The-Ozone, Ohio State Football, Wrestling, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and More

Football
Candidates Abound for OSU Linebacking Jobs
By John Porentas

From the outside looking in it looks like the Buckeyes lost most their linebacking at the end of last season. From the inside looking in it looks a lot different.

OSU starting linebackers James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman accounted for over 200 tackles last season. This season they will by plying their trade in the NFL, not Ohio Stadium. Usually that kind of loss leaves a team fretting over the position.

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of fretting going on over the OSU linebacking this spring however, that is unless you are one of the candidates to replace Freeman and Laurinaitis. That situation is kind of like the overall job market in the good old U.S. of A these days, more qualified candidates than positions.

Fifth-year senior Austin Spitler will finally get his chance this year after spending the first four years of his career watching three-time All-American James Laurinaitis play ahead of him. At 6-3, 235 Spitler is a big, rugged, physical player who linebackers coach Luke Fickell says is probably more naturally strong than Laurinaitis.

Who the other linebackers will be remains an open question which probably won't be fully answered until next fall.

Redshirt junior Ross Homan (6-0, 229) is a returning starter at the weak side linebacker. Homan has missed most of the spring with an injury, but returned to action yesterday.

"It was my left hamstring. It happened the first day at the end of practice," said Homan.

Homan's absence gave junior Brian Rolle a chance to get more reps at the position and show his stuff. Rolle has taken full advantage. His name comes up whenever you ask anybody who has stood out this spring.

"He's just been all over the field," said OSU wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell.

"He's explosive, quick, looks like he understands the game. He looks like to me that he's playing at a different speed than anyone else on the field right now."

At 5-11 Rolle is short by linebacker standards though at 221 pounds he is certainly not small. What he does have in abundance are speed, energy and competitiveness.

"He's an exciting kid," said Fickell.

"When the lights come on it doesn't matter what day it is He's energetic, he has a fire about him, he's a worker.

"That shows up like in the kick scrimmage. Guys are holding on because they have to run down there 12 times on punt. It's competition and that's what he loves. Some guys are going at three-quarter speed and he doesn't. He doesn't have a three-quarter speed."

Like the overall job market, the linebacking market at OSU is enduring a bit of a recession. One third of the jobs in a three-man linebacking crew disappear on a regular basis when the Buckeyes go to a nickel or dime package, something that happens more and more frequently in modern football. That is not good news for a host of other OSU linebackers at OSU who are hungry for playing time. Sophomore Etienne Sabino (6-3, 232), redshirt junior Tyler Moeller (6-0, 216)and sophomore Andrew Sweat (6-2, 220) are all looking for playing time, and all are capable players.

Moeller has the most experience, much of it coming in OSU's nickel package at the star position, a hybrid position that is a cross between a linebacker and a defensive back. Like Rolle, Moeller's height and weight suggest he might be smallish as a linebacker, but the film does not. He is a rugged, physical player who seems to always make tackles and make plays when he is on the field. Like the linebacker position, however, there is tough competition for playing time at the star. Junior safety Jermale Hines (6-2, 210) also has played there and has played well. Both Moeller and Hines are the perfect blend of toughness and speed to play the star.

"He's a very physical player and great in coverage, and I'm a very physical player and I'm good in coverage. We don't fit into one set position," said Moeller.

Moeller's also has a chance when the Buckeyes are playing with three linebackers, but so do Sabino and Sweat along with impressive true freshman Storm Klein (6-3, 225) who enrolled at OSU last January. Klein stands out whenever he is on the field, even when he is playing with the third team.

"Storm's doing a good job. Storm's going to have a chance," said Fickell.

"I think he'll be able to help us this year at some point, someplace, whether it's special teams or not. He's guy who didn't play a ton of linebacker in high school because he was carrying the ball 40 times a game, but he's pretty natural and a strong kid that can run."

The depth at linebacker led has led Fickell to consider some sort of rotation ext fall.

"I think a rotation can work," said Moeller.

"In a game when you're always playing I think you do get into a rhythm but I think also if you're a player you're a player. When you get out there you make plays."

The Buckeyes will also have two new freshman linebackers next fall in Jordan Whiting (6-0, 230) and Dorrian Bell (6-1, 226).

Practice Notes:

* The Buckeyes practiced in shorts yesterday and also practiced inside due to rainy weather in Columbus.

* It was weird seeing the teams in reverse colors. We're just not used to seeing the offense in gray and the defense in scarlet.
* Several football alumni were there working out including Donald Washington and Malcolm Jenkins.
* The more I see of the young talent in the defensive backfield, the more I like them. C. J. Barnett, Travis Howard and Zach Domicone are all looking more and more like players and playmakers. I chatted with a former OSU assistant coach who was there watching who compared Barnett to William White. He is very fluid and athletic with very good speed.
* One of the better defensive plays of the day was made by Andre Amos on a pass breakup of a ball thrown by Pryor to DeVier Posey. Amos was with him step for step then outfought Posey for the ball and the incompletion.
* Terrelle's passing seems to me to be somewhat better but still inconsistent. A good number of his passes are nose-down and low, something that usually occurs when the thrower shortarms the ball.
* It's pretty clear that the left tackle spot is not going to get settled this spring. Andrew Miller had the spot with the ones today. I think he and Adams alternate every day. There's not much telling who is ahead.
* It's a similar situation at corner. Amos and Torrence seem to be alternating, though I still think that Amos has an edge. Today Torrence was with the ones.
* Terrelle threw some very nice deep balls today that went for completions. There was a couple of particularly good looking plays on deep balls to Ray Small. He seems to have more trouble with the short stuff than the deep stuff, though I think what we are seeing is an evolvement of him as a passer. He has not yet arrived, but appears to be on the right path. We'll see.

Return to the-Ozone Columns and Features

Return to the-OZone Front Page