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- Thread starter wadc45
- Start date
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
TIGHT END CADE STOVER
Though he enrolled at Ohio State less than a year ago, Stover has now played three positions and on both sides of the ball.
He began his college career last summer at linebacker, shifted to defensive end in mid-November then ended up at tight end during winter workouts. This spring was supposed to be when he settled into a position. That, of course, didn’t happen. Instead, Kevin Wilson will have to wait until preseason camp begins in August to fully evaluate Stover at his latest position.
Ultimately, the latest bump in Stover’s search for a full-time spot might not matter. But it’s important for players to settle into a position as early as possible, and he had a chance to do so in March and April. However, he’ll have to wait a few more months, at a bare minimum, to determine whether this will be his spot.
Though he enrolled at Ohio State less than a year ago, Stover has now played three positions and on both sides of the ball.
He began his college career last summer at linebacker, shifted to defensive end in mid-November then ended up at tight end during winter workouts. This spring was supposed to be when he settled into a position. That, of course, didn’t happen. Instead, Kevin Wilson will have to wait until preseason camp begins in August to fully evaluate Stover at his latest position.
Ultimately, the latest bump in Stover’s search for a full-time spot might not matter. But it’s important for players to settle into a position as early as possible, and he had a chance to do so in March and April. However, he’ll have to wait a few more months, at a bare minimum, to determine whether this will be his spot.
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Onebuckfan
classof76
Might get some snaps if Farrell is out for a while. Haven’t heard much about LF..
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Now, though, Luke Farrell and Jake Hausmann are gone. And if the Buckeyes are going to continue to unleash the two-tight end sets that have become such an asset for the attack, Stover is almost certainly going to have to emerge as one of them to complement Jeremy Ruckert.
“I think Cade, when you look at his skill set, his basketball background and his spatial awareness and things like that [are impressive],” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said last spring. “Then with his toughness, we think that he projects into being a really good tight end.”
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
But he outgrew linebacker within a year and shifted to defensive end, where he admitted he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. A few months later, Stover made one more move, leaving defense entirely to join Kevin Wilson and the tight ends.
“It wasn't frustrating,” Stover said last month. “I mean, yeah, there were frustrating moments along the way, but that comes with everything. I enjoy learning a different position and learning new stuff and just expanding my knowledge of the game and just getting better preparing for the future.”
Him becoming a tight end happened over a year ago. Stover has gone through an offseason, season, winter workouts and spring practices as a tight end. It wasn’t the original plan, but it’s been the plan now for more than 12 months, and for his second position switch to have been the correct decision, Ohio State needs to begin to see it pay off with production this fall.
Stover, as a redshirt sophomore, is the oldest scholarship tight end on the team not named Jeremy Ruckert and the only scholarship tight end outside of the starter to have ever even played a snap at the position in a regular season game. The Buckeyes need a backup tight end to replace what Luke Farrell offered them, and Stover’s the prime candidate for the job.
“He worked really hard this past year, but he's like a lot of these guys that didn't have a spring last spring, didn't have much of a preseason, then played behind Luke and Ruck last year, so didn't have a lot of game experience,” Ryan Day said on March 29. “But this is a big spring for him. This is the time. He's got to really step up now. I think he's poised to do that.”
He possesses the requisite size at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds along with the requisite athleticism as somebody with a basketball background – having set Lexington’s all-time scoring record – once ranked just outside of the top 100 recruits in the nation who was Ohio’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in high school.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Turn on his high school highlight tape for the proof of concept when Stover touches the ball. He’s 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. As violently as he runs, he’s tough to bring down. And he has proven he has soft hands to catch the football.
In just a short time since beginning to play tight end, Stover is turning heads around the football facility, reminding everyone of his past on the field with plays in practice.
“I like the way that Cade plays,” walk-on tight end Mitch Rossi said. “I like his attitude. He’s kind of an old-school football player. I enjoy the energy that he brings. And he’s a very athletic guy. He played offense and defense in high school, so he’s really made the transition well. He’s got great hands, great ball skills and everything.
“He’s been a big help for us.”
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I think OSU and some of the best teams in CFB are now recruiting the more versatile guys more than ever. Kids who played both ways in HS, and excelled at both, and also excelled at other sports are becoming a commodity now. Its not surprising now to see a kid come in as a S and turn into DE or LB, a RB who can become a DB or LB, a QB who becomes a WR or DB, etc.
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