Dispatch
April 8, 2008
Will Malcolm stay in the middle?
It was defensive backs day in the old ballpark tonight, and I was examining the safety spot.
One interesting topic was whether Malcolm Jenkins would once again slide to safety when OSU is in nickel. That worked out well last year, with Jenkins snagging at least several of his team-high four interceptions from his spot roaming the field.
This spring, Jenkins is not playing safety. But I didn't read that to mean he won't return there in the fall. The way safeties coach Paul Haynes explained it, they know Jenkins can play there, and spring is about rolling a lot of other guys into those spots to see if they can play -- guys like Eugene Clifford, Aaron Gant, Nick Patterson and Jamario O'Neal, to name a few. Why waste spring practice reps with Jenkins there?
In the fall, though, it comes down to getting the five best DBs on the field in nickel. So really, the question is, is Chimdi Chekwa (the No. 3 corner last year) better than O'Neal (the No. 3 safety last year)?
Cont...