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- Thread starter Krenzelicious
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
6 Buckeye Football Players Facing Important Springs: Offense
Spring practice might not be the most high-profile time of year for college football teams, but for many players it can define their career.
Once the team gets more than a week or two into fall camp, the focus starts shifting toward the season.
Once the season starts, the focus is almost entirely on the next week’s game.
But spring ball is different. The previous season’s seniors and NFL Draft departees are gone, leaving not just open slots on the depth chart, but opportunity in their wake.
All the snaps taken last fall by guys like J.K. Dobbins, Chase Young, and Jeff Okudah are now up for grabs. That opens up chances for talented younger players like Master Teague, Zach Harrison, and Cameron Brown who played a part-time role in 2019 to rise up and claim a bigger spot on the 2020 Buckeyes.
It’s also a chance for some players who have been around for a few years, but not yet made their mark to start doing so.
Ohio State is annually among the top programs in the nation for attracting talented high school stars. That’s great for the Buckeyes on the whole – fantastic high school players often turn into fantastic college players.
But for guys who are still fighting for a spot on the two-deep after a couple seasons in the program, those freshmen represent another group of talented competition trying to beat them out for a spot on the field.
A player’s third or fourth spring in the program can be the difference between finally winning a spot in the rotation, like Baron Browning and Amir Riep did in 2019, and getting totally buried on the depth chart.
Here’s a look at six players on offense facing very important springs entering their third year or later, with the opportunity to take the next step toward earning regular playing time.
OT Max Wray, RS Sophomore
Wray was ranked as the No. 9 tackle in the 2017 class, and the 121st player overall in the nation.
He went through spring ball in 2018 and redshirted. Then he saw action on special teams in three games in 2019, but still hasn’t appeared on offense.
There are snaps available at tackle this year, with both Branden Bowen and Josh Alabi out of eligibility. Thayer Munford returns at one of the starting spots and Nick Petit-Frere is the front-runner on the right side of the line, but the backup spots figure to come down to a battle between players like Dawand Jones, Wray, and Paris Johnson.
Jones is a year younger than him, and seemingly passed him on the depth chart in 2019. Johnson comes in with as much hype as any offensive line prospect the Buckeyes have signed in a generation.
OSU started four different players at tackle in 2019. Wray has an opportunity to earn a spot on the two-deep this spring, putting himself in position to be the “next man up” at one of those spots.
With six freshmen offensive linemen arriving this year and highly-touted prospect Ben Christman already committed for next season, the path to playing time up front will only get tougher in 2021. This is Wray’s chance.
Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/01/5-buckeye-football-players-facing-important-springs-offense/
Spring practice might not be the most high-profile time of year for college football teams, but for many players it can define their career.
Once the team gets more than a week or two into fall camp, the focus starts shifting toward the season.
Once the season starts, the focus is almost entirely on the next week’s game.
But spring ball is different. The previous season’s seniors and NFL Draft departees are gone, leaving not just open slots on the depth chart, but opportunity in their wake.
All the snaps taken last fall by guys like J.K. Dobbins, Chase Young, and Jeff Okudah are now up for grabs. That opens up chances for talented younger players like Master Teague, Zach Harrison, and Cameron Brown who played a part-time role in 2019 to rise up and claim a bigger spot on the 2020 Buckeyes.
It’s also a chance for some players who have been around for a few years, but not yet made their mark to start doing so.
Ohio State is annually among the top programs in the nation for attracting talented high school stars. That’s great for the Buckeyes on the whole – fantastic high school players often turn into fantastic college players.
But for guys who are still fighting for a spot on the two-deep after a couple seasons in the program, those freshmen represent another group of talented competition trying to beat them out for a spot on the field.
A player’s third or fourth spring in the program can be the difference between finally winning a spot in the rotation, like Baron Browning and Amir Riep did in 2019, and getting totally buried on the depth chart.
Here’s a look at six players on offense facing very important springs entering their third year or later, with the opportunity to take the next step toward earning regular playing time.
OT Max Wray, RS Sophomore
Wray was ranked as the No. 9 tackle in the 2017 class, and the 121st player overall in the nation.
He went through spring ball in 2018 and redshirted. Then he saw action on special teams in three games in 2019, but still hasn’t appeared on offense.
There are snaps available at tackle this year, with both Branden Bowen and Josh Alabi out of eligibility. Thayer Munford returns at one of the starting spots and Nick Petit-Frere is the front-runner on the right side of the line, but the backup spots figure to come down to a battle between players like Dawand Jones, Wray, and Paris Johnson.
Jones is a year younger than him, and seemingly passed him on the depth chart in 2019. Johnson comes in with as much hype as any offensive line prospect the Buckeyes have signed in a generation.
OSU started four different players at tackle in 2019. Wray has an opportunity to earn a spot on the two-deep this spring, putting himself in position to be the “next man up” at one of those spots.
With six freshmen offensive linemen arriving this year and highly-touted prospect Ben Christman already committed for next season, the path to playing time up front will only get tougher in 2021. This is Wray’s chance.
Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/01/5-buckeye-football-players-facing-important-springs-offense/
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BigthickThaddeus_gibson09
Your favorite forgotten pass rusher
Whats the deal with mad Max Wray? He’s now an upperclassmen yet Paris Johnson is talked about as easily being in front of him in the media and some coach interviews early spring. Pretty sure his recruiting ranking wasn’t far off Paris Johnson’s and he’s much more experienced. #freeMaximillianWray
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
THIRD-YEAR OUTLOOK
Even though Wray has been at Ohio State for two years, it appears he has already been supplanted on the offensive tackle depth chart by five-star true freshman Paris Johnson Jr., who saw some first-team reps at right tackle during the Buckeyes’ lone week of spring practice in March.
With Munford back for one more year as the starting left tackle and Petit-Frere, Johnson and Jones all competing for the starting spot at right tackle, those four players are likely to make up Ohio State’s two-deep on the bookends of its line, leaving Wray with an uphill battle again to earn regular playing time as a redshirt sophomore.
As long as Wray remains a third-string offensive tackle on the depth chart, he isn’t going to see much game action. That said, depth will be more important than ever if the Buckeyes play this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which could increase his value to the team and his chances of getting on the field.
Given the recommended guidelines that will require any player who comes in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case to quarantine for two weeks, college football teams will need even more players near the back of the depth chart to be ready to step up at any time this season, and having a highly recruited third-year scholarship player in that position is a nice luxury for Ohio State to have, especially at a position as crucial as offensive tackle.
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This thread deserves a major bump after today. Curious to see how he grades out but from what I could tell today, Max seriously kicked ass. Right edge always seemed set and no pressure all day from the right edge. No matter what he grades out, he answered the next man up call and got the job done. We needed Max big time today and he stepped up.
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calibuck
Too soon old, too late smart
Yeah, an amazing performance by the depleted OL. Head scratcher from Henry Miller, thought he was good at that center s***. And he'd always take snaps in practice, being the premier backup and all....Not a knock, well, not intentionally, but both Miller and Wypler showed why it takes awhile to settle in at the center position. Guess we're spoiled by Billy and Elflein. Looked like Wyatt was more than a little injured, as he gave up several pressures/sacks. Enoch seemed solid, as did both tackles, as have been mentioned above. Guess practicing against tOSU DE's has both it's frustrations (in practice) and it's rewards (in actual games). Feel comfortable going forward into Meatchicken week with what we've got up front. Particularly happy with the LB play, and Coombs must have been ranting all week (or having the DBs run the stadium steps), as not too many completed passes by MSU. Did we go into a zone D somewhere down the line? Also seemed like some of the MSU completions were the result of 'seams' instead of dropped coverages. Anyway, the D was a 'tad' tighter than against Indiana (tongue in cheek). Great game by tOSU! PS, anyone notice that Crisman has an average of 52 yards per punt? Go Bucks!
My money is still on Meatchicken pulling a Covid. I get that Harbaugh is a competitive son-of-a-gun, but he's certainly no dummy. If tOSU puts up a hunnerd, Don Brown is gone, and so is he. Kicked upstairs certainly, but taken off the field.
My money is still on Meatchicken pulling a Covid. I get that Harbaugh is a competitive son-of-a-gun, but he's certainly no dummy. If tOSU puts up a hunnerd, Don Brown is gone, and so is he. Kicked upstairs certainly, but taken off the field.
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bigdog3300
The G.O.A.T.
We have tackle's for days.....Max and Dawand did a phenomenal job at controlling the edges. Michigan State has some talent on the front 7 and for the most part any pressure they were able to get was up the middle.
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That's exactly how I saw it...MSU definitely has a good front 7 and the OL answered the call, but the OTs (Wray and Jones) really kicked ass overall. Wray in particular stood out to me, which is why I came in this thread. Wray was a promising recruit and seemed lost in the shuffle, but he was fantastic today it seemed.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
It will be interesting to see which OL players grade out as "champions" for this game.
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