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WR Ellijah Gardiner (Official Thread)

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.

WR Ellijah Gardiner, RS Junior

Gardiner was a late addition to the 2017 Buckeye recruiting class, flipping from Missouri on the day before National Signing Day. His 6-foot-4 frame made him an intriguing prospect, but he came in needing to add bulk before he could be a regular contributor.

Gardiner redshirted in 2017, then played 10 games in 2018. Most of that action came on special teams, and he did not catch a pass.

He snagged his first career reception for 10 yards against Miami in 2019, but suffered an injury shortly thereafter and did not appear again during the season.

It’s still not clear whether Gardiner will be healthy enough to participate in spring practice, and with four extremely talented true freshman already on campus, and second-year players like Jameson Williams and Garrett Wilson poised to take a bigger role, Gardiner may not ever have a better chance to earn a spot in Brian Hartline’s rotation than right now.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/01/5-buckeye-football-players-facing-important-springs-offense/
 
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