Five for Friday: Main Buckeye Takeaways from B1G Media Days

The Big Ten Football Media Days are always a good time because we get our first chance in months to talk to Urban Meyer and a few Buckeye players.

It gives us an opportunity to catch up on where things stand with the Ohio State football program, as well as learn new things that have popped up since the spring.

Every year provides its surprises or impressions, and this year was no different.

What follows are my five (or so) biggest takeaways from what the Buckeyes had to say in Chicago this week.

1. Matthew Baldwin has people buzzing.

Freshman quarterback Matthew Baldwin was a relatively late addition to the 2018 recruiting class, and was seen by many as a replacement for Emory Jones, who was waffling. In reality, while Jones was definitely waffling, the Buckeyes were more than happy to make Baldwin their chosen quarterback in the 2018 class and let Jones go.

On Tuesday, after speaking with Urban Meyer and H-back Parris Campbell, that decision appears to have been more than correct. While Baldwin is still recovering from an ACL tear in December, nothing has held him back from throwing the football to his wide receivers in offseason drills.

On Tuesday, Campbell couldn’t say enough good things about Baldwin. We’ll have a story with his quotes in the coming days, but he does call Baldwin “elite” and “not a Plan-B guy.” All of the receivers have already taken to him because of the way he throws the football and Meyer has taken notice.

As to when Baldwin will be full go and ready to play, Meyer wouldn’t commit to a timeframe.

2. Isaiah Prince is more comfortable at right tackle.

Urban Meyer wouldn’t commit to one side or the other when it came to where Isaiah Prince will be playing this season. He has been a right tackle all of his career, but started out this spring at left tackle. By the end he was back to right tackle. Some of that was chalked up to Thayer Munford and Josh Alabi being more comfortable on the left side, but on Tuesday Prince admitted that he is more comfortable on the right side.

Prince said he had trouble initially at left tackle because it is a completely different position than right tackle. He said it was like trying to write with his opposite hand. By the end of spring practice, however, he was much more comfortable at left tackle than he had been. He feels like he can play left tackle this season without a problem. Prince didn’t say this, but it seems that if he is going to play left tackle this season, he will need most of fall camp to find the requisite comfort level.

Rather than trying to find that comfort level for both him and Munford, it would appear that they would just stay where they are and focus on getting better. If Branden Bowen ends up being one of the top two tackles, however, then you might see Prince head to the left side at some point in fall camp.

3. Get excited about the receivers.

I still think Parris Campbell is going to have a big year — or at least as big a year as 37% of the snaps will allow. Johnnie Dixon is now healthy for a second season in a row and raring to prove last season was no fluke. Everyone is expecting an uptick from Austin Mack. Campbell talked about how Binjimen Victor is coming along as well. He believes Victor is the most talented receiver on the roster, and things are coming together for the lanky junior.

Terry McLaurin and K.J. Hill will also be a year better than they were in 2017. There wasn’t even any mention of Demario McCall, which gives you an idea of how deep this group is. Campbell said sophomore Jaylen Harris can look as good as anybody early in a practice, but he needs to remain consistent throughout. He also said H-back C.J. Saunders deserves to be in the starting rotation and would be starting anywhere else in the country.

And while it is unlikely that freshman Kamryn Babb will play due to a torn ACL a couple of months ago, Campbell loved what he saw from him during summer workouts.

4. Dwayne Haskins is doing his best to lead.

Buckeye fans can think what they want about J.T. Barrett, but the loss of his leadership is going to be impossible to replace. The impact of that loss is also impossible to predict.

Dwayne Haskins has done his best to incorporate himself into the entire offense. Plus, as Urban Meyer said, doing what he did in front of millions of people at Michigan carries a lot of weight. Now, Haskins has tried to match that on-field performance with an offseason of off-field performances and relationship building.

5. It is about more than just football at Ohio State.

We have talked many times about the impact of Real Life Wednesdays on Ohio State recruiting. Players and families see every bit of it as a positive and it is only growing larger in scope. It is evidence of Urban Meyer’s program being about more than just football for the players.

OSU has also been at the forefront of keeping their players healthy, and while that normally means physical health, Meyer said that now mental health is a “top four” concern for him after being in the “middle of the pack” for him previously.

There are all kinds of people who come to talk to the team, and also people available for players to talk to. There is an enormous support group available for the players to rely on, and that also includes their teammates who know what it is like to go through what they have to go through.

Meyer also said that the football program — and presumably the entire athletic department — has changed their policies where painkillers are concerned. They are careful to not be the first step in a player’s path towards opioid addiction. We talked a bit about this on Accost the Field this week.

Bonus: Urban Meyer is excited about Dante Booker.

Meyer said Dante Booker looks as good as he ever has, but they will still bring him along slowly during camp. Meyer is counting on Booker to be a contributor for the defense this year.

Bonus: Expectations for Dre’Mont Jones have not diminished.

Meyer said that Dre’Mont Jones was the first or second-best player on the team following spring ball. Meyer said he won’t be coming off the field on passing downs this season. Jones, on the other hand, just feels like a piece of the puzzle, but is equally as excited about getting after the quarterback finally.

Bonus: Tate Martell is still going to play.

There was a concern that once Joe Burrow transferred to LSU, the plans for Tate Martell to see the field this season could take a hit. The thought being that with Martell being the backup, the program couldn’t afford to lose him to injury. On Tuesday, however, Meyer — while sharing that concern — said that if Martell is one of the best playmakers on the team, then he is going to play.

You also have to wonder if their lessened concerns about losing their backup quarterback has anything to do with how well Matthew Baldwin is looking so far this summer.