waiting around looking to see who else is going to make the block. Guys are having fun doing it.” (See also.)

Here’s to hoping that (i) we keep Braxton’s jersey clean; and (ii) we don’t have a second reincarnation of JB Falsestarts, with Warinner at the helm.

Stan Drayton

The only holdover from the previous staff on the offensive side of the ball is Coach Drayton. Drayton is a former Division III All-American running back from Allegheny College who has been hired as a member of Coach Meyer’s staffs on three occasions. In his second year at Ohio State, Drayton will be moving back to his natural position of coaching the running backs as he was tasked with coaching the wide receivers last season for the first time in his career.

In his move to the running backs, Drayton will be blessed with depth. With Jordan Hall likely out for at least the first couple weeks of the 2012 season, Carlos Hyde has been getting the bulk of the carries and is the starter as of right now with Smith, Dunn, and Ball fighting to be second on the depth chart.

Dunn has received the bulk of the carries with the second team and has been impressive. Dunn’s performance on the field is particularly good news for the Buckeyes as Dunn was a highly touted recruit who will only be receiving internal ramifications as the result of the drug charges that were recently dismissed.

Once Hall returns though, the backs are expected to shift down and the number three back may become “nonexistent” according to Herman.

Tim Hinton

Following Coach Warinner in his exodus from South Bend is Coach Tim Hinton who will be in charge of the tight ends and fullbacks, a position which will be replaced in the new offensive scheme by a H-back after the second Boren and Homan graduate at the end of the season.

In commenting on the hiring of Coach Hinton, Meyer said “he and I worked together on the Ohio State staff in 1986, but what I am most impressed with is his time spent as a high school coach in Ohio. He had some outstanding teams at Harding and his extensive experiences coaching in the state were crucial in my desire to want him on our staff.”

With taking over the tight ends and fullbacks, Hinton will be coaching experienced starters with young talent behind them. Jake Stoneburner has been a favorite of mine for some time (even though he may have a momentary lapse of stupidity) because he is a, for lack of a better word, freak. CBS Sports recently named Jake Stoneburner as the most important player for the Buckeyes this upcoming season and while I can’t say that I agree that Stoney will be the most important player to the outcome of the 2012 season, there is no doubt that he will be an integral part of the success of the Buckeyes in the passing game this season.

In addition to Stoneburner’s contribution to the Buckeye offense, a svelte Zach Boren is likely to be incorporated more into the offensive gameplan this season as well. On Boren being an option in Meyer’s offense, Urban said “it wasn’t when he was 260 pounds and doesn’t move real well. He’s an athlete, but I didn’t know that. I wanted to evaluate him during spring practice, and I did. He’s a guy that will touch the ball.”

We may also see some production from the young TEs on the roster, including Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman.

Zach Smith

The youngest member of the Buckeye coaching staff is Wide Receiver Coach Zach Smith. Smith is the grandson of former Buckeye Coach Earle Bruce and a walk-on at Bowling Green for Urban Meyer who followed Meyer to Florida, where he was a graduate assistant and quality control assistant.

Smith will be leading a young group of Buckeye receivers with a team high of 14 receptions last season. Needless to say Smith will have his work cut out for him. However, as alluded to by Coach Herman, the receivers have put in work over the summer which should pay dividends on the field this fall.

With the injury to Spencer on Friday, the door has potentially opened for Michael Thomas to show that he is the real deal and more than just a Spring Game phenom. Starting ahead of Thomas will be “Philly” Brown and Devin Smith who will always have a special place in my heart for pulling in this catch last year.

Ohio State fans may not be the only ones who see the light at the end of the tunnel with the arrival of a new coaching staff. While a dark horse to the race, let’s hope Philly stays in it for the season as that will more than likely correlate in a boost to the 2011 production.

All in all the Buckeye offense should not bear much of a resemblance to the last decade of conservatism. For a deeper look into Urban’s offensive philosophy, I recommend checking out this piece from the guys at 11W and also here with second part here.

Another year, another preview of two of the lamest named divisions in college football history. The Leaders Division of The Big Ten consists of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Two of these teams will not be eligible to play for The Big Ten title or a bowl game. Does Wisconsin run away with the division? Will a dark horse challenge The Fighting Brett Bielema’s? Will Penn State and Ohio State play with a chip on their shoulder and play spoiler?

The Top Dog:

The Badgers have all-everything tailback Montee Ball returning from his record setting 2011 season and another free agent QB in the fold. Danny O’Brien comes to Wisconsin via Maryland, home of the worst jerseys on Earth.

O’Brien is not nearly as good as Russell Wilson who lit it up for the Badgers last year. (You are now instructed to click on Russell Wilson’s name to see his wife reacting to him being drafted to the NFL)

O’Brien will be solid, but this team, as it always has been, is built around their massive offensive line and an outstanding running back. Montee Ball amassed over 2200 yards from scrimmage and 39 TDs. Truly video game type numbers (well, if you are playing vs. el Kaiser, who is horrible at NCAA Football 13 on the Xbox 360). Offensively The Badgers will be down, with the loss of Wilson and the key to their season will end up being O’Brien who will have big shoes to fill. If O’Brien can’t produce, watch for Joe Brennan to get the nod.

Defensively, Wisky will have some question marks on the defensive line and in the secondary but they are loaded at linebacker with Chris Borland and Mike Taylor.

Brett Bielema will have this team ready and they are definitely in the drivers seat in a watered down division hampered by NCAA sanctions. They could finish 3rd and make it to the conference title game. But I don’t see them taking a back seat to anyone in the division.

The Post Seasonly Challenged:

How do you overcome the loss of a tremendously successful head coach and an ugly bout with the NCAA and lingering sanctions? You go out and hire the best college football coach in the country. Nope, I’m not talking about Bill O’Brien. I’m of course talking about Urban Meyer.

Meyer will bring his proven track record to the Buckeyes and that includes the much publicized spread option offense. His offense typically thrives when he has a dynamic dual threat quarterback and he has one of those in Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Braxton Miller.

The Ohio State offense will be like nothing we have seen at OSU in maybe ever. It will be a high octane, high energy aggressive in your face assault. There will be weapons all over the field. Young wide receivers Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and Philly Brown. Running backs Carlos Hyde, Jordan Hall, and true freshman Bri’onte Dunn. Everyone is excited to see what Tight End Jake Stoneburner can do and there have been whispers that outstanding fullback Zach Boren will tote the rock as well. The offense will be a no huddle, hurry up style from the mold of the Oregon Ducks. The only difference will be that Ohio State will still play defense.

Speaking of defense, the Buckeyes are loaded this year once again. Last year they had a down year and are looking to bounce back. John Simon and Jonathon Hankins leads the defensive line, while the linebackers will be a group of very athletic players lead by playmaking sophomore Ryan Shazier. The defensive backfield with be lead by Bradley Roby. The safeties will hopefully bounce back from a down year.

This is a whole new world for Penn State. Gone is a vast majority of the old regime along with some key players including Silas Redd who is off to USC.. New to The Nittany Lions is head coach Bill O’Brien and a boatload of NCAA sanctions thanks to the Jerry Sandusky coverup.

Here is the running list of Penn State players that have transferred or decommitted:

Justin Brown – Oklahoma
Tim Buckley – NC State
Rob Bolden – LSU
Anthony Fera – Texas
Khairi Fortt – Cal
Kevin Haplea – FSU
Ryan Nowicki – Illinois
Jamil Pollard – Rutgers
Silas Redd- USC

Dorian Johnson – Possible Ohio State target
Ross Douglas – Committed to Michigan
Will Fuller – Committed to Notre Dame

Offensively this team will be a complete and total train wreck. Without star running back Silas Redd, Penn State will rely heavily on terrible ginger quarterback Matt McGloin who split time last year with recently transferred (and equally terrible quarterback) Rob Bolden. Paul Jones will be nipping at the heals of the magic ginger. Hopefully McGloin won’t get knocked out brawling with any of his wide receivers like last year. If the Penn State spring game is any indication, The Fighting Freeh Reports will be worse than I think they will be. The top three QB’s accounted for under 50% passing and 5 interceptions.

Defensively Penn State will be stout once again, lead by All Angry Team linebacker Mike Mauti. Mauti spent most of the offseason working out his vocal cords telling the world how mad he is at Emmert, the NCAA, Illinois, The Smurfs, candy, slip’n slides, Voltron and Jessica Tandy. For those of you playing at home, Jessica Tandy is currently the #2 tailback on PSU’s roster.

It will be interesting to see how O’brien fairs in his first year as a head coach…of anything. Right now he is doing and saying all the right things however he has coached in exactly zero football games. Last year I thought OSU would be fine with first year coach Luke Fickell…boy was I wrong. Being a successful coordinator is much different than being a successful head coach. Time will tell for Mr. O’brien.

The Hopefuls:

Our old friend Tim Beckman, former cornerbacks coach at Ohio State has taken over for the Zooker. While the players were busy working out and prepping for fall practice their coaches were hiding in dumpsters, behind curtains and under cars waiting for Penn State players and a chance to poach them.

Nathan Scheelhaase will lead a revamped Illini offense that will look for the junior quarterback to sling it more than he totes it. Scheelhaase is a very athletic and talented player that will spell success or doom for his team. He doesn’t have a treasure trove of help as Donovonn Young will get the brunt of the work at running back splitting time with Josh Ferguson. Young is, well, young, but could be a valuable cog in the Illini offense. Gone is outstanding wide receiver A.J. Jenkins to the NFL. The slack will have to be picked up by a gaggle of solid WR’s in, Darius Millines, Spencer Harris and Jon Davis who combined for 67 catches in 2011.

Defensively the Illini are usually stingy and this year they return defensive linemen Michael Buchanan, Akeem Spence, Justin Staples and Glenn Foster. This quartet of big eaters helped Illinois to an impressive 7th ranked defense in the nation last year.

Illinois could be a team to sneak into the Big Ten title game with PSU and OSU down for the count. Their defense will lead the way along with their talented quarterback. They are definitely a team to watch.

The Boilermakers have logjam at quarterback and that is not a good thing. The have: Robert Marve, Caleb TerBush and Rob Henry (who is a good athlete and could play other positions) all vying for the top spot. There isn’t a top notch talent among them and with all three possibly getting playing time none of them will become effective QB’s. With three departures from last years offensive line and a line hampered by injuries, Purdue’s offense could be awful this year.

The Boilermaker defense relies on gimmicky formations and lots of movement before the ball is snapped. They are blitz happy and try to disguise everything they do to make up for the lack of superior athletes on defense.

Bottom line for Purdue — the are in some trouble this year.

Tre Roberson comes into his sophomore year after having a moderately successful season last year. He is a good athlete in the right offense to showcase his skills. OSU fans should remember him keeping a bad Indiana team in the game last year until the fourth quarter.

Other than Roberson, their entire team is terrible. Their running game is terrible. Their WR’s are terrible. Their entire defense is terrible. Last year The Hoosiers were 1-11 and this year will most likely be no different.

Predictions:

1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Illinois
4. Penn State
5. Purdue
6. Indiana

Ohio State plays an easy schedule this year and a ton of home games against good Big Ten foes. They should “win” the division but will have to bow down to the runner up who should be Wisconsin. Penn State’s defense will be good enough to keep them from being terrible. I still think Illinois will push Wisconsin for the title.

(This is another guest post from Chris Jason, a hopeful future Men of the Scarlet and Gray Blogger. Until we can get a proper account set up for him and he can make his formal introduction, I’ll continue to handle his posting “duties”. Also, note that this was submitted before it was announced that Jake will be listed as a “wide receiver”. The point remains the same.)

Buckeye fans across the country salivated when Urban Meyer was hired as the new head coach. Dreams of Braxton Miller lining up in shotgun, leading Meyer’s complex spread offense that broke scoreboards at Utah and most notably Florida have players ecstatic for what their role in this offense will be.

One player who will thrive in Urban’s spread offense this year will be tight end Jake Stoneburner.

Ohio State is certainly not “Tight End U,” but they have had talent there, that has succeeded more in the NFL than at OSU. Ben Hartsock is in his 9th year in the NFL and Jake Ballard had a great rookie campaign before tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl.

Stoneburner has all the tools to break out this year in this spread offense if Meyer can trust Braxton Miller to throw the ball at an efficient level. Stoneburner is a converted wide receiver out of high school where he caught 15 touchdown passes his senior year to compliment his 74 catches. He has great hands and a knack for the end zone as half of his receptions last year went for 6 (7 TD’s!)

A player who Stoneburner can resemble in a past Urban Meyer offense is current New England Patriot, Aaron Hernandez. Although Stoneburner is three inches taller than Hernandez, they weigh roughly
the same and if given the chance, Stoneburner could produce the same results that Hernandez did at Florida. Hernandez went from 34 receptions to 68 receptions his final year at Florida and he was named the Mackey Award Winner as the nation’s best tight end.

Meyer wants his tight ends to be versatile enough where he can put them in the slot or as an H back and create mismatches with either the opposing linebackers or safeties. A player like Stoneburner using his size and strength will be a mismatch with safeties and his speed will create a mismatch with linebackers. Fans will also see Stoneburner line up as an H back a lot throughout the season, as Meyer likes to run his zone read out of that look.

Jake Stoneburner is quoted as saying, “It’s like a dream come true. You want to come to an offense where the tight end is almost the focal point. I wouldn’t say we’re the focal point, but we’re definitely going to get the ball a lot.” There really is no such thing as the prototypical big, slow, blocking tight end getting the majority of the snaps anymore. The tight end position has transformed as a result of the spread offense and a player like Stoneburner is the perfect weapon for this offense to run how it is engineered to.

Yes Buckeye fans, this coaching staff finally knows how to create offensive mismatches for their tight ends and just like his teams at Utah and Florida, the Buckeyes will look to break the scoreboard this season. (Just watch the different ways that Meyer used Hernandez and the different formations that he lines them up in.)

And now for the moment we’ve all be waiting for: The Final Round of the 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Moment Bracket.

It was kind of a foregone conclusion that Braxton’s last-second touchdown heave was going to make it to the final round. We’ve exhausted hundreds of words on it already, speaking its praises. It has it all: Freshman heroics, last gasp finishes, beating Bret Bielma. But for me, it’s the backyard, “you go long, you go short, you go long” feel to it that brings it really home. Braxton’s little improvisation wave off that just moves it into Legendary Status. Let’s watch it one more time, for old time’s sake:

#1 Braxton Miller’s Touchdown Throw against Wisconsin:

VS.

Braxton’s opponent is formidable, indeed. Because we are Ohio State fans, we love us some stout defenses, and nothing is better than a potential game-saving goal line stand. Especially against those odious Penn State Nittany Lions. The game didn’t end in our favor, but at least there’s not a crater where our football program used to be, so I guess we’ve got that going for us.

Again, just watch Ryan Shazier and don’t be surprised if your face melts off.

#3 Ohio State’s Defensive Goal Line Stand against Penn State

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This is another Guest Post from MotSaG reader and blogger hopeful Matthew “Porter” Coffman. We are allowing all those interested in blogging with us to submit an “audition” article or two to get used to the format and as a way for the rest of you MotSaG’ers to get to know them. This is Matt’s first submission.

Good day, BuckeyeNation! As the 2012 college football campaign draws closer with fall camp in progress, I know you are all chomping at the bit like I am, ready for Urban Meyer to lead the Buckeyes out of the tunnel for the noon kickoff on September 1, 2012 when the Buckeyes take on the Miami Redhawks. If nothing more, the opener should provide the opportunity of plenty of youth to see action.
Before the Buckeyes make their first stamp on the 2012 season, let’s take a closer look at the men who will be leading our beloved Buckeyes on and off the field.

Urban Meyer
His name is synonymous with winning. With two BCS championships, a career .814 winning percentage, three National Coach of the Year honors, and being named the Coach of the Decade in 2009 by both Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, I think Buckeye fans can all agree that Gene Smith finally got something right.

When asked to describe his type of football team at the Introduction press conference, Urban Meyer answered “I think go hard. I mean, like relentless. I want a bunch of coaches that coach like their hair’s on fire, and I want a football team that goes four to six seconds of relentless effort. You do that, you have a chance to win in every game you play.” I have a feeling we might hear this over the brand new speaker system in the Shoe. If hearing Meyer doesn’t raise your pulse, I don’t know what will – check out the circle drill before the spring game.

As every Buckeye fan is familiar with the man leading the Urban Assault and he will undoubtedly dominate the headlines for as long as we have him, onto the other members of the staff, beginning with the defensive side of the ball.

Everett Withers
The lone outsider without Ohio connections on the staff is Everett Withers. Together with his duties as Assistant Head Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator, Withers will use his 24 years of combined coaching experience between the college and professional ranks to focus on improving the play of the Buckeye safeties.

In meshing his defensive philosophies with Coach Luke Fickell, Withers stated that their philosophies “are very similar. He’s [Luke’s] done a lot of things out of the 4-3, but with the ability to get to the 3-4. Those are a lot of the things I like to do.”

He continued

It’s important when you’re playing in the secondary, when that ball’s in the air, boy, you get opportunities to make interceptions and you change the game. I think you have to emphasize it in practice, you have to emphasize route concepts and splits and receivers. Once you get to that point, then a secondary can be aggressive and go play the ball. Again, if you stop the run and you make people one dimensional, you’ll get more opportunities to go attack the ball in the air. That’s always been my philosophy.
…
The philosophy is in place here, as far as being good on defense and stopping the run and creating turnovers, and being good in the red [zone] and on third down. But my approach is I want our kids to be knowledgeable about what we’re doing with the defensive scheme. I want them to be able to communicate well. My philosophy with the secondary is, “Try to be the best in the country.” It’s always been my approach going into every season with every group, to try to be the best. How can we get there? How can we take that journey to get there? A lot of the good secondary play is about communication and putting yourself in position before the ball is snapped. That’s going to be an emphasis of mine.

Though the Buckeyes had the same number of interceptions over the last four years as Withers’ squads at UNC, Withers also brings with him deep-seated relationships in recruiting the Carolinas and East Coast (See Jamal Marcus, true freshman, who Meyer has praised both at the time of his commitment and most recently in camp). Withers’ will almost certainly see a bump in productivity from the secondary in interceptions and other game-changing plays in the coming years from the Silver Bullets, especially with UFM bringing SEC type talent in droves on the defensive front.

Luke Fickell
Heading the defensive coaching staff with Coach Withers and calling the defense is fan favorite Luke Fickell. Through the uncertainty caused by the unexpected departure of Coach Tress and Pryor, Fickell took the thankless job of leading the Buckeyes through the tumultuous 2011 football season.

Regardless of the differing levels of disappointment Buckeye fans experienced last season, we are all happy that Fickell was retained on the coaching staff as he showed courage and grit when he took over the Buckeyes last season. Over his years on Tressel’s staff, Fickell’s role increased and the Silver Bullets consistently fielded one of the top defenses in the country.

In addition to his duties calling the defense, Fickell will be coaching a relatively raw group of linebackers, including Ryan Shazier who plays like his hair on fire in the second level and on special teams. Shazier has added some bulk in the offseason and is poised for a breakout year if he can stay healthy, as are fifth year senior Etienne Sabino and Curtis Grant. While Shazier and Sabino provide the speed to provide flexibility on the outside, the unit as a whole suffers from relative inexperience, providing the opportunity for true freshman to gain invaluable experience and immediate playing time.

Kerry Coombs
Joining Withers in the secondary will be a new fan favorite for years to come, Kerry Coombs. Although Coombs is relatively new to the college game with five years of experience at Cincinnati, he has deep roots and much success coaching high school football in Southwestern Ohio, amassing a head coaching record of 167-48. Despite Coombs’ tenure with UC being short, Cincy led the NCAA in INTs his very first year.

While Coombs’s effect on the team is still unwritten, Urban opined “I have watched (Coombs) coach in high school and at the University of Cincinnati and I have great respect for the way he works. He is a strong recruiter. He knows defense and special teams. And he is an excellent teacher.”

Coombs will be leading a talented, but thin group (notice a theme?). The unit is top heavy in talent with Bradley Roby securing the top spot as a shutdown corner and Senior Travis Howard trying to hold onto his starting spot over Sophomore Doran Grant. After the top three, things get murky with many thinking Armani Reeves may be able to contribute immediately, but if the three studs stay healthy, this unit should be a strength for the silver bullets this fall.

And, if you haven’t witnessed Coombs’ infectious energy, take a look as he coaches up Doran Grant at the open practice this past spring. He’s going to be a lot of fun to watch on the sidelines and I’m hoping for a Coombs/Meyer chest bump at some point this year.

Mike Vrabel
Returning for his second year on the staff is former All-American, All Pro, Super Bowl Champion, Fickell Bro — Mike Vrabel. After coaching the linebackers last year since Fickell assumed head coaching responsibilities, Vrabel will move down to coaching the defensive lineman, the position from which he wreaked havoc when he donned the scarlet and gray. Vrabel is the current record holder for career sacks and single season and career TFLs. He may, however, be coaching the successor to his previous marks as he will be coaching an already stacked group of defensive linemen with one of the most loaded DL classes in recent memory.

Vrabel’s holdover as a member of the 2012 coaching staff was not a foregone conclusion as Meyer tested his ability to recruit as Meyer sent him on a two week mission to prove his abilities on the recruiting front. In stating the importance of recruiting Meyer said, “we are, at the end of the day, going to be judged by the talent level and how good you are at bringing quality student-athletes to Ohio State.” Meyer has said that if “he’s [Vrabel’s] not the best, he’s one of the best recruiters I have on staff.” In his short time with the Scarlet and Gray, Vrabel played a major role in landing the early prize of the 2012 recruiting class, Noah Spence, along with high school teammates Camren Williams and Armani Reeves, and 2013 commit Michael Hill.

Combined with his outstanding ability to recruit, Vrabel has been lauded for his ability to teach the game. Vrabel’s recruiting savvy and teaching ability will undoubtedly be crucial to keeping the defensive line of the Silver Bullets at the top of the Big Ten for years to come. It should be fun to watch the development of the next Fickell/Vrabel and Simon/Hankins brotherhood.

Check back for our blog later this week about the offensive side of the ball and the replacement of Walrusball.

This is a Guest Post from Chris Jason, a possible future MotSaG blogger.

College football fans around the nation may think that there is no motivation for a team that cannot play in a bowl game this year, which is the case for your 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes. But look no further than the Buckeyes west coast rival, the USC Trojans, for a blueprint for this upcoming season. USC was supposed to suffer for a while (not as bad as Penn State will, but that is a topic for a different day) after getting hammered with a two year bowl ban, a reduction of scholarships by ten for the next three seasons, the vacating of wins from the 2004 and 2005 seasons and a disassociation with Reggie Bush. Sound familiar? Well, instead of falling off the map for a bit after a poor 2010 season (8-5) the Trojans fought back and played spoiler to their rivals throughout the 2011 season (10-2, AP #6). This is how the 2012 Buckeyes need to play this season.

USC finished #1 in the PAC12 South Division with a 7-2 record in the conference, a 4-1 record against the South Division, and outscored their division by a combined score of 185-115. This also included a 50-0 drubbing of LA rival UCLA, the same team that then represented the South division in the inaugural PAC12 title game (since USC was ineligible). The Bruins really earned that title game berth (/sarcasm).

What better message would it be to send to the rest of the Big Ten and the Leaders Division than to go into Camp Randall week 11 (with OSU and PSU out of contention) and play spoiler on what is likely to be the national stage? Wisconsin has basically been handed a berth to the Big Ten title game, but how would they react in the title game (or the following season) if the Buckeyes handed them a USC-UCLA type beating? Ohio State could open the doors for one of the underdogs of the Leaders Division, who in all honesty have no chance while Urban is at the helm for the foreseeable future (yes, we are looking at you Purdue and Illinois). A win over Wisconsin will add fuel to the Meyer-Bielema fire that is going to be atop of the Leaders Division for a while.

The only thing sweeter than ruining Wisconsin’s post season/offseason would be to dash the lofty dreams of that team up North. Coming off a Sugar Bowl win and the return of Shoelace for his senior season, (he didn’t really have a choice) the Maize and Blue are picked to win the Big Ten this season. In all honesty Buckeye fans, would there be ANYTHING better than knocking Michigan out of the Big Ten title game, a chance of playing for the Roses and dashing Robinson’s quest for a Heisman in one game? Absolutely not.

The Buckeyes could roll over this season, play .500 ball, feel sorry for themselves and look forward to next season. Or, they could finish in the top 10 of the AP poll, be ranked pre-season top 5 next season, have a Heisman favorite at quarterback and play spoiler to their biggest rivals like Southern Cal did.

Is that enough motivation for this season? I think Urban and the crew believes so.

-Chris Jason