2016 Ohio State Spring Football Preview: Youth Will Be Served, Early And Often – TE Preview

“Almost everything that is great has been done by youth…” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Ohio State will begin spring football practice on March 8th. Heading into the 2016 college football season, Ohio State will have 44 players on its roster designated as either a redshirt freshman (21 of the 25 players signed in February 2015), or a true freshman. For a roster that can have only 85 scholarship players, Ohio State will have around 52% of its roster with no playing time experience. As former Ohio State Head Coach John Cooper used to say, “If a dog is going to bite you, it will bite you as a pup.”.

For the next several weeks, I will be writing position group previews, leading up to the Ohio State Spring Football Game in Ohio Stadium on April 16th, 2016. These position groups will be ranked, from least to most concern, as I perceive them. It is entirely possible that my concerns, as well as the coaching staff’s concerns, will be reevaluated after the spring game.

7th – Tight End

Player Lost – Nick Vannett. Vannett exhausted his eligibility, and is preparing for the 2016 NFL Draft. Even though Vannett did not have as strong a senior season as he would have liked, Vannett had 19 receptions for 162 yards. Compare and contrast that to Marcus Baugh, who had 2 receptions for 32 yards, with the longest reception (27 yards) coming in The 2016 Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.

Returning Players/Incoming Players – Marcus Baugh (Redshirt Senior), A.J. Alexander (Redshirt Freshman), Rashod Berry (Redshirt Freshman).

A few things to keep in mind as it relates to this position group…

· Marcus Baugh is the starter, almost by default. Baugh enters the 2016 season with a career total of 3 receptions for 34 yards, and one touchdown. That is three more receptions and one more touchdown than any other scholarship tight end on the Ohio State roster. Baugh has had numerous off the field issues in the past. The coaching staff has maintained their patience with Baugh, and Baugh seems poised to conclude his Ohio State career as a starter in 2016.

· Neither A.J. Alexander or Rashod Berry played in 2015. Considering Alexander was coming off an injury sustained during his senior year of high school, and how Berry split time at multiple positions in high school, it is no surprise why Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer was reluctant to play either player in 2015.

· Reinforcements are on the way, but will not arrive until the summer. Ohio State signed three tight ends in Luke Farrell, Jake Hausmann, and Kierre Hawkins, but none of these players will be in the mix during spring practice. For both Alexander and Berry, the spring practices will be essential. Alexander and Berry will want to secure their positions on the depth chart, before any of the freshmen tight ends arrive on campus.

These questions, among others, will be on my mind once Ohio State spring practice begins March 8th.

The Late Glenn Frey, In An Ode To The 2015 Ohio State Recruiting Class

The anticipation for Ohio State spring football is always tremendous. Tickets for the April 16th spring game are already on sale, with the game two months away. Ohio State just signed an impressive recruiting class for 2016, with seven of the players already enrolled, planning to participate in spring drills.

How does this involve the late, great Glenn Frey, former member of The Eagles? In February 2015, Ohio State signed a talented group of players, with the vast majority redshirting throughout the 2015 season. When I write “vast majority”, I am citing the fact that 21 out of 25 players did not see game action. That amounts to 84% of the 2015 recruiting class.

Glenn Frey wrote the song “New Kid In Town”, a familiar song to Eagles fans. Below are some of the lyrics as I describe some of the players Ohio State fans will have an opportunity to learn about as the April 16th spring game approaches…

“There’s talk on the street; it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody’s watching you
People you meet, they all seem to know you
Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new

Johnny come lately, the new kid in town
Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down”

At quarterback, Joe Burrow has already been named the backup quarterback heading into spring drills. If you think backup quarterback is unimportant, I suggest you go look up the following football season – Ohio State, 2014.

At running back, Mike Weber will throw his hat into the ring to replace early NFL Draft entry Ezekiel Elliott. Weber is one of the members of the 2015 recruiting class who possibly could have played in 2015, if not for an injury that required surgery during fall camp.

At wide receiver, converted quarterback Torrance Gibson, Alex Stump, and K.J. Hill will all battle to impress the coaching staff. Considering Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall have also declared for the NFL Draft, here is a position group that is open for players to contribute.

Tight end? Nick Vannett has moved on, with Marcus Baugh the only returning tight end with any game experience. A.J. Alexander and Rashod Berry will want to seize the moment, as Ohio State signed three tight ends in Kierre Hawkins, Jake Hausmann, and Luke Farrell who will arrive on campus this summer.

Offensive Line? This was an impressive haul last February, with Grant Schmidt, Kevin Feder, Matthew Burrell, and Branden Bowen…who all redshirted. There are three spots open on the line.

Two open spots along the defensive line should loom large this spring. Jashon Cornell, Dre’Mont Jones, Joshua Alabi, Robert Landers, and Davon Hamilton may all be in the mix here.

Two open linebacker spots, with plenty of opportunities for playing time. Nick Conner impressed in the 2015 spring game, but redshirted due to injury. Justin Hilliard was arguably one of the most recruited players in the class, and redshirted from injury also.

The secondary? Talk about an opportunity, with three open spots, including both safety positions. Joshua Norwood and Damon Arnette can throw their hats into contention.

Don’t forget Ohio State signed a long-snapper last winter. Liam McCullough may be the easiest of the 2015 redshirt freshmen to target for a starting position, as Bryce Haynes has exhausted his eligibility.

Twenty-one out of twenty-five. All eager, able, and hungry to show the Ohio State coaching staff, and fans, what they can do. These players would be wise to remember the words of Glenn Frey…

“There’s talk on the street, it’s there to
Remind you, that it doesn’t really matter
which side you’re on.
You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you
They will never forget you ’til somebody new comes along…”

2016 Four Star Tight End Jake Hausmann Commits to Ohio State

Jake Hausmann

The Ohio State Buckeyes have added another great player to their 2016 recruiting class. 2016 four star tight end Jake Hausmann has officially committed to the Buckeyes. He is the sixth player added to the 2016 class, making him the fifth offensive player of the group. Hausmann is from Cincinnati, Ohio, stands at 6’5″ and weighs 235 pounds. The 2016 recruit is the third highest rated tight end nationally and seventh overall in the state of Ohio in the 2016 class.

Hausmann had several offers from other schools, including Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Cincinnati and many more. The Archbishop Moeller product was recruited by Kerry Coombs and Tim Hinton. Many were worried when Urban Meyer took over that tight ends would be underutilized, but he has certainly proved that wrong and Hausmann is another big body for Ohio State’s plethora of quarterbacks to throw to in a few years. Hausmann announced his decision to become a Buckeye via his Twitter page:

Boom! Welcome to Buckeye Nation!

Here are his junior year highlights, courtesy of Hudl:

And here are his sophomore highlights:

To see more of Hausmann’s highlights, click here.

MotSag Chat with 2016 TE Jake Hausmann

Recruiting the tight end position has been difficult for Urban Meyer and staff.  They swung and missed with Geisicki, as we all know, who committed to Penn State.  They did land a recruit as part of the 2013 class in Marcus Baugh, but that has been, interesting?  One of the nation’s best tight ends for the class of 2016, is right in their own backyard, in Cincinnati, Moeller’s Jake Hausmann.  Holding offers from some of the strongest programs around the midwest and nation, including, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Louisville, and Kentucky, he has many options to choose from. Being from Ohio, and having both parents go to Ohio State, and currently having a sibling at OSU, it is easy to see why he was excited about the Buckeye offer. “The day before they offered, my coach told me they were coming to visit me at school and that they were gonna offer.  I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep the night before.  Coach Coombs came to my school and offered me a scholarship to Ohio State, I was so excited!” Hausmann talked about how close his relationship with coach Coombs is.  He talks to coach Coombs a lot and even talks to coach Meyer directly also.  In fact, the other day when I messaged Jake for this interview, he told me he had just gotten off the phone with coach Meyer and coach Coombs.  Not a bad day I guess.

As for why he loves Ohio State? “The coaches are just awesome, I love the relationship I have with them and they are recruiting me the hardest.  The tight end was not used that much last season, but I think that will change this season because they have some playmakers at that position.  Ohio State is also just everything I’m looking for in a school.”As for what is next on the Hausmann recruiting trail?  He is attending the Columbus NFTC on Sunday and then going to stay overnight and tour the campus, meet the coaches, and all the jazz.   He also wanted to say to buckeye fans, “Go Bucks!”

Jake Hausmann is already one of my favorite players to cover in the nation.  He is an amazing football player, but truly an even better person.  He was honest, sincere, and really just wanted to help with the interview.  I think that the buckeyes are in a good position for his recruitment, but he has no leaders.  But, with all that he has told me, I think it would be hard for him to turn down a chance to play for his favorite school, Ohio State.

 

You can follow Jake on Twitter: @Jake_Hausmann 

Check out his 247sports page as well as highlights from his sophomore season.