TE/WR Jake Stoneburner (official thread)

[Merih]

That's funny...Cincinnati's Halloween looking jerseys make me nauseous.

[GrizzlyBuck]

Originally Posted by Merih

That's funny...Cincinnati's Halloween looking jerseys make me nauseous.

Cincinnatti's pitiful play, and the fact I'm a lifelong fan make me nauseous.

I remember that JT recruited Irrizary (sp) because he was impressed with the mismatches a fast, tall TE could create, that was fortified by Winslow's play for UM. I certainly hope, specially after how the coaches were adamant that Stoney would be a WR, that they take advantage of the mismatch possibilities that Stoney should present to opposing defenses.

[schwab]

What is Jake's official acronym, BFTMFTNOCC?

Something like that...

[Buckskin86]

OSU football | Switch came with a catch
Stoneburner gives Buckeyes a new look at tight end
Sunday, July 5, 2009
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Kyle Robertson | Dispatch
Jake Stoneburner moved from receiver as OSU looks to throw more to its tight ends.

As the needle on the scale rose, the odds of Jake Stoneburner playing receiver sank.

The Dublin Coffman graduate came to Ohio State in the spring of 2008 determined to play receiver. Even with a 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame, he had the speed to play outside and had spent his high school career there, making the All-Ohio first team and playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

But he suffered a stress fracture in his shin over the summer. And while injured and redshirting last season, he threw himself into the strength and conditioning program.

"I started working out hard, and weight just flew on me like nothing," Stoneburner said. "I'm coming up on 243 now, and I don't feel any bigger. I think I just had a natural growth spurt."

He grew right out of receiver. In January, the coaching staff decided his future was at tight end.

Tight end. Those words could strike fear in the heart of any self-respecting Ohio State skill player.

The position has been marginalized in recent seasons. Not since 2003 has a Buckeyes tight end caught more than 16 passes (Ben Hartsock had 33 and Ryan Hamby 18 that year).

Last season, despite the presence of two veterans -- Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard -- the position yielded only 11 catches.

"My first thought is I didn't want to (move)," Stoneburner said. "The receivers get the glory, you know? But after talking to the coaches, it made sense. (Ballard) is a senior, and there is going to be an opening for the next few years, and I can mold into the position.

"Plus, receiver is always a jam-packed position. There's always so many coming in."

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : OSU football | Switch came with a catch

[Hawk Spielman]

Good read. Good job by Coach Tressel in realizing the kid is a solid WR, but has NFL TE type of talent. This move is better for both Jake and tOSU in the long run.

[Taosman]

He has to be in the game all the time. He could be one of the big play makers in this offense. I believe the coaches see that.

[Electron Boy]

Originally Posted by Taosman

He has to be in the game all the time. He could be one of the big play makers in this offense. I believe the coaches see that.

i really, really hope so. i've been comparing this kid to travis beckum for a long time now, and he deserves a chance to make himself a powerful weapon in our offense. to he honest though, i'll believe it when i see it; given Tressel's overall inclination to mostly ignore TEs as any sort of receiving threat, i don't hold out much hope that jake is going to be able to show his potential on the field.

i sincerely hope i'm mistaken, but given the fact that we didn't see anything from him whatsoever in the spring game even though we had heard raves about his spring practice performance (he might've been hurt, but i hadn't heard anything about it), i'm not exactly optimistic.

[NightmaresDad]

Originally Posted by Taosman

He has to be in the game all the time.

I don't know - I think they should let him sit out when we're on defense.

[bucksn'boobs]

I hope they are serious about utilizing the TE more...
That being said, I'll believe it when I see it.

[billmac91]

When LB's have to give so much respect to the QB's legs, it really frees up the TE. Aaron Hernandez is an excellent example of that. Hopefully Tress has watched some UF tape.

['BusNative]

Originally Posted by bucksn'boobs

I hope they are serious about utilizing the TE more...
That being said, I'll believe it when I see it.

+1 and I really hope they start using some sleds too

[WyoBuckeye]

CFN.com puts Jake Stoneburner on its "Redshirt Freshman All America Team"

TE Jake Stoneburner, Ohio State's Stoneburner thinks he's a wide receiver. The scales beg to differ. As he's grown to 6-5 and 243 pounds, he's left no doubts where he'll be lining up, though catching a bunch of passes remains firmly on the to-do list. Although the position has been somewhat marginalized in recent years, he has the athletic ability, speed, and soft hands to force a subtle change in philosophy, especially once starter Jake Ballard graduates this year.

Scout.com: 2009 CFN All-Redshirt Freshman Team

[Buckskin86]

NBC 4 interview of Stoney...

http://vp.mgnetwork.net/viewer.swf?u...c92a4a0d&z=CMH

[SayNoToMichigan]

Originally Posted by Buckskin86

NBC 4 interview of Stoney...
http://vp.mgnetwork.net/viewer.swf?u...c92a4a0d&z=CMH

Link's not workin' for me...

[jwinslow]

Jake has been working hard this offseason.