Brandon Zimmerman
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Pre-Spring Outlook: Quarterbacks
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
With the recruits signed, sealed, and almost delivered it is officially time to look forward to the 2016 football season. While the Buckeyes are already getting ready behind the scenes, things do not start to jump into another gear until the Buckeyes begin their spring practice on March 8th. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be taking a look at each positional group for the Buckeyes and discussing who might start and how the depth chart may shake up. First up we will be taking a look at the quarterback position.
THE PLAYERS
The Buckeyes have to replace 16 starters coming into the 2016 season but the quarterback position is not one of those spots. At the helm stands redshirt junior Joe Thomas (J.T.) Barrett out of Wichita Falls, Texas who is one of three Buckeyes who have already been named team captain. Barrett, who after a year of bouncing in-and-out of the lineup, is looking to build off of his strong Sugar Bowl performance and show people why he was a Heisman contender during his freshman year. As a freshman, Barrett threw for 2,834 yards, rushed for 1,117 yards, and combined for 45 touchdowns. Last year, after starting the year behind Cardale Jones, Barrett passed for 992 yards, rushed for 682 yards, and combined for 22 touchdowns.
Present And Future
Behind Barrett stand four underclassmen that are looking for their opportunity to step into the ever-important back-up quarterback job. At most schools this may be an afterthought but at Ohio State it has shown time and time again to be important to the team’s success. From Kenny Guiton to Barrett to Jones, this team has shown the need for the second and third string quarterback to be ready. On signing day, Coach Meyer named redshirt freshman Joey Burrow the back-up but things could always change between now and the start of the season.
Burrow, a four-star from Athens, may be even more ideal for the offense Meyer envisions at Ohio State. During his career at Athens High School, Burrow threw for over 11,400 yards, ran for over 2,000 yards, and combined for 184 touchdowns. At 6’3” and 210 pounds, Burrow has the size and athletic ability to succeed running this type of offense.
One man looking for a chance to jump Burrow is redshirt sophomore Stephen Collier from Georgia. Collier was the 12th ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2014 class and was the third string quarterback on the 2015 team where he received a lot of work in the spring as
COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 18: Quarterback Stephen Collier #13 of the Ohio State Buckeyes Scarlet team hands off to Warren Ball #28 of the Ohio State Buckeyes Scarlet team in the third quarter against the Gray team during the annual Ohio State Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 18, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. Gray defeated Scarlet 17-14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Barrett recovered from injury.
Another redshirt freshman is someone you can’t count out, Torrance Gibson. Gibson is the dynamic athlete from Florida who signed with the Buckeyes as a four-star athlete and spent last season as a wide receiver. Many are not sure where he will ultimately wind up but until he officially gives up his dream as playing quarterback, he has to be considered a threat to rise up the depth chart. Gibson has the size (6’4”), speed, and left-handed arm strength to thrive in an Urban Meyer led offense. If he can develop better accuracy, the sky is the limit.
The fourth name in the backup quarterback discussion is the newest guy in the room, Dwayne Haskins. Haskins is a 6’3” 200 pound pocket passer out of Maryland. Rated as the seventh best pro-style quarterback for the class, 24/7 Sports has Haskins as a four-star quarterback utilizing their composite ranking. While he does not possess the speed of guys like Torrance Gibson or J.T. Barrett, Haskins shows the ability to move when he needs to.
PREDICTED DEPTH CHART
Not surprisingly, I have Barrett listed as the starter. I went ahead and gave the back-up nod to Burrow and felt confident about this well before Meyer announcing it. I feel like people have slept on Burrow for long enough and after sneaking into the class behind the fanfare of Gibson people will see in the spring how good he is as a quarterback. If Collier sticks around, I believe he will easily be the number three guy IF he doesn’t ultimately beat out Burrow for the number two position. I hope Collier sticks around because he has been nothing but a great Buckeye but I worry about him looking for other opportunities being in such a crowded room. I think Gibson will ultimately stick at wide receiver and have a very successful career. If either of those two individuals is in the quarterback room when the season starts and Haskins does not take the number two spot, he will be buried in the depth chart and redshirt.
OUTLOOK SCHEDULE
Quarterbacks – 15 Feb
Running Backs – 17 Feb
Wide Receivers – 19 Feb
Tight Ends – 22 Feb
Offensive Line – 24 Feb
Defensive Line – 26 Feb
Linebackers – 29 Feb
Secondary – 2 Mar
Special Teams – 4 Mar
The post Pre-Spring Outlook: Quarterbacks appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
With the recruits signed, sealed, and almost delivered it is officially time to look forward to the 2016 football season. While the Buckeyes are already getting ready behind the scenes, things do not start to jump into another gear until the Buckeyes begin their spring practice on March 8th. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be taking a look at each positional group for the Buckeyes and discussing who might start and how the depth chart may shake up. First up we will be taking a look at the quarterback position.
THE PLAYERS
The Buckeyes have to replace 16 starters coming into the 2016 season but the quarterback position is not one of those spots. At the helm stands redshirt junior Joe Thomas (J.T.) Barrett out of Wichita Falls, Texas who is one of three Buckeyes who have already been named team captain. Barrett, who after a year of bouncing in-and-out of the lineup, is looking to build off of his strong Sugar Bowl performance and show people why he was a Heisman contender during his freshman year. As a freshman, Barrett threw for 2,834 yards, rushed for 1,117 yards, and combined for 45 touchdowns. Last year, after starting the year behind Cardale Jones, Barrett passed for 992 yards, rushed for 682 yards, and combined for 22 touchdowns.
Present And Future
Behind Barrett stand four underclassmen that are looking for their opportunity to step into the ever-important back-up quarterback job. At most schools this may be an afterthought but at Ohio State it has shown time and time again to be important to the team’s success. From Kenny Guiton to Barrett to Jones, this team has shown the need for the second and third string quarterback to be ready. On signing day, Coach Meyer named redshirt freshman Joey Burrow the back-up but things could always change between now and the start of the season.
Burrow, a four-star from Athens, may be even more ideal for the offense Meyer envisions at Ohio State. During his career at Athens High School, Burrow threw for over 11,400 yards, ran for over 2,000 yards, and combined for 184 touchdowns. At 6’3” and 210 pounds, Burrow has the size and athletic ability to succeed running this type of offense.
One man looking for a chance to jump Burrow is redshirt sophomore Stephen Collier from Georgia. Collier was the 12th ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2014 class and was the third string quarterback on the 2015 team where he received a lot of work in the spring as
COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 18: Quarterback Stephen Collier #13 of the Ohio State Buckeyes Scarlet team hands off to Warren Ball #28 of the Ohio State Buckeyes Scarlet team in the third quarter against the Gray team during the annual Ohio State Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 18, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. Gray defeated Scarlet 17-14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Barrett recovered from injury.
Another redshirt freshman is someone you can’t count out, Torrance Gibson. Gibson is the dynamic athlete from Florida who signed with the Buckeyes as a four-star athlete and spent last season as a wide receiver. Many are not sure where he will ultimately wind up but until he officially gives up his dream as playing quarterback, he has to be considered a threat to rise up the depth chart. Gibson has the size (6’4”), speed, and left-handed arm strength to thrive in an Urban Meyer led offense. If he can develop better accuracy, the sky is the limit.
The fourth name in the backup quarterback discussion is the newest guy in the room, Dwayne Haskins. Haskins is a 6’3” 200 pound pocket passer out of Maryland. Rated as the seventh best pro-style quarterback for the class, 24/7 Sports has Haskins as a four-star quarterback utilizing their composite ranking. While he does not possess the speed of guys like Torrance Gibson or J.T. Barrett, Haskins shows the ability to move when he needs to.
PREDICTED DEPTH CHART
- J.T. Barrett
- Joe Burrow
- Stephen Collier
Not surprisingly, I have Barrett listed as the starter. I went ahead and gave the back-up nod to Burrow and felt confident about this well before Meyer announcing it. I feel like people have slept on Burrow for long enough and after sneaking into the class behind the fanfare of Gibson people will see in the spring how good he is as a quarterback. If Collier sticks around, I believe he will easily be the number three guy IF he doesn’t ultimately beat out Burrow for the number two position. I hope Collier sticks around because he has been nothing but a great Buckeye but I worry about him looking for other opportunities being in such a crowded room. I think Gibson will ultimately stick at wide receiver and have a very successful career. If either of those two individuals is in the quarterback room when the season starts and Haskins does not take the number two spot, he will be buried in the depth chart and redshirt.
OUTLOOK SCHEDULE
Quarterbacks – 15 Feb
Running Backs – 17 Feb
Wide Receivers – 19 Feb
Tight Ends – 22 Feb
Offensive Line – 24 Feb
Defensive Line – 26 Feb
Linebackers – 29 Feb
Secondary – 2 Mar
Special Teams – 4 Mar
The post Pre-Spring Outlook: Quarterbacks appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...