Master of His Domain
Ohio State signed three running backs in the 2018 recruiting class, though one of them — Jaelen Gill — will begin his career at H-back. The other two — Master Teague and Brian Snead — are both going to get an opportunity for carries at tailback this season.
Teague is already on campus and following an injury last season is finally 100% cleared and participating in winter workouts. He is still doing a bit of rehab, however.
“I am doing everything now,” Teague said this week. “I am just doing extra work. I don’t think that hurts anything.”
The fact that Teague is healthy and participating in workouts means that the weight room staff can get him ready for spring practice. Now he just has to keep up.
“Right now, they have me at 215 body weight,” he said. “Really, I just have to stabilize. I am already there. Its different in practice. There is a faster pace and perfection [required]. In high school, I worked out tons. I am used to the body being sore and everything. The only transition is the pace of everything.”
Blocking a Defensive Tackle
Ohio State was after a number of the nation’s top defensive tackle recruits in 2016, and one of them was Antwuan Jackson. Jackson ultimately decided on Auburn instead of the Buckeyes. After redshirting as a true freshman, however, Jackson found himself no longer wanting to be at Auburn.
Jackson told his coaches that he wanted to transfer, and they said fine. Then they blocked his transfer to any other SEC team and Ohio State.
It was Ohio State where Jackson wanted to be, so in order to get off of Auburn’s blocking scheme, he transferred to Blinn Community College for a year, where he was a First-Team All-American. He and the Buckeyes stayed in touch and after a productive season at Blinn, he is now finally a Buckeye with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
What did he think of Auburn’s decision to block Ohio State?
“I was just thinking like, ‘Why? What’s the reason for that?’ I just wanted another opportunity to play somewhere else, I was kind of a little frustrated with the decision they made, but just had to keep pushing,” Jackson said. “I had to be in school at some time, so that’s why I chose a junior college instead.”
Crowded House
Urban Meyer has said in the past that they want to sign a quarterback in every class. For the longest time, that quarterback looked like it would be Emory Jones. The Buckeyes eventually decided on Matthew Baldwin out of Texas, and now Baldwin is on campus rehabbing from a late-season knee injury in hopes of being able to fully participate in spring football.
Signing a quarterback every year can sometimes make for a crowded quarterbacks room. That’s what the Buckeyes are experiencing now with Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow, Tate Martell, Baldwin, and even walk-on Kory Curtis. There is an open job to be won right now, which will make this perhaps the most competitive room in the Ohio State football facilities.
“I knew coming in I was going to have to compete and that’s what’s going to happen,” Baldwin said. “But that’s what it’s about here. It’s not a bad thing, it’s welcomed. If you don’t want to compete, you shouldn’t come to Ohio State because they bring in a load of studs every year. So I’m looking forward to that in spring. Just being around all the guys, that will be a good bonding experience, getting to know the team more and competing against them too.”
Wray of Sunshine, Dose of Reality
The competition at quarterback is going to be interesting to watch, but so much of that battle is the quarterbacks competing against each other. Imagine being an 18-year old freshman offensive tackle having to compete against the likes of Nick Bosa.
That’s freshman offensive lineman Max Wray’s new reality. Enrolling early will give him a headstart on catching up with the rest of his room, but he is also going to be physically competing against players who are at times much older than he is.
“Everyone is so strong and so fast,” Wray said. “The difference between high school and college is in high school you might be playing somebody who is 18 at the oldest. Here you’re playing guys who are 22-23 and have four years of a college weight program under their belt. So it’s just the strength and then also mental toughness. Everyone is at a different level at this point. So coming in early and having to play the most physical position on the field, it’s tough to do.”
