2018 tOSU Defense Discussion

[ScriptOhio]

Ohio State Spring Recap: The Corner Market

Ohio State returns two starting cornerbacks from last season in Kendall Sheffield and Damon Arnette, which is (technically) as many or more than anybody else in the nation. The Buckeyes were without one of their top three cornerbacks this spring in sophomore Jeff Okudah, which allowed fellow second-year players Marcus Williamson and Shaun Wade to receive valuable reps. There were also a pair of true freshmen taking part this spring in Tyreke Johnson and Sevyn Banks. Attempting to figure out what do with all of this talent is new cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson, who had glowing things to say throughout spring about his players.

Depth Chart
8 Kendall Sheffield, rJr (6-0 193) OR
1 Jeff Okudah, Sr (6-1 199)
21 Marcus Williamson, So (5-10 185)
13 Tyreke Johnson, Fr (6-1 190)

46 Damon Arnette, rJr (6-0 195)
24 Shaun Wade, rFr (6-1 192)
12 Sevyn Banks, Fr (6-1 190)

Notable
Sophomore Jeff Okudah missed the spring with shoulder surgery, but Urban Meyer said after the spring game that he was part of the three-man rotation they’ll have this season. In 2017, Okudah played more as a freshman than any other corner during Meyer’s tenure, which should mean good things in 2018. The fact that Okudah is already in the rotation without a spring camp to show for it says some pretty good things about a guy who looks like he might be the next great one for the Buckeyes.

Quotable
“I’ll tell you what, the one thing Damon Arnette has is game experience. He has game experience and you can’t take that away and he is a feisty competitor. A lot of the times out here I have to calm him down to make sure he doesn’t punch himself out, which you appreciate that because he cares so much. But he’s a guy we’re counting on big time. And not just because he has game experience, but because he has talent and all of those other attributes that we need for him to have a really really good season.” — Cornerbacks coach Tony Alford

Doteable
Sophomore Marcus Williamson is the smallest of the Ohio State cornerbacks, but he showed in the spring game against 6-foot-5 Jaylen Harris that his size doesn’t hold him back. Williamson is feisty and physical, and according to Tony Alford, he’s also the quickest of the Buckeye corners. That quickness landed him a spot at the nickel during the spring. The question now becomes whether he can work his way into the rotation as a nickel back this season.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/04/ohio-state-spring-recap-corner-market/

 

[ScriptOhio]

Football: Ohio State still eyeing the field for a safety

There’s safety in numbers.

Or at least, there should be.

Ohio State has an opening in its defensive backfield at the field safety position opposite junior safety Jordan Fuller. Despite having three people competing for the position, head coach Urban Meyer said he views the position battle as the No. 1 concern for his team exiting spring practices because no one has made any noticeable separation to this point.

“We’re just not quite sure who that is,” Meyer said after the Spring Game. “[Defensive coordinators Greg] Schiano and Alex Grinch, we’re going to meet probably next Wednesday and they’re going to give me a depth chart and we’ll go from there.”

One of the many positions vacated by a senior from last season, safety has not been a major debate for Ohio State in past seasons. Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell, both now in the NFL, held the roles in 2015. Damon Webb and Malik Hooker were viewed as the clear starters in the 2016 season, and while Fuller split snaps with Erick Smith across the field from Webb in 2017, Fuller soon overtook Smith.

Now, there’s three players — sophomores Isaiah Pryor and Brendon White, as well as redshirt sophomore Jahsen Wint — battling against one another for the opening. Pryor, the No. 8 safety in the 2017 recruiting class according to 247Sports composite rankings, entered the spring considered by many to be the favorite to grab the position.

Meyer said on March 26 those were the only three competing for the spot, but also suggested freshmen Marcus Hooker — Malik’s younger brother — and Josh Proctor could put themselves into the fight as well.

Almost three weeks after that, Schiano still refused to rule those two players out.

“Around here, there’s no freshman, sophomore, junior. I mean, if you’re the best guy, you’ll play,” Schiano said after the Spring Game. “There’s a guy by the name of Hooker too that’s coming to town. Who knows? Somebody in his family played that position pretty well.”

Hearing the coaches talk about the position battles for the upcoming year, it becomes apparent that the second safety position could be the last decided on defense. The coaching staff appears to have several players in mind for the two linebacker openings.

But safety, a position that had an early frontrunner in Pryor, now might not have an answer until the end of the summer.

“I know we [won’t] come out of spring with a clear-cut guy,” Schiano said. “The competition will continue into training camp and I’m confident we’ll have two guys that start that game that will be game-ready. It’s developing depth behind it that will be the challenge.”

Entire article: https://www.thelantern.com/2018/04/football-ohio-state-still-eyeing-the-field-for-a-safety/

 

[ScriptOhio]

RANKING THE MOST IMPORTANT POSITION BATTLES OUTSIDE OF QUARTERBACK

By now, you have probably read enough on the Ohio State quarterback battle to where your head is spinning. Don't worry, there will plenty more on the signal-callers to come in the coming days, weeks and months leading up to the 2018 season.

Ohio State's other open position battles are still being worked out and there are still a number of candidates still fighting for the right to be called a starter for the Buckeyes.

Quarterback is without question the most important position in football, therefore it is the most important position battle still to be determined in Columbus. However, Ohio State still needs to decide on three new linebackers, a safety and a center before the season kicks off on Sept. 1.

What follows is a list of the three most important position battles (outside of quarterback) that have yet to be decided at Ohio State, and how the decisions at those positions could impact the 2018 Buckeyes.

1. MIDDLE / OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Many, including myself, believe that at least one of the outside linebacker positions will be filled by Malik Harrison by the time the season starts. Harrison played plenty of reps last season in place of oft-injured Dante Booker and played well, collecting 36 tackles and a pair of sacks in 2017. Who joins him in the second level of Ohio State's defense remains to be seen.

With Tuf Borland sidelined with an Achilles, it is likely that someone else will have to fill in at the middle linebacker spot in the season opener. Baron Browning appears to be the leader in the clubhouse, but Justin Hilliard continues to push the sophomore.

The middle linebacker position has been crucial for Ohio State's defense over the years, and when the play at that spot has dropped, the Silver Bullets struggled. Chris Worley played the first few games at middle linebacker to start the season, but looked out of place at times. Oklahoma repeatedly gashed Ohio State with throws over the middle against the Buckeye linebackers on its way to a 31-16 win over OSU.

Once Worley got healthy and returned to outside linebacker and Borland assumed the middle linebacker duties, Ohio State seemed to stabilize a bit, outside of a disastrous showing in Iowa City.

Whoever wins the middle linebacker job will have to become the quarterback of the defense, and immediately assume a leadership role, which is why it is at the top of this list.

Joining the battle at middle linebacker is the other outside linebacker spot opposite of Harrison. Keandre Jones looks to have the upper hand to win the job, but is consistently getting pushed by the likes of Pete Werner.

The outside linebacker spot isn't as crucial as middle, but because of Ohio State's struggles at the position in pass coverage last season, the Buckeyes need to make sure they appoint the right player to fill this spot. Whoever does get the nod will have to play in space, something the linebackers struggled with at times a year ago.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...rtant-position-battles-outside-of-quarterback

 

[ScriptOhio]

FIELD SAFETY IS OHIO STATE'S MOST WIDE OPEN POSITION BATTLE AS SPRING CONCLUDES

While it didn’t get as much attention as some of Ohio State’s position battles this spring, the competition to start at safety alongside Jordan Fuller could be the position battle to watch when the Buckeyes return to the field for fall camp.

Ohio State’s three-way quarterback competition has drawn most of the attention, but realistically, the Buckeyes need to make a decision on who their starting quarterback will be now that spring practices are over. In addition to letting Joe Burrow know where he stands before he makes a decision on whether he should leave the program as a graduate transfer, the Buckeyes need to know which quarterback they will be building their offense around, as Burrow, Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell all have different skill sets.

There are several other crucial position battles that took place this spring that should continue into fall camp, including at center and at linebacker, but the Buckeyes have at least narrowed down their options at those positions.

Josh Myers will continue to compete for the starting center job this spring, but Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said after Saturday’s spring game that Brady Taylor is in line to start as of now. Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard are competing to start at middle linebacker (at least until Tuf Borland is ready to return from an Achilles injury), and Keandre Jones and Pete Werner appear to be competing to start along with Malik Harrison at outside linebacker, but those appear likely to be head-to-head battles at this point.

At the field safety position, however, the competition appears to remain wide open, with several players on the roster – and a couple who haven’t even arrived in Columbus yet – still potentially having a chance to seize a spot in the lineup.

"The field safety is probably our No. 1 concern on our team right now," Meyer said after the spring game. "We’re just not quite sure who that is."

The presumed leader in the clubhouse since even before spring began has been true sophomore Isaiah Pryor, who started alongside Fuller and the rest of the Buckeyes’ first-team defense for Team Scarlet in Saturday’s spring game. Meyer’s comments as well as those of defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, however, suggest that Pryor hasn’t done enough yet to prove he deserves a starting job.

"We don’t come out of spring with a clear-cut guy," said Schiano, who was also the Buckeyes’ safeties coach for the past two seasons, after the spring game. "The competition will continue into training camp."

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...wide-open-position-battle-as-spring-concludes

 

[ScriptOhio]

Mystery Abounds, Yet Buckeye Coaches Excited About Linebackers

Normally, when a football team loses its only returning starter at linebacker to injury, the tension tightens and coaches begin to lose what little sleep they regularly subsist on. Thanks to the depth of the Ohio State linebackers, however, the Buckeye football coaches are more excited than worried about the possibilities.

Tuf Borland’s Achilles injury was certainly a blow, but the coaches are all confident that he will be back. They would probably be significantly more worried if they didn’t see positives every day from the linebacker position this spring.

“It’s a positive right now,” Urban Meyer said earlier in camp. “That’s one of our better units as far as getting better. Really talented guys.”

Borland was the only linebacker on the team who had wrapped up a spot, but even that spot is now up for grabs with a predicted September return likely eliminating Borland from starting the season opener for the Buckeyes.

Fourth-year junior Justin Hilliard and sophomore Baron Browning — both former 5-star recruits — have competed with each other for the middle linebacker spot. They were even throughout camp, but it was Hilliard who started with the first-team defense in the spring game.

At Will linebacker, the Buckeyes have rotated junior Keandre Jones and sophomore Pete Werner. Jones leaves spring with a head up in that competition as Werner made the move to Will during camp. Junior Malik Harrison entered the spring as the No. 1 Sam, and that is also how he leaves it. Behind him, freshman Dallas Gant played with exactly the kind of tenacity that the coaches love.

“I’m so excited about the group I’m working with,” linebackers coach Bill Davis said. “These guys are talented, they are all in, they are grinding, it matters to them, I’m excited about what’s going to happen, and I have no worries. The next man will step up. This is a talented group of players at Ohio State, at linebacker especially.”

Last season did not go well at times for the Buckeye linebackers, and Davis knows it. Ohio State needs a better performance from their linebackers this season, and they’ll be expecting to get it from a fairly untested group of players. This puts pressure on Davis to get the job done, and to get it done quickly.

“There’s always pressure, and I always have to get it right. That is my job,” he said. “I’ve got to get it right and there is the pressure to get these guys right. I’m confident about the way we’re handling it right now. You can only play the hand you’re dealt and I’m excited about the hand I’m dealt because these guys are going hard at it and they’ll be ready.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/04/mystery-buckeye-football-coaches-excited/

 

[Bestbuck36]

I cant stop wishing we could get Hilliard and Browning on the field at the same time. Love both their games.

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[ScriptOhio]

Best Guessing the Final Spring Ohio State Football Depth Chart — Defense

Now that we have seen everything that Ohio State spring football has to show us, there is a pretty good feel for where the two-deep stands for the Buckeyes.

Having already projected the offensive depth chart for OSU, it is now time to jump to the other side of the ball.

Defensively, Ohio State returns six starters, but went into the spring looking for seven or eight more.



Not every job has been filled, but for the most part the coaches feel good about where they stand. Urban Meyer may have concerns, but the position coaches are all convinced they’ve got the players they need for success.

Defensive End
97 Nick Bosa, Jr
9 Jashon Cornell, rJr

The Wrap: Nick Bosa is now the leader of the defensive ends and he worked to become the vocal leader the Buckeyes need. He also had no problem leading by example. Jashon Cornell got plenty of reps this spring at his new position.
Nose Tackle
67 Rob Landers, rJr
53 Davon Hamilton, rJr
51 Antwuan Jackson, rSo OR
98 Jerron Cage, rFr

The Wrap: Larry Johnson told me that Antwuan Jackson can play either position, but for now he’s at nose tackle. He was slowed this spring by a broken foot, but Johnson said he’s incredibly hungry to be full go. They gave him about 23 snaps in the spring game just to push him a bit. Robert Landers and Davon Hamilton had great springs. Jerron Cage is progressing as well.

Defensive Tackle
86 Dre’Mont Jones, rJr
92 Haskell Garrett, So OR
72 Tommy Togiai, Fr
55 Malik Barrow, rSo

The Wrap: Urban Meyer said Dre’Mont Jones may have had the best spring of any of the Buckeyes. Tommy Togiai was the only true freshman to lose his black stripe. Haskell Garrett went through his first spring, but dealt with a concussion toward the end of camp. Malik Barrow was limited all spring as he recovers from ACL surgery last season.

Defensive End
2 Chase Young, So OR
18 Jonathon Cooper, Jr

The Wrap: Things here went about as well as you would expect for a pair of former 5-star defensive ends. Ohio State football appears to be in good hands, as Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper both had productive springs. They got all of the reps they could handle. Both will be in the rotation this year at defensive end.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/04/ohio-state-football-depth-chart-defense/

 

[ScriptOhio]

OHIO STATE SUDDENLY HAS ITS MOST TALENTED DEFENSIVE TACKLES SINCE URBAN MEYER'S ARRIVAL

If you blinked, you might have missed it.

After years of questions surrounding the defensive tackle position at Ohio State, the Buckeyes suddenly have their deepest and most talented group of interior linemen since Urban Meyer's arrival in Columbus.

It happened seemingly overnight, but it was also a long time coming.

Ohio State's recruiting misses at defensive tackle over the years have been well documented. During Meyer's first five years, the Buckeyes signed a top-five player at every single position except defensive tackle. In fact, they only signed one player, Tommy Schutt, who was ranked in the top 10 at the position.

The Buckeyes chased, and missed out on talented tackles such as Neville Gallimore (Oklahoma), Christian Wilkins (Clemson), Rashard Lawrence (LSU), Antwuan Jackson (Auburn), Rashan Gary (Michigan), Marvin Wilson (Florida State) and Jay Tufele (USC).

Without those blue chip prospects, the coaching staff just had to work with what they had. That meant converting defensive ends into interior linemen and developing some of the under-recruited players into top-level linemen.

It hasn't always been ideal, but it's worked. Despite questions every offseason, Ohio State routinely dominates the middle of the line. Those converted defensive ends have come along – Adolphus Washington currently plays the position in the NFL and Dre'Mont Jones will do the same soon enough – and lower-rated guys such as Robert Landers have come along.



The past five years, Ohio State's made a fearsome interior defensive line out of unideal circumstances. But all of the sudden, those circumstances are pretty close to ideal, and if the Buckeyes were dominant in the trenches before, it's difficult to imagine what it will look like now.

Meyer didn't sign a single top-five defensive tackle in his first five years, now his roster features three. He signed just one top-ten defensive tackle in his first five years, now he has five in the past two.

Almost faster than you can blink, Ohio State has turned a position full of question marks into one overflowing with elite talent.

The unit is led by Jones, who was quietly one of the most dominating players on the roster last season and could have gone to the NFL, but chose to return to school. With him is Robert Landers, who's short stature and quick twitch makes him one of the most disruptive interior linemen in the country.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-defensive-tackles-since-urban-meyers-arrival

 

[ScriptOhio]

Justin Hilliard, Jashon Cornell Persevered Together

Many players deal with injuries during their collegiate career. It’s just part of football. Some players, however, overcome that struggle alongside a close teammate, helping their healing process and easing the pain.

Redshirt junior defensive end Jashon Cornell and redshirt junior linebacker Justin Hilliard have both gone through injuries and setbacks throughout their respective careers at Ohio State.

Now, together, they are healthy and ready for the opportunities to come. And by remaining so close, they helped each other get through the difficult times.

“We came in here together. Committed on the same day,” Hilliard said. “Been really close since sophomore year of high school. We kind of went through the same struggles.”

Hilliard spent three seasons with separate biceps injuries. The second came during the 2016 season after playing in each of the team’s first three games of the season and recording four tackles in his first game as a Buckeye. Because of those injuries, Hilliard spent more time on the sidelines and in rehabilitation than on the field.

Finally healthy, this spring presented new opportunities and a bright future for Hillard. He was praised by head coach Urban Meyer for his success in the offseason and was constantly brought up as one of those guys that Meyer really enjoys being around.

For Cornell, dealing with his injury made for a complicated path. He also has not yet had the collegiate career he hoped to have. A move from defensive tackle to defensive end in the offseason, however, is expected to change that.

“Yeah, it was hard. It was really hard because I had some bumps in the road,” he said. “I had a hernia my sophomore year. I kept getting hurt and that would always set me back.”

After the healing process, Cornell is down in weight and fully healthy, and he feels great where he’s at right now.

Hilliard and Cornell have used the encouragement from each other to help them both persevere and get to where they are now.

“We’ve been roommates since freshman year,” Hilliard said. “Ever since, we’ve been pushing each other to get past injuries and stay positive and things like that. To be on the field with him is such a blessing.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/05/justin-hilliard-jashon-cornell-persevered/

 

[ScriptOhio]

Re: That's good for # in the nation!!!

 

[ScriptOhio]

Without Tuf Borland, Leadership Was Tested at Linebacker for Buckeyes

Ohio State must replace 49 career starts at the linebacker position this season. With two-year starters Jerome Baker and Chris Worley now gone, the Buckeyes not only went about replacing their production, but also their leadership.

That process took a hit this spring when third-year sophomore middle linebacker Tuf Borland suffered an Achilles tendon injury. The injury took Borland out of action, and it eliminated part of the growth process that every team needs.

The show must always go on, however, and with the importance that Urban Meyer places on leadership, Borland’s loss didn’t mean the end of building leaders.

In fact, it will be an ongoing process all season long.

“The competition is going to push them and drive them to get better, but it’s a good group of like-minded young men,” OSU linebackers coach Bill Davis said this spring. “You can tell when a group likes each other and has that chemistry, and this group has it.”

The Buckeyes left without knowing who their starting linebackers are going to be this season, but they weren’t too concerned about that. Overall, it is a versatile group, as shown by juniors Keandre Jones and Malik Harrison moving back and forth from both outside linebacker spots.

As third-year players, Jones and Harrison know the ropes, which allowed them to show the coaches and their teammates that they can lead.

Without Borland, fourth-year junior Justin Hilliard and sophomore Baron Browning manned the middle. In Ohio State’s defense — and most others — the middle linebacker is the quarterback of the defense and requires leadership in action. While Borland’s injury wasn’t a blessing in disguise, it did allow more players to emerge as leaders at a position where there was so much missing.

“We had a bunch of guys take steps in leadership, but even Tuf is growing into that role,” Davis said. “It’s exciting to watch them take their leadership role. We talk about leadership being more about actions than words, and I think that’s kind of what they’re trying to do.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/05/tuf-borland-tested-linebacker-buckeyes/

 

[ScriptOhio]

OHIO STATE'S 2017 RUSH DEFENSE FINISHED AS THE BEST OF THE MEYER ERA, SET NEW STANDARD FOR THE 2018 SQUAD

College football may not be quite like baseball when it comes to the deluge of ever-evolving metrics but even as increasingly complex data becomes readily available, one statistic remains crucial to a team's success and that's its ability to stop the run.

The value of stopping the run was never more apparent than last year when Ohio State's defense had its best season since Urban Meyer's arrival, limiting teams to 105.1 rushing yards per game (6th nationally) on 2.94 yards per carry (4th nationally).
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Led by a defensive front getting more hype for its ability to rush the passer, the likes of Sam Hubbard, Nick Bosa, Dre'Mont Jones, Tyquan Lewis and others did work up front to either stop the run themselves or pave the way for linebackers Jerome Baker, Tuf Borland and Chris Worley, along with safeties Jordan Fuller and Damon Webb to clean up ball carriers.

Looking further inside the stellar yards per carry and rush yards per game stats achieved the 2017 squad, even more impressive nuggets can be found.

Six teams managed to rush for at least 100 yards against last year's defense though only Iowa did so while achieving a better yards per carry mark against the Buckeyes than their respective season average, going for 6.4 a pop against Ohio State versus a season average of 3.8 per tote.

Army went for 259 yards on 58 carries, good for 4.5 per carry but that was still a full 1.5 yards below their season average. At the time, UNLV's 176 rushing yards seemed a bit nauseating but they did it on 4.3 yards per carry which was well below their season average of 5.5 which ranked 16th in the country.

Three teams to hit the century mark – Oklahoma, Rutgers and Michigan – did so on the strength of less than 3.0 yards per carry.

Conversely, eight opponents failed to register at least 100 rushing yards highlighted by Penn State, Wisconsin and USC.

Penn State finished the 2017 season averaging 4.9 yards per carry but went for just 2.6 against the Buckeyes, producing 91 yards on 35 carries as Greg Schiano's crew held Saquon Barkley to 44 yards on 21 carries (2.1 ypc) which is even more impressive when you consider Barkley had a 36 yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.

In the Big Ten title game, a Wisconsin squad that finished 2017 averaging almost 230 rushing yards per game on 4.9 yards per carry was held to 60 yards on 1.9 per carry by Ohio State's stout front. The Buckeyes bottled up Jonathan Taylor holding him to 41 yards on 15 carries (2.7 ypc) with a long of seven yards.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-set-new-standard-for-the-2018-squad-to-chase

 

[ScriptOhio]

2018 Ohio State Football Record Watch
There are three single-season school records, however, that are bound to fall.

Record 2 – Quarterback Sacks (Team)
Yes, I’m aware of what we lost to the NFL. Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, and Jalyn Holmes were (are) all fantastic players. They helped give Ohio State perhaps the deepest rotation of NFL-caliber talent in the country at one of the most game-changing positions in the sport. And yet, Ohio State may just improve its sack total from last year.

The 2017 defense accumulated 44 sacks as a team. That’s good enough for a tie for fourth-best in school history. The Buckeyes did that with Nick Bosa and Chase Young sharing a lot of time with the aforementioned defensive ends. Larry Johnson will have them on the field much more than they were in 2017. And, folks, that’s a scary thing.

Chase Young demolishing Maryland’s QB

In my opinion, those two were already the most dynamic pass rushers on the roster. In addition to them seeing significant minutes on the field in 2018, the middle of the line is back and improved. With Rob Landers, Davon Hamilton, and transfer Antwuan Jackson rotating at nose tackle, there should be little to no drop-off and fresh legs to spare. Similarly, the Buckeyes return Dre’Mont Jones (who could easily be practicing for his NFL debut right now), Haskell Garrett, and Tommy Togiai at the other tackle spot.

This lineup, once again, will give opposing offenses nightmares. There is simply no ability to focus or double-team without leaving themselves vulnerable elsewhere. In addition, OSU’s linebackers and secondary “only” provided 10.5 sacks last year. New Co-Defensive Coordinator, Alex Grinch’s aggressive schemes, combined with speed and athleticism across the board should boost those numbers.

47 is the current sack record for a season, set by both the 1998 and 2000 defenses. It’s my belief that this roster could hit 50.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/06/2018-osu-football-record-watch/

I'm thinking that the real key to breaking this record will be the play of the linebackers:

1) hold opposition runners to short gains putting the opposition in more passing situations.

2) covering the receivers on the quick outlet (i.e. short) pass options making the QB hold the ball longer.

3) effectively blitzing and getting some sacks too.