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Football
Buckeye Receiving Corps Deepest in Memory
By John Porentas

The Buckeyes entered last season with some real question marks in the wide receiver corps after the early departures of Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez. This season, however, its a completely different story.

Brian Robiske and Brian Hartline both return after being the leading receivers last year as does Ray Small who also saw considerable playing time in 2007 to establish a core of experience wideouts. They form a trio of players who have been there and know what it takes to be successful. It's also reasonable to think that all three will be better this year than they were last year, and that's good news for the OSU offense. What is truly remarkable however is what is behind those three as well. For starters, Dane Sanzenbacher, who got significant action last year as a true freshman, may be ready to make that jump from player to playmaker.

"Dane Sanzenbacher jumps out at me, made some very impressive plays," said OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel after yesterday's Jersey Scrimmage.

According to defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, who practices regularly against the OSU receiving corps, Sanzenbacher is really, really tough on defensive backs. He has good speed but what really sets him apart is his savvy as a receiver.

"It's usually me going against Robo or Brian Hartline or Dane Sanzenbacher. Dane is probably the guy who gets the best of me out of all of them," said Jenkins.

"He's smooth. He has great releases, great hands, he makes plays.

"If I had to compare him to somebody it would be Gonzo. I think he's real talented and a lot of people are going to be surprised by him this year," said Jenkins.

OSU senior quarterback Todd Boeckman shares Jenkins' view of Sanzenbacher.

"He runs great routes," said Boeckman.

"He's one of the best route-runners on the team. He has great hands and is getting better each and every day, knowing the system better every day. I'm excited at where he's at right now.

"He had a big play today (in the Jersey Scrimmage) over Malcolm. If you run great routes you're going to get yourself open and make plays. Gonzo always ran great routes," Boeckman said.

That's four wide receivers to be excited about, and we're just getting warmed up.

Sophomore Taurian Washington looked very good in the spring game and is a very gifted athlete. At 6-2, he is bigger than both Small and Sanzenbacher but has the kind of speed that makes him a bona fide deep threat with the ability to get separation from defensive backs.

As we reported earlier this season, Grant Schwartz has been very impressive in his switch from defensive back to wide receiver, so much so that safety Kurt Coleman just could not stop raving about him after the end of summer conditioning. Schwartz played quarterback in high school and has said that he prefers the offensive side of the ball. His move from safety to wide receiver gave the Buckeyes a sixth talent out wide.

The returning receivers form an imposing and impressive group, but it doesn't end there. The Buckeyes have three freshman wideouts that all have the talent to be a factor this year.

Freshman Lamaar Thomas has brought speed and elusiveness to the OSU wide receiver corps. He is a game-breaker that brings a wry little smile to the face of OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel whenever Tressel is asked about him. The freshman that has really caught the eye of everybody, however, is Devier Posey. At 6-3, Posey is the biggest of OSU's receivers currently taking reps and has definitely made an impression over summer drills and in fall camp.

"He has great speed, great hands, he's probably going to be somebody that's going to contribute early," said Jenkins.

"He's a pretty physical receiver too. He's not a receiver that's going to let you bully him around. That's one thing that surprised me about him.

"Freshman, when you cover them it's usually pretty easy to bully them around, they're not sure how to get past defenders real fast, but I think he's picked that up real fast. He does a good job of being physical and not letting you push him around," said Jenkins.

Posey is the biggest receiver taking reps, but not OSU's biggest receiver. That honor goes to incoming freshman Jake Stoneburner. At 6-5, 230, Stoneburner has the size to turn matchups with small cornerbacks into total mismatches yet has the speed and hands to make plays. He is currently working to overcome a minor leg injury but when he's ready will bring an added dimension to an already-deep OSU receiving corps.

Tressel and his staff have succeeded in not only assembling a large pool of receiver talent, but have also done a great job of getting a variety of receiver types in the mix that will allow them to matchup with all sorts of defenses. The Buckeyes have big receivers (Robiske, Hartline, Stoneburner, Posey), fast and quick receivers (Small, Thomas, Washington) and great route runners who are fast enough to get deep (Sanzenbacher and Schwartz) on the roster. Passing game coordinator Joe Daniels will be able to dial up what he needs out wide or flood the field with five guys of varying special skills. It should be gigantic headache city for opposing defensive coordinators and defensive backs.

And oh, did we mention the tight ends or Brandon Saine and Beanie Wells out of the backfield?

OSU Wide Receivers:

	Class	Hgt.	Wt.	Game Style	Resume
# 80 Brian Robiske	Sr.	6-3	199	Very smooth route runner with great hands and good speed. Makes plays in the clutch. Good enough speed to be a deep threat and size to cause problem for corners, but his hands may be his most valuable asset.	Led the Buckeyes with 55 receptions for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Second Team All-Big Ten. Big Ten All-Academic and Academic All-American with 3.5 GPA in marketing.
# 9 Brian Hartline	Jr.	6-2	186	Competitive, physical ball of energy with excellent speed and hands. Can get deep and will make the tough catch. Will also hit you as a blocker. Threat as a punt returner. Also covers kicks and knocks guys into next week when he has a chance.	52 catches last season for 694 yards and six TDs. Holds OSU record for longest punt return for TD with a 90 yarder vs. Kent State last year. Earned Jack Tatum Hit of the Week for his play on special teams vs. Wisconsin and Big Ten Player of the Week vs. Kent State.Big Ten All-Acacemic.
#82 Ray Small	Jr.	5-11	180	Extremely quick and fast with good hands. OSU coaching staff used him as both a wide receiver and in the backfield on reverses last year. Threat as a punt returner. Has all the tools to be a big-play game breaker.	Eight catches for 68 yards and one touchdown as a freshman. Followed up with 20 catches for 267 yards and two TDs as a sophomore. Led the team in punt and kickoff returns. Limited early last season with an ankle injury. Was in thc coaches doghouse briefly but reportedly has his head screwed on right now.
# 5 Taurian Washington	So.	6-2	179	A blend of both size and speed that is tough to defend. Has the ability to separate from defensive backs.	Saw very limited action last year as a true freshman. 40 catches for 893 yards and 13 TDs as a high school senior.
#12 Dane Sanzenbacher	So.	5-11	175	Reputedly the best route-runner on the team despite being just a sophomore.	Had 12 catches for 89 yards as a true freshman. His first catch as a Buckeye went for a touchdown. 61 receptions for 1,079 yards and 11 TDs as a high school senior.
# 6 Grant Schwartz	So.	6-0	184	Good speed and hands. Very competitive Probably similar in style to Sanzenbacher.	Played both offense and defense in high school but is more comfortable on the offensive side of the ball. Can contribute on special teams as well as a receiver. Father played at OSU 1976-79.
#15 Lamaar Thomas	Fr.	5-11	186	Outstanding blazing speed, good hands, very elusive. Game-breaker who can run the football as well. Could also contribute as a return man on special teams.	1,690 All-Purpose yards as a high school senior. Played in Army All-Star game. Played running back, quarterback and wide receiver in high school. Maryland State champion in 55 and 100 meters, State runner up at 200 meters.
#8 DeVier Posey	Fr.	6-3	205	Has it all; size, speed, physical style of play, hands, competitiveness. Will probably contribute early.	44 catches for 770 yards and seven TDs as a senior. U. S. Army All-Star game. 33-inch vertical jump. Ran 21.5 200 meters as a track athlete.
#11 Jake Stoneburner	Fr.	6-5	230	Don't let his size fool you. He's not a tight end trying to be a receiver. Bona fide receiver with the kind of size that give corner backs and defensive coordinators the cold sweats.	74 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. 168 career receptions for 2,751 yards and 28 TDs. in high school. U.S. Army All-Star Game.