Master OF The B1G League Brutus Will Deliver A Winning Sermon On Fields Every DAY:2020 tOSU Thread

OSUBaneBrowns

OSUBaneBrowns

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MustafaSTL said:
Yeah saw that. Him and Sevyn. Both our presumed starting CBs won’t be playing the rest of the sprang after we needed to get much better from last year.
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Hope it’s just a precaution and nothing serious. The secondary cannot performed like they did last year if they want to get back into the championship game.
 
MustafaSTL

MustafaSTL

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The way things sound, the secondary will be Sevyn and Cam at corner, with Proctor at deep safety and Ransom at cover safety/slot corner. I think that’s the best we can put out there this year unless or until a freshman shows up and balls. Marcus Williamson may be the nickel, but sounds like Cam Martinez might make a run at that.
 
MustafaSTL

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Update

"As we always talk about, guys are never staying the same---you are either getting better or getting worse----and the depth chart is constantly in flux at this time of the year. The OSU QB derby is no different and here is what we are seeing so far....


CJ Stroud still leads the pack in my opinion. But his lead has narrowed considerably since the last time we've spoken---and this has happened for a couple of reasons. Let's discuss what CJ is doing well and what he needs to improve upon.

Stroud's strengths---knowledge of the offense, alpha mentality, running ability, respect of his team mates


Stroud's weaknesses--accuracy has lacked a bit lately--- and he HAS to stop turning the ball over. This will get you sent to the bench quicker than anything---and CJ has been spraying the ball around a bit the last few live sessions. Its a something to keep an eye on for sure. Not sure if this is coming from overconfidence in his ability or a mechanical thing he needs to clean up---but he needs to address it.


Jack Miller has narrowed the gap---and this is somewhat surprising to me---given how he approached winter workouts(which was a little laid back).

Miller's strengths--throws a nice ball and has been delivering the passes on time and on target---has a solid handle on the OSU offense

Miller's weaknesses--- Doesn't command the respect the way CJ does(or frankly Kyle does with the younger guys)--a little hesitant while running


Kyle McCord has been back taking less reps than the other two--and has been primarily working with the twos this last week

McCord's strengths---very live arm and is picking up the playbook quickly---surprisingly good runner---clearly the alpha of the freshman

McCord's weaknesses----needs to trust his reads a little more and let if rip---has a little hitch in his delivery right now that he needs to clean up


So overall I think its fair to say the first half of spring football CJ has been moving down a bit---Miller up a bit---and McCord settling into his spot in third. This feels like this is "by design" with the OSU staff----as they do NOT want to lose one of those two top kids to the transfer portal after spring ball---and McCord is being asked to be patient. A solid strategy by the staff as this is a delicate dance with three talented kids competing for one spot.


Two weeks ago I would say that CJ is the guy---now its a horse race.....
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MustafaSTL

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Sprang update:

Defensive line----Guy to watch was ANTWUAN JACKSON---has really solidified the one technique for Ohio State and has been tough to move around all spring ball. Graded out extremely well this entire spring but is poised for a huge year. Its been a long time waiting for Jackson's technique to catch up with his considerable skill--but it has finally arrived. Going to be a huge part of the OSU defense this year, and will free up Haskell to play his natural three technique and wreak havoc.

Defensive back----OSU is looking for guys that can play back here--and specifically that can play man. They have found a gem in DENZEL BURKE. Burke has quietly been making a lot of play this spring and graded out the best in the last scrimmage despite being put on an island for most of the time. Can really cover and is extremely instinctive out there. Was wondering who was going to take that big step this spring at defensive back and I think I found the answer. One of the big surprises to me of spring football

Linebacker----A guy that quietly has been answering the challenges of the younger guys is TERADJA MITCHELL. We've given a lot of attention to Young and Simon this spring---but I think Mitchell had his best performance this last scrimmage. He's always been a guy that loved contact out there---but playing with more discipline this spring and making an impact. A veteran who knows his time is "now" or he will get left behind. Really feel like he has come on as of late and being the player I thought he would be.

Offensive line---Lots of guys playing lots of position here this spring. But the guy that has consistently graded out well(and was outstanding in the scrimmage) was MATT JONES. They've been lining him all over the field and he never misses a beat. Extremely strong and is using his hand very well this spring. Has just been a rock on the line and I just don't know how he isn't in the starting lineup come the fall. Going to be a very good one.

Wide Receiver---So much talent in this room right now, but after Olave and Wilson the big question is "who will be the third guy?". Right now my money is on JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA. JSN has been exceptional this spring and is doing all the little thing correctly and winning the battles at the line of scrimmage as well as when the ball is in the air. He has also become more than a willing blocker and you know that Ohio State loves it when their wide receivers are willing to mix it up. Right now if I had to pick who is the third guy? JSN would get my bet---and I would feel very good about my prospects.


Running back----Lots of eyes on these guys all spring. Last year the room was almost empty--this year its crowded with Teague, Williams, Crowley, Chambers(a bit), Pryor and Henderson. They've been splitting the carries a bunch all spring long--but the guy that just keeps leaping off the film when you watch it is TREVEON HENDERSON. He just has EVERYTHING you want in a running back. Can catch the ball well, blocks enthusiastically and has quickly learned the playbook. But what's most special is when you see the ball in his hands----he is just "that guy" that is a threat to take it the entire way everytime time he touches it. Simply electric with the football and is going to be SO much fun to watch for the next three years. He will the next SUPERSTAR running back at Ohio State. Just wait and see.
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Spring tidbits:
  • While all I have spoken to fully expect Master Teague to be the “starting tailback” on September 2, one source is very high on Miyan Williams. The source feels Williams is going to be the primary ball carrier for Ohio State this season and is impressed with his off-season thus far. This person did mention that while he thinks Evan Pryor needs to get more physically ready to make an impact, that he does feel TreVeyon Henderson has a good chance to shine in year one.
  • As for the QBs, one source felt that while Jack Miller has been very impressive and is making a strong run at the QB1 job (going along with Scoop reports), that it is still CJ Stroud’s to lose. This person thinks Kyle McCord is going to be a “stud”, but they just think his turn to do that won’t be this year based on what has been seen thus far.
  • “Jack Miller was the best quarterback in the scrimmage,” said a different source. “Pretty clear to me. Think Stroud is still the guy to beat but Jack is making a run. Kyle McCord is really talented but has had some growing pains thus far”
  • “The receivers are the best unit on the team, not sure it’s close. I would have quarterbacks behind them. I think the unit needing the most work is cornerbacks, unfortunately, but part of that may be just how good the receivers are.”
  • At tight end, a lot of the chatter this week has been about Gee Scott, but someone I spoke to really likes what he is seeing out of Cade Stover this spring and believes he will be the second tight end as things stand now. Also feels long term he has nice potential at the position and can “absolutely start at OSU as a tight end”.
  • “Thayer Munford is a beast. Playing just at another level. Really excited about him building on the momentum from last year. I think he’s going to impress a lot of people being fully healthy again with a year like that under his belt.”
  • One source is a big fan of Dawand Jones. He’s not sure where and how he fits in to this year’s unit, and is hoping he stays around even if he doesn’t win a job, but thinks he’s a big time player and “a guy who I see playing on Sundays for sure”.
  • Looking at the linebackers, one source close to the defensive side of the ball thinks that the trio of Mitchell, Gant, and Pope (despite Dallas’s injury keeping him out of spring) are still the front-runners to start. That said, this person shared that they are really high on Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Simon, as well as Craig Young, who is kind of a safety/hybrid right now. The source believes all six of those guys will play this fall.
  • The staff feels pretty good about Sevyn Banks at one corner spot. Don’t love that he’s missing the rest of spring, but the thought is that it’s not that big of a deal because of how good they feel about him. They think last year really helped him learn a lot and they’ve seen a nice jump this off-season.
  • The same source’s gut feeling is that Cam Brown (pending he is healthy) and Lejond Cavazos end up being corners 2 and 3 respectively. No surprise there, but one thing the source did share is that he expects OSU to play more defensive backs this season. A big reason for that is not having Pete Werner around, who was so good in coverage that they could stay in their base 4-3 more often than most teams could. The feeling is that none of the linebackers cover that well other than maybe someone like Craig Young, who is more of a hybrid. Expect the coaches to use guys like Young, Rocket Hickman, and Kourt Williams in obvious passing situations and take a linebacker off the field. They could also use more corners/safeties in place of linebackers as well. The talent level is not what it was in 2019, but the coaches feel much better about the amount of capable bodies in 2021 versus 2020 when it comes to the secondary.
  • A key to the defense will be Josh Proctor. Another guy the staff just feels really good about and they like him as the deep safety. They just need to continue to work on form tackling (not always going for the big hit) and angles, but he’s improving.
  • Versatility, versatility, versatility. Kerry Coombs has preached wanting versatility on defense since coming back last year and is implementing some different schemes with the rest of the staff to utilize the players to their strengths based on down and distance. This goes along with the bullet two above about using more DBs and hybrids regularly. The back seven should provide a lot of different looks this year based on opponent and situation from what multiple people have told me.
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