Depth Chart, Captains Accentuate Rapidly Approaching Season
As such, the news that Ohio State has concluded fall camp, named its captains for the 2010 season and has released the tentative depth chart for the Marshall game reminds us all that the season is just around the corner. I will discuss these news items below.
Ohio State Names Six Captains
The Buckeyes named six captains for the 2010 season, matching a team high once achieved in 1982 (Glen Cobb, Jerome Foster, Joe Lukens, Marcus Marek, Tim Spencer and Gary Williams). Bryant Browning, Dane Sanzenbacher and Brandon Saine will serve as team leaders of the offense. Meanwhile, Brian Rolle, Cameron Heyward, and Ross Homan will lead the defense. All six are seniors and shared their thoughts about what being a captain means to them. For example:
“I was surprised to hear my name called,” said Saine, a tailback from Piqua High in Piqua, Ohio, who has rushed for 1,071 career yards as a Buckeye.
“I just want to lead by example and try to do things right.”
Depth Chart Announced
The more interesting news item leading up to the kickoff against Marshall happens to be the recently released depth chart.
There is a fair number of freshmen on the two-deep. It should be no surprise that a linemen-heavy 2009 recruiting class, most of whom redshirted, is starting to manifest in the two-deep so early. Corey Linsley and Jack Mewhort swapped positions (which really surprised me). Linsley is the backup center while Mewhort is serving as Bryant Browning’s understudy. A pleasant surprise under not-so-pleasant circumstances is Andrew Norwell. Norwell rebounded from a nasty leg injury in his senior season to catapult to the two-deep at right tackle, a move that occurs in the wake of Marcus Hall having to take an “academic redshirt” for the 2010 season.
Norwell is not the only true freshman making waves. Drew Basil has the necessary leg strength to be the first team kickoff specialist and is also backing up Devin Barclay at full time kicker. Christian Bryant has had an amazing camp, something I expected to him but like reading nonetheless. He is on the depth chart at the star position and will almost certainly see the field in 2010. Also, Johnathan Hankins is listed as the backup defensive tackle to Dexter Larimore. “Big Hank”, all 6’3 335lbs of “Big Hank”, will be substitute nose tackle for an Ohio State defense that has found a niche with its version of a 3-4 defense. Corey Brown also made the depth chart at wide receiver to begin the season, culminating another fine camp performance. He is joined by his evil twin, Corey Brown. Yes, two Corey Browns, both from Pennsylvania, and both on the depth chart. Suck on that, y’all.
The big bombshell on the depth chart is Andrew Sweat, who has come all the way back from an ACL tear to lock down the starting spot at strongside linebacker. That Sweat could miss six months of football and still leapfrog, if tentatively, Etienne Sabino says a lot about his natural football instincts. I was really bullish on Sabino coming out of high school, thinking that he would thrive at middle linebacker. He is back in the MIKE linebacker two-deep, sharing second team duties with sophomore Storm Klein.
CJ Barnett, a redshirt freshman, is also listed as a starter at strong safety. I am not reading too much into this. I suspect Barnett has been doing really well to be in that position, but a minor leg injury to Orhian Johnson has me thinking that Johnson’s injury contributed to this as much as Barnett’s performance in transitioning from cornerback to safety.
What Have We Learned?
The O-Zone has an article on the ten things we learned from camp that is worth reading. I’ll try to complement that with some speculations of my own, informed only as much as I’ve been able to see in practice and read about after the fact.
I like what I’ve seen and read from Terrelle Pryor, though no one should expect that he morphed into Peyton Manning in the offseason. Pryor is being listed as an odds-on Heisman favorite, something that I think might be too tentative. To be sure, his position has a bit of a logjam that includes Kellen Moore, Ryan Mallett, Andrew Luck and many others. The reigning winner returns to Alabama to share carries with Trent Richardson. I think Pryor is capable of steadily leading the Buckeyes through the 2010 season and into the national title game. God willing. Should he do that, he would be a hard person to beat in the Heisman vote given the preseason hype toward his season. Definitely pray that this happens.
Second, the Buckeyes appear to have a wealth of talent at the running back position. Mainstays like Dan Herron and Brandon Saine will be complemented with up-and-comers like Carlos Hyde and Jaamal Berry and sophomore Jordan Hall. Depending on who you talk to, the young’ns on the roster might be the best tailbacks in the tandem. I’ve read reports that rave about Carlos Hyde, characterizing him as the ideal tailback for what Jim Tressel likes to do. Add Terrelle Pryor into the mix and Ohio State could rival Alabama for the nation’s best rushing attack. Either way, I get more excited about this particular aspect of the 2010 Buckeyes the more I think about it.
On that same note of preseason excitement, I am really interested in seeing how Ohio State plans to incorporate Jake Stoneburner and Zach Boren into the receiving game. I genuinely believe we are going to see these two make some plays going forward. In terms of talent, Stoneburner and Boren might be the best Tressel’s had at the “positions that are glorified extra linemen” position in his time at Ohio State.
The interior of the offensive line was the strength of the entire unit by season’s end. It returns in full to lead the way. It appears that Ohio State still wants a little more out of the tackles. Marcus Hall’s “academic redshirt” definitely does not help on gamedays, though working the scout team should make for better practices and hopefully help Ohio State (and Hall) in the long run.
Questions still appear to loom about the extent to which Taurian Washington can reliably assist the Buckeyes as a third team wide receiver. Ill-timed and inexpicable drops have occurred here and there in practice, to the point that it usually comes up in some kind of post-practice report. Don’t underestimate the loss of Duron Carter in the offseason. Ohio State has options, but Carter was the answer we had at the position. Look to Chris Fields and Philly Brown to contribute as well. Selfishly, I want Buckeye legacy, fifth year senior and fellow southern Californian Grant Schwartz to see the field in 4/5 wide sets in the fall as well. I’m pulling for him.
I don’t have too many observations on the defensive side of the ball, other than a real hope that the Buckeyes can find the necessary depth on the defensive line that gave the Buckeyes the Defensive Line From Hell in 2009. We really need Nathan Williams at 100 percent capacity. He is nursing a lower leg injury sustained during the kick scrimmage and everyone is optimistic he will be fine going forward. He needs to be. Solomon Thomas has flashes, but that is the point. Williams gets much better and more consistent pressure. Elsewhere, I am pleased to know that Melvin Fellows’ Safari Planet has performed well as Cam Heyward’s understudy through camp. However, he is nursing a bit of an injury that has opened the door for redshirt freshman Adam Bellamy to backup Heyward. The dropoff appears to be sizable. It seems Ohio State has found some answers in the middle with Johnathan Hankins and Garrett Goebel. Goebel, long a player that everyone liked, was just leapfrogged by John Simon early last year. That says much more about Simon than Goebel.
Beyond that, we know what we are getting with our linebackers and I think everyone knows that the secondary will not be the strength of our defense. I have little to add here that has not already been said. Instead, let’s watch some hype videos for this season from Robby Kitchel.
The same guy also mined through a few of my YouTube videos, putting together this awesome clip of the Buckeye greats of yesteryear. I really like this one.
Written by: Vico |
For what it’s worth, there was a fair bit more about the captains that WordPress kept insisting that I not publish. Most of it was about Pryor. Nothing too major. If it seems that part of the post seems to be cut prematurely, that’s why. I just gave up on trying to make the software happy.
Still good stuff. Thanks Vico. I’m hoping all the cool toys in the closet will be pulled out and used…but I’m worried if the O tackles don’t play better, the Tress will shut that closet door and Pryor will only get to play with that old Dave truck with a broken wheel.
But the best thing is knowing there’s always some toy or two under the tree that you didn’t know was there…
Hope you haven’t been melting too much this week…I’m up in the Valley…107 twice this week.
good again but i am hearing that Bellamy is not a big dropoff and will be pushing Fellows
The personnel decisions made by Heacock and staff have been nearly flawless in the past 4-5 years..we’ll never have a true depth problem with these guys at the helm. Maybe a little thing at times, but always quality personnel. there’s not much more you could ask for.
Now having said that, why any top recruit would not want to come and take a shot on defense with the bucks is beyond me, just look at how they rotate in young talent, it really ridiculous if you think about it.
p.s. I’m trying to get tickets to the Indiana game this year..but I live in west mich. and I “m not sure if I should try to get them at the game or buy off craigslist. I’ve been checking prices and they seem pretty high right now. Any suggestions? Thanks.
I have a new wallpaper. Thanks.