O-LINE: Playing time is earned and not given and there is a feeling that they are a better team with Dawand Jones on the field at tackle and Thayer Munford kicking inside to guard. But ONLY if Dawand is playing at a high level. If he's still inconsistent as he has been they won't give him the job. But the thought is that if Dawand Jones and Matt Jones are both at their best, Ohio State will be a stronger team with Dawand on the field. Other guys who might not be ready yet but I'm hearing positive things about are Donovan Jackson (starts next year for sure) and Jakob James (moved to second team when Thayer was dinged this week). They simply have to be better at pass protection than they have been the past few years with a rookie QB in there, and the thought is that Harry-Thayer-Paris-Dawand-NPF would be the best unit in pass pro, with zero dropoff in the run game. Seeing this 5 on the field also changes my view of this O-line completely (for the better).
EICHENBERG: Was described as a "beast" to me by someone who doesn't use those types of terms. Heard from 2 others that he is pushing hard to get on the field, which warms my heart since I pounded the table for him to be offered a full year before OSU jumped in on him. He is way more athletic than people assume ( not all white guys are slow and stiff), the smartest guy on the field, great instincts, physical, never misses a tackle, can be used effectively in coverage, and has that uncoachable "knack" for getting to the QB. If he's fully healthy then I believe he's going to get his shot this year. And once he gets on that field he might never leave it. I KNOW this kid can play at a high level and will base my reputation on it.
STOVER: I'm told that he threw himself totally into the switch from tight end in February of 2020 and the payoff could be as soon as the Minnesota game. He didn't pout, whine, or sulk for a minute, but embraced the switch from defensive end to tight end and went to work. He is obviously athletic (watch the high school film of him in the secondary or his all-state basketball film), but he is also very physical with that "farmboy" toughness. I'm told the OSU people think he is headed to being an NFL tight end and his blocking ability has come 180-degrees, and he could always catch the football. He is in the 250-255 pound range and that almost puts him too big for LB and not big enough for DE, but is perfect for TE. Ryan Day LOVES playing 2 tight ends and Stover has a chance to be on the field a lot this season. And he is still very young eligibility-wise.
TRE HENDERSON: I don't want or need to piggyback on Nevada going crazy over this kid, so I hesitated saying anything until my Minnesota game preview where I'm going to predict a long TD run from him. But I did have one of my soft-spoken guys tell me that Tre is the best RB on the team and it isn't close either. The words he used (which shocked me for the language from him) was that Tre "is f*****g unreal". I'm calling for a Mo Clarett opening day if Ryan Day will get him on the field and get him the football.
DEFENSE BEING PHYSICAL: One of the things that got lost last year with the inept DB's was the fact that this was a very physical front-7 last year. They forced a ton of fumbles and would not allow teams to run the ball on them. That needs to continue, even moving to a possible 4-2-5 look and going to more inexperienced LB's this year. The prevailing thought is that the DB's will be better (I need to see that for myself to believe it) and they need the sack totals to get back to where they have been after last year's dropoff, to get the interception count up higher. Sawyer is going to be on the field on third dwn, and Tyreke Smith and Zach Harrison need to up their games. Haskell Garrett is excellent providing pressure from the inside, so these 4 could be on the field together in passing situations with Tyreke sliding inside.
ZACH HARRISON: I might be missing something and I've never gotten a straight answer, but why was he not on the field more last year? To me, he was the best DE by a LARGE margin but he wasn't out there enough. He can rush the passer and he stops the run, so why is he splitting time with average guys like JJB and Friday? Was it stamina because it sure wasn't production or lack of? But when you see Zach getting 200 snaps on the season and Wade, Werner, and Banks getting 500 snaps that doesn't make sense to me. The sack total and tackle totals are good for a part-time guy. Put him out there fulltime and let him loose.
to the national title train.
