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- Thread starter MD Buckeye
- Start date
ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
JEFFREY OKUDAH SHINES COVERING KICKS AND PUNTS WHILE PART OF CORNERBACK ROTATION
As long as Urban Meyer has been at the helm of the Ohio State football program, all freshmen have had to play special teams in order to earn playing time on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball.
That philosophy applies to all players, including the top prospects in the country, such as former five-star Jeffrey Okudah who was ranked the No. 8 overall player and the top cornerback in his class.
Now a sophomore, Okudah didn’t play much last season. He was buried behind eventual No. 4 overall NFL draft pick Denzel Ward, Kendall Sheffield and Damon Arnette as the fourth corner. But given Ohio State’s rotation, he played only about 1/3 as many snaps on defense as the trio of players ahead of him.
Instead, he did what most Ohio State freshmen end up doing: play special teams.
This season, Okudah has joined Sheffield and Arnette as one of the top three cornerbacks, but remains a key cog on the special teams unit. The defensive back out of out of Grand Prairie, Texas, serves as a gunner on the punt team and covers kickoffs.
In Saturday’s 27-26 comeback victory against Penn State, Okudah tallied three tackles as a gunner on punt coverage and, Urban Meyer said, was the first player down the field to cover kickoffs. Meyer said he has performed at an “elite, elite level” thus far on special teams.
Part of his success as a gunner has come due to a competition with Terry McLaurin, the other player tasked with racing down the field to cover Drue Chrisman’s punts.
“I think, at the end of the day, you want to be able to do anything for the football team,” Okudah said. “Me and Terry have kind of been having a little friendly competition all year over who's the best gunner on the team. We've kind of been going at it. Just getting down there, it's like I know if I'm there, Terry's right behind me or if he's there, I'll be right behind him.”
Okudah declined to offer an opinion about whether he or McLaurin were the better gunner, saying, “Y’all saw the game on Saturday. Whoever y’all got.”
Chrisman booted the ball nine times, which kept Okudah and McLaurin busy.
“Him and Okudah were just blown out to the point where most average human beings would pull themselves out of the game, and they're not doing it,” Meyer said. “So, it's phenomenal. And especially when Damon Arnette went down in the fourth quarter. It's more stress on Jeffrey Okudah.”
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...s-and-punts-while-part-of-cornerback-rotation
As long as Urban Meyer has been at the helm of the Ohio State football program, all freshmen have had to play special teams in order to earn playing time on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball.
That philosophy applies to all players, including the top prospects in the country, such as former five-star Jeffrey Okudah who was ranked the No. 8 overall player and the top cornerback in his class.
Now a sophomore, Okudah didn’t play much last season. He was buried behind eventual No. 4 overall NFL draft pick Denzel Ward, Kendall Sheffield and Damon Arnette as the fourth corner. But given Ohio State’s rotation, he played only about 1/3 as many snaps on defense as the trio of players ahead of him.
Instead, he did what most Ohio State freshmen end up doing: play special teams.
This season, Okudah has joined Sheffield and Arnette as one of the top three cornerbacks, but remains a key cog on the special teams unit. The defensive back out of out of Grand Prairie, Texas, serves as a gunner on the punt team and covers kickoffs.
In Saturday’s 27-26 comeback victory against Penn State, Okudah tallied three tackles as a gunner on punt coverage and, Urban Meyer said, was the first player down the field to cover kickoffs. Meyer said he has performed at an “elite, elite level” thus far on special teams.
Part of his success as a gunner has come due to a competition with Terry McLaurin, the other player tasked with racing down the field to cover Drue Chrisman’s punts.
“I think, at the end of the day, you want to be able to do anything for the football team,” Okudah said. “Me and Terry have kind of been having a little friendly competition all year over who's the best gunner on the team. We've kind of been going at it. Just getting down there, it's like I know if I'm there, Terry's right behind me or if he's there, I'll be right behind him.”
Okudah declined to offer an opinion about whether he or McLaurin were the better gunner, saying, “Y’all saw the game on Saturday. Whoever y’all got.”
Chrisman booted the ball nine times, which kept Okudah and McLaurin busy.
“Him and Okudah were just blown out to the point where most average human beings would pull themselves out of the game, and they're not doing it,” Meyer said. “So, it's phenomenal. And especially when Damon Arnette went down in the fourth quarter. It's more stress on Jeffrey Okudah.”
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...s-and-punts-while-part-of-cornerback-rotation
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MARVYMARV14
Hall of Fame
He's been jumping off the screen lately as a guy that is improving every snap and every game, kid is getting better and better
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
I agree. Which could easily be in 2020. I hope he sees the financial advantages of not declaring for the 2019 draft.
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GovTressel
Heisman
Watched the Rose bowl with a die-hard and mindful Wash fan friend...his big takeaway from the game- “#1 is a fucking beast!”
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Not really going out on much of a limb, but bet he's a monster next year and a top-10 pick in 2020.
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Not yet, but it certainly looked like the light came on in the Rose Bowl. He has the measurables to go top-10, if his play on the field is up to recent tOSU vintage next season, I'd be surprised if he doesn't.
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