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

February 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment

“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.

8th – Linebacker

Players Lost – Joshua Perry, Darron Lee, Cam Williams, and Kyle Berger. Perry exhausted his eligibility, and was a solid, dependable two year starter at outside linebacker. Lee was also a two year starter at outside linebacker, and declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft, with two years of eligibility remaining as a redshirt sophomore. Williams exhausted his eligibility as a four year contributor, primarily upon special teams duty. Berger was forced to give up football this winter, due to a recurring knee injury that never fully recovered from his high school career.

Returning Players/Incoming Players – Jerome Baker (Sophomore), Dante Booker (Junior), Joe Burger (Senior), Nick Conner (Redshirt Freshman), Craig Fada (Senior), Justin Hilliard (Redshirt Freshman), Raekwon McMillan (Junior), Chris Worley (Redshirt Junior), Tuf Borland (Freshman).

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

· Raekwon McMillan is a lock to start at middle linebacker, barring unforeseen injury. If McMillan was unable to play, this position group would rank higher in my estimated concerns. McMillan has already been designated a captain by Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer. McMillan will be strongly depended upon by the coaching staff to steady this position group during the initial phases of the 2016 season.

· Dante Booker seems to be the leading candidate to replace Joshua Perry at the Will linebacker position. Booker has played primarily on special teams in 2014 and 2015, and now is his opportunity to rise up and seize the job at Will linebacker.

· The battle to watch seems to be at the Sam linebacker spot between rising sophomore Jerome Baker and rising redshirt junior Chris Worley. Baker seems to be the favorite, but fans would be wise to remember that Worley gave Darron Lee a run for the job two seasons ago, and will not want to remain on the bench.

· Justin Hilliard and Nick Conner were among the highly-touted 2015 recruiting class. Hilliard and Conner both redshirted due to injuries. Will either be able to make a move, with two positions open at linebacker?

· Joe Burger and Craig Fada were both awarded scholarships for the spring by Coach Meyer. Will either be able to move beyond special teams duty this spring?

· Tuf Borland was an early enrollee this January. Can Borland show enough this spring to warrant a look for playing time this fall?

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

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2015 Ohio State Spring Football Questions: Linebackers Have Improved, But Depth Is Young

March 13, 2015 by 4 Comments

On March 10th, Ohio State began spring practice and will have fifteen spring football practices before the conclusion of spring practice on April 18th in Ohio Stadium. Over the next few weeks, I will rank the top ten questions facing Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff as the Buckeyes retake the football field after concluding the 2014 season as the national champions.

These articles will be submitted from areas of lowest concern to highest concern. While Ohio State returns the overwhelming majority of its 2014 team, and welcomes in a highly-touted recruiting class, it will be important for Coach Meyer to convey to his team that complacency within the player ranks could derail any hopes of the Buckeyes repeating as national champions in 2015.

7. Linebacker

Key Players/Contributors Lost: Curtis Grant (final year of eligibility), Trey Johnson (injury), Devan Bogard (injury)

Key Players/Contributors Returning: Darron Lee (Redshirt Sophomore), Raekwon McMillan (Sophomore), Joshua Perry (Senior), Camren Williams (Senior), Dante Booker (Sophomore), Christopher Worley (Redshirt Sophomore), Kyle Berger (Redshirt Freshman), Nick Conner (Freshman)

Similar to what I wrote about with regards to the running backs and H-Back positions for Ohio State, it seems challenging to call this area of the football team a concern. Darron Lee emerged as one of the most dynamic linebackers in the country, with timely plays against Navy, Maryland, Alabama, and Oregon, among others. Lee has established himself as “exhibit A” of not overemphasizing recruiting rankings, as Lee was a three-star recruit who earned his scholarship with tenacity and determination at Ohio State’s summer recruiting camp. Raekwon McMillan played well and often at the middle linebacker spot, alongside former Buckeye teammate Curtis Grant. McMillan was considered one of the crown jewels of the 2014 recruiting class, and played up to his billing. Lastly, rising senior Joshua Perry has quietly and consistently developed into a steadying presence on the Ohio State defense over his previous three seasons; Perry should emerge as an Ohio State captain for the 2015 season.

Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer stated on National Signing Day 2015 that he is “really excited about” the linebacker position, adding, ” I think that Luke Fickell has really done a very, very good job the last three years of building back up to the Ohio State standards…you’re starting seeing these athletes coming up on all special teams. There was a time a couple of years ago the linebackers weren’t involved in the kicking game. It was because for whatever reason they’re not. Now they’re all over the place…”.

In addition, there will be two more linebackers joining the position group in June, with Justin Hilliard and Jerome Baker both signing with Ohio State. As Coach Meyer said, Coach Fickell has replenished the linebacker position very well, and the results were evident during the 2014 national championship season.

If I had to summarize my concerns over this position group, it would be in the simple fact that the linebackers are very talented, but also very young. With the exceptions of Perry and Camren Williams, there are no upperclassmen. Injuries ended the careers of Trey Johnson and Devan Bogard, and the backup positions have seen minimal game experience outside of special teams duty.

Of course, former Ohio State Head Coach John Cooper used to say, “If a dog is going to bite, he’s going to bite as a pup.”. I would prefer Ohio State’s coaches let the young linebackers take their bites out on the opposition, especially early in the season, to help provide that necessary maturity and experience emerge.

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2015 Ohio State Spring Football Questions: Will Special Teams Remain Special?

February 27, 2015 by 1 Comment

Beginning March 10th, Ohio State will have fifteen spring football practices before the conclusion of spring practice on April 18th in Ohio Stadium. Over the next few weeks, I will rank the top ten questions facing Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff as the Buckeyes retake the football field after concluding the 2014 season as the national champions.

These articles will be submitted from areas of lowest concern to highest concern. While Ohio State returns the overwhelming majority of its 2014 team, and welcomes in a highly-touted recruiting class, it will be important for Coach Meyer to convey to his team that complacency within the player ranks could derail any hopes of the Buckeyes repeating as national champions in 2015.

10. Special Teams

Key Players/Contributors Lost: WR Devin Smith, WR Evan Spencer, DB Ron Tanner, LB Curtis Grant, DB Armani Reeves, DB Devan Bogard.

Special teams will always be an area of emphasis for Coach Meyer. A case in point is how starters have often been used by Coach Meyer on special teams; former Buckeye Devin Smith was often deployed as a “gunner” on special teams under Coach Meyer. Devin Smith’s special teams play was often lauded by Coach Meyer, and may be a boost to Smith as the 2015 NFL Draft approaches.

Unfortunately, Ohio State may be without players such as Ron Tanner, Armani Reeves, and Devan Bogard going forward. Coach Meyer stated on National Signing Day 2015 that all three players may be unable to play anymore due to injuries.

Back to the 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes. How do special teams shape up for Ohio State this spring and into the 2015 season?

Realistically, Ohio State should not miss a beat. Yes, Ohio State is losing some talented players from the special teams units of 2014, but think of the following players who could contribute in 2015 who redshirted in 2014 – Parris Campbell, Sam Hubbard, Kyle Berger, Terry McLaurin, Malik Hooker, Johnnie Dixon, and Marshon Lattimore. That does not even include the players who have enrolled early, such as Jamel Dean or Nick Conner, or the remaining freshmen who will be arriving for fall camp.

Special teams will always be a prime gateway for players to earn playing time under Coach Meyer. With so much returning talent on hand, as well as the influx of new talent arriving, this ranks as the position group of least concern going into spring practice. It will also rank as a position group worthy of notice, as this group may not necessarily be settled well into the 2015 season.

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“Don’t You Forget About Me” – OSU’s 2014 Redshirts

February 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

“As you walk on by
Will you call my name?” ~
Don’t You Forget About Me, Simple Minds

These song lyrics from a classic 1980s song “Don’t You Forget About Me” represent to me what it must be like to football players redshirted at major college football programs. While there is always considerable fanfare when players sign their respective letters of intent, players who redshirt seem to fall by the wayside of fans.

Think about the players who signed with Ohio State in February 2014. While all were accomplished athletes coming out of high school, and coveted highly by Ohio State and other top football programs, several of them were redshirted for various reasons by Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff. Perhaps some were battling an injury; perhaps others were not deemed ready to contribute during the 2014 season, and the coaches did not want to waste a valuable year of eligibility.

Regardless of the reason, these players are now facing the challenge of a newly-signed crop of recruits coming into Columbus in 2015, while many of the top players who won the national championship return. It will be important for these players to step up over the next few months, during winter conditioning, spring football, and summer workouts, to gain traction on the depth chart.

Below are the various position groups, and some names that may become more prominently known over the coming months to Ohio State fans ~

Quarterback: Stephen Collier. Anyone who listened to me on various Men Of The Scarlet And Gray podcasts this past season will recall how I often speculated if Collier was going to play in 2014. With J.T. Barrett’s injury at the conclusion of the regular season, Collier was elevated on the depth chart. With Cardale Jones’ strong performances at the end of the season, Collier was not needed to play, but contributed tremendously on the scout team during the bowl preparation periods. With two quarterbacks signed, as well as both Barrett and Braxton Miller rehabilitating from injuries, Collier should get ample playing time this spring behind Cardale Jones.

Wide Receiver: Parris Campbell Jr.; Terry McLaurin; Johnnie Dixon. Dixon was an early enrollee last winter, and seemed primed to be a contributor, until redshirted due to tendinitus in October. Campbell and McLaurin redshirted from the onset, due to a logjam at the position. With the departures of Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, the time is ripe for any or all of these players to move up on the depth chart at wide receiver.

Offensive Line: Kyle Trout; Demetrius Knox; Brady Taylor. With six new offensive linemen arriving this summer, with one already on campus in new enrollee Grant Schmidt, none of these players can waste any opportunity to try to move up on the depth chart. The challenge is Ohio State is only losing one starter from its offensive line in Darryl Baldwin, so the test will come in trying to perform well in the eyes of the coaching staff for possible backup time in 2015 as a springboard for the 2016 season.

Defensive Line: Dylan Thompson; Sam Hubbard; Darius Slade. Thompson was redshirted almost immediately, due to a broken kneecap suffered early in the season. Hubbard fluctuated from tight end to linebacker to defensive end; it remains a mystery if he will remain at defensive end this spring. Slade was a signing day addition who had previously committed to Michigan State. With the losses of Noah Spence to transfer, and Michael Bennett, Steve Miller, and Rashad Frazier to graduation, the opportunity to rise up for playing time along the defensive line is there for these defensive linemen.

Linebacker: Kyle Berger. Berger reinjured a knee ligament during the summer of 2014 that wiped out his senior year at Cleveland St. Ignatius in 2013. It is possible that the coaching staff will take a cautious approach to rushing Berger onto the field, lest he sustain another injury.

Defensive Back: Malik Hooker; Marshon Lattimore. Hooker was an athlete designated for the secondary; it is possible that special teams will be where Hooker can make his first impact upon the depth chart. Lattimore was considered for both defense and offense, yet sustained a hamstring injury serious enough to warrant surgery that necessitated his redshirt season.

“As you walk on by Will you call my name?” ~ This question will be on the minds of the players listed up above, as well as by Ohio State fans such as myself, as the 2015 season approaches.

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