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Welcome back for another edition of “A-Deck” at BuckeyeGrove.com, presented by Infinit Nutrition, where I’ll bring you thoughts, what I’m hearing, inside scoop, tidbits, and more for Ohio State recruiting and team coverage, every Wednesday.
Last week’s A-Deck took a look at Ohio State’s loss to Clemson, as well as the Buckeyes’ assistant coach shuffle.
This week, we talk with a team source about some things to expect in 2020 and run down some quick hitters on hot topics, such as a few key 2020 recruits, a graduate transfer possibility, and Jeff Hafley’s replacement.
2020 VISION
I spoke with a solid team source of mine and we got into a discussion about the 2020 season. He shared some of his thoughts and I wanted to pass some of those along:
·The source felt Justin Fields performed pretty well in the Fiesta Bowl, but also thought the game made it clear of some of the things he needs to work on this off-season. He thinks Fields needs to be able to move through his progressions much quicker than he did this year, which he felt left some yards on the field both in the bowl game and in the previous 13 games. Additionally, and related, he feels Fields needs to get rid of the ball quicker, but that all ties back to identifying what he’s seeing faster and making quick decisions.
·The news of Shaun Wade returning is obviously huge in the mind of the source. He believes Wade will move to the outside, and the Buckeyes will see how the “younger guys” look in the spring before starting to settle on who will play what position next to Wade. He sees Cam Brown, Sevyn Banks, and Amir Riep being the three who will rotate, with Brown and Banks both getting looks opposite Wade and all three getting looks at the slot position that Wade played this past season. He also mentioned Marcus Williamson as a "sleeper candidate". There is no doubt in the source’s mind that Josh Proctor will be the guy at safety, and while he didn’t have the best bowl game, there is a ton of confidence he will be a stud next year.
·Running back is a concern on the boards after the bowl game where Master Teague didn’t have the best of showings when JK Dobbins went down, but it is not a concern for the source. He recognizes that Master needs to work on hip flexibility this off-season so that "he’s not running as stiff", but he says that Teague is "the hardest working guy in the locker room", and he has no concerns that he will do what is needed in the off-season to improve where he has to. He thinks Jahmyr Gibbs would be a really nice addition and compliment to what they already have on the roster, but if they roll with Teague, Steele Chambers, Marcus Crowley, and Demario McCall they will be fine. He also thinks it’s a possibility that Jaelen Gill could get a look in the backfield, especially if they don’t land Gibbs. The feeling is that Gill has gotten bigger, would bring explosiveness to the position group, and that it was something discussed this year for depth when Crowley went down. With the receiver group being loaded (again), using Gill in the backfield some could be a wise move, as the source feels he can be dangerous in the open field with the ball in his hands.
·Feels the wide receiver room will be loaded. Says there is “less experience than the past couple of years, but the raw talent level is as good as it’s ever been, if not better”. Says everyone wants to talk about Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and the incoming freshmen, but not to forget about Jameson Williams. Feels he has some Ted Ginn Jr. to his game and could be an electric game-breaker. Also mentioned it’s a big off-season for Jaylen Harris, saying “it’s now or never, this is his chance”.
·On the offensive line, the source feels pretty confident that Harry Miller claims the spot vacated by Jonah Jackson. They’ll play the best combination of five, so there’s always the possibility that Miller could play center and Josh Myers could slide to guard, but his feeling right now is that Miller plays guard until Myers leaves, and then he takes over for center at that point. At right tackle, the source feels it will be a battle between Nicholas Petit-Frere and Dawand Jones, and feels if Jones progresses as much this off-season as he did in the last year, he could have a realistic shot to win that job. Says he’s “a nasty road grader with a massive body and surprisingly quick feet”. Also mentioned Ryan Jacoby as someone who is standing out and showing development, but said it’s probably not his time “just yet”. Overall, though, the source feels pretty good about the depth on the line next season and thinks they could be "a better unit than this year's group was".
·At defensive end, there’s obviously a huge hole to fill with Chase Young going pro, but having Jonathon Cooper back is big, and he, Zach Harrison, and Tyreke Smith should be the top three ends in rotation. Also mentioned that Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Tyler Friday will play a ton. Thinks Harrison is the next great defensive end at Ohio State, but that Smith is really good as well, and that he just needs to improve against the run to go from “good to great”.
EMPTYING THE NOTEBOOK ON HOT TOPICS
I have a few thoughts and tidbits on some hot topics in the world of the Buckeyes right now:
·I’d be surprised at this point if Jeff Hafley’s replacement isn’t Kerry Coombs. It seems obvious at this point that the new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach is going to be a NFL guy, and all but eight teams are left, meaning whoever it is needs to be employed by one of those teams. I think Jonathan Gannon was a top candidate for this job as well, but the buzz I have is that he is likely to go wherever Josh McDaniels goes. I don’t have anything for sure, but everything I am hearing chatter-wise is that Coombs is the guy, and I would be pretty surprised if that’s not announced shortly after the Titans finish their season. I think Ohio State would definitely like to have their next DB coach in place when the dead period ends later next week.
·Speaking of that hire, I am told it is a critical one for keeping Cam Martinez in the class. The word I have is that Martinez is waiting to see who Hafley’s replacement is, and then make a decision from there as to if he wants to explore some other options or stick with his pledge to the Scarlet and Gray. Northwestern and Michigan State (with the Wildcats being the favorite to flip Martinez, if he flips) are two programs that would likely get looks, but I am also told that Notre Dame is potentially getting involved here, which could be interesting to watch. This is just a guess, but I would think that if it’s Coombs who gets the job, that indeed is a positive for the Buckeyes, but we shall see how Cam feels once a coach is in place. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take a visit or two even if he’s happy with the coach, just to be sure (and because he can), but the word I have from both sides is that if he’s comfortable with the new hire, he should stick.
·A question that has been repeatedly asked on the board is if Ohio State will be a player for Temple defensive end transfer Quincy Roche. I’m told that because of numbers, Roche ending up in Columbus is highly unlikely. Additionally, I’m not sure it would make the defensive ends already on the roster (not named Jonathon Cooper) too happy. And on the flip side, why would Roche want to come to Ohio State when they certainly wouldn’t guarantee him a starting job and plenty of other places could/would? Long story short, for multiple reasons, I see Roche ending up elsewhere when he announces at the end of the week. I had originally heard Texas A&M when his transfer was first announced, but UNC and Penn State have also been thrown out to me. I would also say don’t count out Maryland, as it’s his home state and you should never underestimate Mike Locksley.
·On Jahmyr Gibbs, I would echo what Marc said in his Skull Session that any of those social media posts that went around saying he committed to the Buckeyes should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, I have been hearing some chatter on this front that is positive for Ohio State. I think the nine OSU commits down at the All-American Bowl definitely put forth their best effort to get in Gibbs ear and build a relationship with him. Additionally, some sources have hinted to me that the Scarlet and Gray have a much better chance to land the explosive back than most are giving them credit for. That said, I would still take the field versus the Bucks as of the publishing of this article. There has been too much “Gibbs wants to stay in the South” buzz for too long, with viable options in that region, for me to ignore right now. I will say, let’s see how the OSU visit goes next weekend and take it from there. I’ll also say, let’s watch what happens with Zach Evans, as there could be some domino effect on Gibbs in that recruitment. I think this really is an Ohio State-Georgia Tech-LSU battle, but Florida very well could (and is supposed to) get a visit, and despite Gibbs being adamant that Georgia won’t have a chance for him, I still could see them being a threat should the Bulldogs offer. Again, let’s see how the visit goes and how some other pieces here play out, but I still think the Buckeyes have some work to do here---that’s where I am right now on this one.
·2021 OL Donovan Jackson makes his commitment public tonight at 5 PM EST. As reported back in late November, I still expect it to be Ohio State, which would be a massive get for the Buckeyes, adding Jackson to Ben Christman in their offensive line class next cycle.
