2017 Ohio State Spring Football Preview: A Tour Of Redemption – Running Backs Preview

"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest." ~ William McKinley

I have to give some props to President McKinley.  Born in Niles, Ohio, McKinley was the last American President to have served in the military in The Civil War, so McKinley certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to defeats and victory.

To say that the 2016 Ohio State football season ended with a thud is an understatement.  While I certainly believed Clemson was capable of defeating Ohio State in The 2016 Fiesta Bowl, I never thought Ohio State would be so thoroughly outplayed, and, let's be honest Ohio State fans, outcoached.  

As badly as I felt about that loss on New Year's Eve, the Ohio State coaches and players felt the sting of that loss much more so.  Dramatic overhauls along the coaching staff, combined with early departures of players for the 2017 NFL Draft, have Ohio State with questions to answer as spring football begins in Columbus on March 7th.

"The health of our program is very strong, other than getting our ass kicked in that last game." Urban Meyer addressing Ohio Coaches.

— Eric Frantz (@jjhuddlenews) February 3, 2017

For the next several weeks, I will be writing position group previews, leading up to the Ohio State Spring Football Game in Ohio Stadium on April 15th, 2017. These position groups will be ranked, from least to most concern, as I perceive them. It is entirely possible that my concerns, as well as the coaching staff’s concerns, will be reevaluated after the spring game.

8th - Running Back
Players Lost:  Technically, no running backs have been lost, but H-Backs Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson both carried the ball for Ohio State in 2016.  Wilson carried the ball only 16 times for 78 yards and 1 touchdown, but Samuel wound up with 97 carries for 771 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Nearly a thousand yards of rushing, and several timely touchdowns, will be lost heading into 2017.

Returning Players/Incoming Players:  Mike Weber (Redshirt Sophomore), Demario McCall (Sophomore), Antonio Williams (Redshirt Freshman/Sophomore?), J.K. Dobbins (Freshman)
A few things to keep in mind for this position group...

• Mike Weber returns for his redshirt sophomore season after rushing for 1096 yards on 182 carries and 9 touchdowns.  Weber heads into 2017 as the starter, but should be prepared for other players to supplement the rushing attack as the season progresses.
• Demario McCall played sparingly as a true freshman in 2016, but impressed with 270 yards on 49 carries and 3 touchdowns.  McCall will be given first crack at the H-Back position, but could also factor into the running back rotation.
• The battle for carries between Antonio Williams and J.K. Dobbins should be intense this spring and summer.  Williams played against Rutgers in 2016, with 6 carries for 28 yards, but did not play again during the 2016 season.  The reason I have a question mark next to Williams' eligibility is I thought I read that Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer was going to try to get a redshirt for Williams; I am guessing more information will be available once spring practice begins.  Dobbins enrolled early, and will be eager to impress the coaching staff this spring.  Look for either Williams or Dobbins to emerge as the primary backup to Weber by the conclusion of spring practice.

The 2016 Ohio State football season did not end on a positive note.  Spring practices in 2017 can show the Ohio State coaches, players, and fans that the 2017 season will not end in a similar fashion.

2017 Ohio State Spring Football Preview: A Tour Of Redemption – Quarterbacks Preview

"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest." ~ William McKinley

I have to give some props to President McKinley.  Born in Niles, Ohio, McKinley was the last American President to have served in the military in The Civil War, so McKinley certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to defeats and victory.

To say that the 2016 Ohio State football season ended with a thud is an understatement.  While I certainly believed Clemson was capable of defeating Ohio State in The 2016 Fiesta Bowl, I never thought Ohio State would be so thoroughly outplayed, and, let's be honest Ohio State fans, outcoached.  

As badly as I felt about that loss on New Year's Eve, the Ohio State coaches and players felt the sting of that loss much more so.  Dramatic overhauls along the coaching staff, combined with early departures of players for the 2017 NFL Draft, have Ohio State with questions to answer as spring football begins in Columbus on March 7th.

"The health of our program is very strong, other than getting our ass kicked in that last game." Urban Meyer addressing Ohio Coaches.

— Eric Frantz (@jjhuddlenews) February 3, 2017

For the next several weeks, I will be writing position group previews, leading up to the Ohio State Spring Football Game in Ohio Stadium on April 15th, 2017. These position groups will be ranked, from least to most concern, as I perceive them. It is entirely possible that my concerns, as well as the coaching staff’s concerns, will be reevaluated after the spring game.

9th ~ Quarterback

Players Lost:  Stephen Collier.  Collier missed the entire 2016 season due to injury, then announced at the beginning of 2017 that he was retiring as a player.  If you have not read Collier’s letter to Ohio State fans, you are truly missing out.  It is entirely possible that a transfer may take place after spring practice concludes on April 15th, but it would be surprising.

Returning Players/Incoming Players:  J.T. Barrett (5th Year Senior), Joe Burrow (Redshirt Sophomore), Dwayne Haskins (Redshirt Freshman), Tate Martell (Freshman).

A few things to keep in mind for this position group…

• In the words of Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer regarding J.T. Barrett…, “He’s our quarterback.”.  Barrett has already set so many Ohio State passing records, but with a big year in 2017, it will be difficult for other quarterbacks to break them.  With new offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson on staff, look for Barrett to make a big leap forward as a passer, back to the form Barrett displayed in 2014 as a redshirt freshman.
• The big battle to watch will be at the backup quarterback position.  Joe Burrow played well in limited spot duty in 2016, and recently addressed transfer rumors.  Dwayne Haskins redshirted in 2016, but earned rave reviews throughout the bowl practices from his teammates.  As for true freshman Tate Martell, all Martell has accomplished in his high school career is go undefeated and was named the Gatorade National Player Of The Year.
• How do I think it will all shake out?  I have not the foggiest idea.  I do know that watching the quarterbacks battle will be one of the highlights for fans during the upcoming spring game on April 15th in Ohio Stadium.  With so much talent, and such tremendous coaching on hand to guide and nurture this talent, this is why I ranked the quarterback position ninth in overall concerns heading into the 2017 season.

The 2016 Ohio State football season did not end on a positive note.  Spring practices in 2017 can show the Ohio State coaches, players, and fans that the 2017 season will not end in a similar fashion.

2017 Ohio State Spring Football Preview: A Tour Of Redemption – Defensive Line Preview

"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest." ~ William McKinley

I have to give some props to President McKinley.  Born in Niles, Ohio, McKinley was the last American President to have served in the military in The Civil War, so McKinley certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to defeats and victory.

To say that the 2016 Ohio State football season ended with a thud is an understatement.  While I certainly believed Clemson was capable of defeating Ohio State in The 2016 Fiesta Bowl, I never thought Ohio State would be so thoroughly outplayed, and, let's be honest Ohio State fans, outcoached.  

As badly as I felt about that loss on New Year's Eve, the Ohio State coaches and players felt the sting of that loss much more so.  Dramatic overhauls along the coaching staff, combined with early departures of players for the 2017 NFL Draft, have Ohio State with questions to answer as spring football begins in Columbus on March 7th.

"The health of our program is very strong, other than getting our ass kicked in that last game." Urban Meyer addressing Ohio Coaches.

— Eric Frantz (@jjhuddlenews) February 3, 2017

For the next several weeks, I will be writing position group previews, leading up to the Ohio State Spring Football Game in Ohio Stadium on April 15th, 2017. These position groups will be ranked, from least to most concern, as I perceive them. It is entirely possible that my concerns, as well as the coaching staff’s concerns, will be reevaluated after the spring game.

10th ~ Defensive Line

Players Lost:  None.  As I write this, all of the defensive linemen on the official roster are slated to be on the 2017 team.  It is entirely possible that some transfers may take place before, during, or after spring practice concludes on April 15th.

Returning Players/Incoming Players:  Joshua Alabi (Redshirt Sophomore), Malik Barrow (Redshirt Freshman), Nick Bosa (Sophomore), Rashod Berry (Redshirt Sophomore), Jerron Cage (Freshman), Jonathon Cooper (Sophomore), Jashon Cornell (Redshirt Sophomore), Haskell Garrett (Freshman), Davon Hamilton (Redshirt Sophomore), Michael Hill (Redshirt Senior), Jalyn Holmes (Redshirt Junior), Sam Hubbard (Redshirt Junior), Dre'Mont Jones (Redshirt Sophomore), Robert Landers (Redshirt Sophomore), Tyquan Lewis (Redshirt Senior),  Darius Slade (Redshirt Junior), Tracy Sprinkle (Redshirt Senior), Dylan Thompson (Redshirt Junior), Chase Young (Freshman)

A few things to keep in mind as it relates to this position group…

• Darius Slade, Tracy Sprinkle, and Dylan Thompson all fall into a category of returning players, but for different reasons.  Slade ruptured his Achilles tendon before the season started and missed all of 2016.  Tracy Sprinkle suffered an injury to his patellar tendon early in the first game of the 2016 season against Bowling Green, and was out the remainder of the season.  Dylan Thompson was academically ineligible for 2016.  It will bear watching to see how much Slade and Sprinkle participate in spring football.  Thompson has played sparingly throughout his Ohio State career, due to injuries.
• While Ohio State was able to land Jerron Cage, Haskell Garrett, and Chase Young as recruits in 2017, none of the three are among the early enrollees for spring football.
• While Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard were listed as starters throughout most of the 2016 season, will Nick Bosa emerge with more playing time in 2017?  Bosa was arguably the crown jewel recruit of the 2016 recruiting class.
• Even if the true freshmen are taken out of the equation, Ohio State has sixteen defensive linemen possibly participating in spring football practice.  The tremendous depth, and returning talent, are the reasons why I ranked this position group as the one I am least concerned about heading into the 2017 season.

The 2016 Ohio State football season did not end on a positive note.  Spring practices in 2017 can show the Ohio State coaches, players, and fans that the 2017 season will not end in a similar fashion.

Not A Lot Of "OH" In 2017 Ohio State Football Recruiting Class

The well-deserved accolades and superlatives continue to come in for the 2017 Ohio State football recruiting class.  Ranked as the second-best recruiting class in the country, Ohio State was able to land arguably some of the top players in the country at designated positions of need at defensive back, linebacker, offensive line, and wide receiver.  It would not be surprising to see many of these true freshmen playing considerably throughout the 2017 season, and possibly even starting.  Nine of these twenty-one recruits are already enrolled and on campus, meaning Ohio State fans will have an opportunity to see them playing in the upcoming Ohio State Spring Game on April 15th.

Meyer said that Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis will compete for starting OL spots as true freshmen.

— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) February 1, 2017

For all of the praise and heightened expectations, even Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer lamented one area that did not please him entirely about this recruiting class...

Meyer said he wants 50 percent of the class to be kids from Ohio.

— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) February 1, 2017

Out of the twenty-one players signed, only seven were from the state of Ohio.  In essence, Ohio State fell a solid twenty percent below reaching Coach Meyer's desired goal of having half the class from Ohio.

When looking back at Coach Meyer's recruiting classes since his hiring in late November 2011, Ohio State's recruiting classes have usually been close to the mark, but never quite reaching it.  The notable exception was the 2012 recruiting class, which was more of a compilation of players who committed to former Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel, interim head coach Luke Fickell, and Coach Meyer.  Ever since the 2012 recruiting class, none of Coach Meyer's recruiting classes have met the designated 50% mark.  The 2017 recruiting class marks the lowest number of Ohioans in an Ohio State recruiting class since Coach Meyer became the head coach.

 If I could adjust a focus of the coaching staff, it would be to concentrate upon specific Ohio players first and foremost, before trying to reel in players from around the country.  In this year's class, Ohio State had a verbal commitment from Akron Archbishop Hoban RB Todd Sibley.  Sibley was told that he would need to grayshirt in order to gain a scholarship from Ohio State.  Sibley decommitted, and was able to sign with Pittsburgh.

I have to say that I have known Todd Sibley for longer than any of them though. I have never been more confident that a player will succeed.

— Ryan Donnelly (@RDonnellyBG) February 1, 2017

Was this a terrible thing?  No, as Sibley was able to gain a scholarship from Pittsburgh, and Ohio State was able to use Sibley's scholarship on another position.  I would simply argue that instead of pursing RB Cam Akers from Mississippi for most of the 2016 season, only to see Akers sign with Florida State, Ohio State should have been content with a player like Sibley who was in the backyard of the Buckeyes.

It is not as though this is a recent development with Ohio State.  Another example would be current Michigan State RB L.J. Scott.  In 2014, Ohio State actively recruited Damien Harris of Kentucky, while keeping Scott on the backburner.  Harris eventually signed with Alabama, and Scott signed with Michigan State.  Scott has had two straight years of strong games against the Buckeyes, in both 2015 and 2016.  It is to Ohio State's credit that the Buckeyes were able to sign Mike Weber at the critical RB spot.  My question is why didn't Ohio State focus more on L.J. Scott from the beginning, versus chasing after a player from further away?

The 2017 Ohio State football recruiting class is certainly one for the ages.  Like Coach Meyer, I would simply focus more on identifying players from Ohio who want to become part of the flagship program in 2018 and beyond.