Last Thursday, while fans were enjoying the beautiful yet often mercurial Ohio summer weather, OSU football players and coaches were hard at work. Training camp started at 6:30 a.m. and thus began the 28 preseason practices preparing for the rigors of a full season, most especially for Aug. 31 in Bloomington, Ind. The Chase, The Grind, whatever we are calling it, has begun. But there are some key differences this year which we will unpack first before we tackle the depth chart.
No more two-a-days: This year in an effort to curb catastrophic injuries, the
NCAA has implemented a new rule prohibiting two contact practices from
occurring in the same calendar day (he rule began April 4). The NCAA’s
Sport Science Institute claims 58 percent of football practice concussions occur
during the preseason. NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline believes
August is also the peak month for non-contact catastrophic injuries such as heatstroke
and cardiac arrest, according to an article published by the Associated Press. The result of this rule change is that teams need to start
training camp a week earlier in order to hit the magic number of 29 preseason
practices.
Extending training camp from four weeks to five weeks takes up more of the student athlete’s time and may lead to burnout before the season even gets going. Coach Urban Meyer told the Columbus Dispatch, “So one choice is to bring the players in earlier, and I am so -- that breaks my heart because I don’t want these players to take more of their time. However, how do you get ’em ready? That’s what we’re fighting through right now, so it’s a major impact.” Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald weighed in as well telling the Lansing State Journal, “I don’t recall having contact in our second practice in maybe seven or eight years at our place. So I would have loved to have had the opportunity to say, ‘Let’s keep the calendar the same.' Instead we say you can’t go out and run around twice, even though my third-grader can go have recess twice. We can’t go have recess twice and play football, which is mind-boggling to me.”
Coaching changes: QB coach Ryan Day was hired to replace Tim Beck, who
took the job as QB coach with former OSU assistant and current Texas Coach Tom
Herman. Day is a rising star in the coaching world and is tasked with
maximizing fifth-year senior JT Barrett’s potential as well as
preparing his understudies for spot duty or if Barrett is injured.
From what I’ve gathered, Day was able to come in right away and fix some
lingering footwork issues Barrett had been having left over from the previous
regime. Sometimes all it takes is a new set of eyes. We will unpack the QB issue a little bit more
when we examine the depth charts and position battles.Extending training camp from four weeks to five weeks takes up more of the student athlete’s time and may lead to burnout before the season even gets going. Coach Urban Meyer told the Columbus Dispatch, “So one choice is to bring the players in earlier, and I am so -- that breaks my heart because I don’t want these players to take more of their time. However, how do you get ’em ready? That’s what we’re fighting through right now, so it’s a major impact.” Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald weighed in as well telling the Lansing State Journal, “I don’t recall having contact in our second practice in maybe seven or eight years at our place. So I would have loved to have had the opportunity to say, ‘Let’s keep the calendar the same.' Instead we say you can’t go out and run around twice, even though my third-grader can go have recess twice. We can’t go have recess twice and play football, which is mind-boggling to me.”
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| Coach Ryan Day at training camp: Photo courtesy of @AndrewMLind of elevenwarriors.com |
Linebackers coach Billy Davis steps in to replace Luke Fickell, who assumed the head coaching job at the University of Cincinnati. I don’t expect much of an adjustment here for either the coaches or the players. Davis has a wealth of knowledge from his previous stints in the NFL. He spent last year observing the ins and outs of the OSU program so he has been able to hit the ground running this year. There has not been a drop off in recruiting either as Davis has already helped land two top linebacker prospects in Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant. Four star LB K’Vaughan Pope is set to announce on Aug. 4 where he will be attending college. There is an excellent chance Davis will be adding his third four star linebacker to the already loaded 2018 class.
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| New linebackers coach Bill Davis on the prowl at Friday Night Lights: |
Now that we’ve done a little housekeeping with the rule
change and coaching changes, let’s dive right in and look at the changes in the
OSU lineup and depth chart this year. We will then look at a tradition Urban
Meyer has brought to OSU from his previous coaching stints
Offense
Quarterbacks: Write Barrett in at the number one QB spot
in black permanent marker. Barring injuries, he will add to his already many
OSU career passing records. Barrett is battle tested and will thrive under the
tutelage of Day and Wilson. Barrett performs better with tempo and he
will look more like the 2014 model than the 2015, and 2016 models. One
important thing to note is that he has already graduated and is taking a few
online classes this season. He can devote many more hours to his craft, unencumbered
by a busy course schedule. Barrett will be backed up by Joey Burrow and Dwayne Haskins. To
be honest, I have no clue who will be the backup yet. I would give the slight
edge to Burrow, who has more game experience and command of the offense,
but Haskins is no slouch. Look for Tate Martell to redshirt.
Offensive Line: OSU returns four returning starters in Michael
Jordan, Jamarco Jones, Billy Price (shifting to center from guard) and Isaiah
Prince. Look for all four to make leaps this year. I’ve heard rumblings that
Prince was playing with a significant injury last season, so look for
him to make a big jump as well. Right guard is the only unsettled positon up
for grabs. My gut says that Matthew Burrell will win the spot. He has
rededicated himself both on and off the field and looks the part of a starting
guard for OSU. Malcolm Pridgeon, Demetrius Knox, Branden Bowen, Josh Myers,
Wyatt Davis, and Thayer Munford are all in the mix and will provide valuable
depth. |
| Matthew Burrell with a throng of admirers at Friday Night Lights: |
H back: Look for Parris Campbell to take over in the newly christened, “Curtis Samuel position.” I could see McCall working in here as well, when not at running back. KJ Hill and Eric Glover Williams will add needed depth.
Receivers: Wilson wants eight receivers to be game ready, so Zach Smith will be charged with making this happen. Meyer said this group has the highest work ethic and character he has ever seen so the ceiling is high. Receivers look to be Terry McLaurin, Hill and Johnnie Dixon as long as he can remain healthy (praying for you young man). Bin Victor and Austin Mack are right in the mix as well, they just need to demonstrate more consistency. Talented freshmen Jaylen Harris and Trevon Grimes look to be the wildcards who can play the outside and inside positions.
Tight Ends: Marcus Baugh will have a firm grasp on the tight end position as long as he stays healthy. Jake Hausmann and Luke Farrell will battle for the backup spot. The general feeling is that Farrell may have a slight lead but we will know more after Saturday's scrimmage.
Defense
Defensive Line: This is the strongest position on the team
and games are usually always won in the trenches. Larry Johnson returns a
plethora of lineman including his famed Rushmen package of Nick Bosa, Sam
Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes. It gets a little murky after that. Nose guard Michael Hill is suspended indefinitely. Any combination of Tracy
Sprinkle, Dre’Mont Jones, Bosa, Hubbard, Holmes and Lewis
will fill out the rest of the D-Line with Robert Landers, Chase Young and Johnathan Cooper
providing depth. |
| Defensive Line Coach Larry Johnson at training camp: Photo courtesy of @AndrewMLind at elevenwarriors.com |
Cornerbacks: Denzel Ward was a de facto starter last season as he was heavily involved in Kerry Coombs cornerback rotation. There is a good chance Ward will be the next first round NFL draft pick churned out by Coombs. Damon Arnette looks to be the next corner besides Ward. JUCO transfer and former five star cornerback prospect Kendall Sheffield will look to be heavily involved in Coombs' rotation, perhaps even more than Ward was last year. Five star corners Shaun Wade and Jeffrey Okudah will look to make an impact on special teams, but they may be too talented to keep on the sidelines.
Safeties: Damon Webb appears to have the first safety spot
locked down and Jordan Fuller and Erick Smith are battling it out for the
second safety spot. I’m leaning towards Fuller capturing that second
spot with Smith in the mix as well (though he has been battling injury).
Schiano may opt to rotate the safeties more like Coombs does with his corners.
Jahsen Wint will be available as well.
Special teams
Field goal kicker: Sean Nuernberger looks to be the starting
field goal kicker.
Punter: Drue Chrisman looks to be on the fast track to lock
down the starting punter position. It will certainly be different not having an
Australian rugby style punter back there anymore. Kick Returner: Campbell has this spot nailed down
Punt Returner: Hill, heffield, and McCall will all battle for the return duties, but it’s too early to project the
starter. Whoever has the best hands and ball security will probably win the
job. My vote is for McCall.
Long Snapper: Last but not least, Liam McCullough returns as
long snapper. There is a good chance his brother will follow him to OSU, so the
future is bright at that important position.
The situation is fluid and the depth chart will likely have
some changes as we approach the season opener. We will certainly know more
after the scrimmage on Saturday and I will revisit the position battles
before the first game, so stay tuned. Let’s turn our attention now toward one
of the great traditions Meyer has brought with him and implemented at
Ohio State: players losing their Black Stripe.
At OSU, winning is everything. However, the freshman at OSU
don’t earn their stripes, they lose them. When Meyer coached at Bowling Green he introduced the practice of having
all freshmen members of the team wear a thin, black strip on their helmets.
Freshman had to take care of business both on the field, in the class room, and
in the community to have their black stripe removed. Meyer told the
Dispatch, “I wanted to put them through a ritual to become a member of the
team, but not to allow hazing and silly, dangerous stuff. They had to earn the
right on the football field and by being accountable.” An upperclassman adopts a freshman and cultivates this
spirit of accountability. When the
freshman has shown that he has earned the right to lose his black stripe, a
ceremony is held. It’s a cause for celebration.
In this current recruiting age we live in, where top prospects are wined and dined and showered with adulation and praise, oftentimes they need to be “de-recruited.” The black stripe tradition aids in this process and fosters accountability and cohesion between the young Bucks and their veteran mentors. So far only Kendall Sheffield has had his black stripe removed from this years crop of freshmen. The tradition of the Black Stripe looks to be joining a long list of time honored Buckeye traditions such as Buckeye leafs on the helmet and singing Carmen Ohio after every game.
A look ahead: This year, age is no longer an excuse. As Meyer so
eloquently put it in his presser, “Last year, we were the youngest team in
college football, and this year, we’re not.” OSU has a solid mix of returning
veterans and an extremely talented group of freshman, and sophomores. With the
addition of a new OC, QB coach, and LB coach, the
team is filled with quiet optimism as it is poised to make a run for the
playoffs and to hoist that national trophy again. Freshmen are champing at the bit to shed
their Black Stripe and contribute in any way they can, whether it be in the rotation
or on special teams. I also have a strong feeling that Wilson is looking to unleash holy wrath on his former team in
Bloomington.In this current recruiting age we live in, where top prospects are wined and dined and showered with adulation and praise, oftentimes they need to be “de-recruited.” The black stripe tradition aids in this process and fosters accountability and cohesion between the young Bucks and their veteran mentors. So far only Kendall Sheffield has had his black stripe removed from this years crop of freshmen. The tradition of the Black Stripe looks to be joining a long list of time honored Buckeye traditions such as Buckeye leafs on the helmet and singing Carmen Ohio after every game.
Stick with @TWSSBuckeyeBlog as the season approaches. We will get you ready. This week’s article was pretty technical but be of good cheer. Next week Lord willing, we will take a fun journey together as I take you through the grand history of the Buckeye Grove (this time armed with a fancy new digital camera).
Until next time,
Nick JacksonCopyright 2017 Nick Jackson- All rights reserved
BIO - Born in OSU hospital, I've literally been a Buckeye fan from birth. I live in Central Ohio and in addition to writing, I enjoy hiking, photography and following all things Buckeye. Feel free to drop me a note for article ideas. Thanks for reading!
Twitter: @Gobucks2204
Email: gobucks2204@gmail.com
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