Spring has sprung at the Woody Hayes and competition is in full swing for the young Buckeyes. I recently checked in with both the Second and Third Wisemen to get their takes on what they have witnessed during the closed practices thus far.
The first thing they noted was how the new practice schedule has been implemented for the team. Gone is the standard Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday Scrimmage setup that Urban Meyer has used for years and it has been flipped to Monday-Wednesday-Friday. This allegedly stems from last year’s seniors mentioning “WHAC fatigue” in their exit meetings with Meyer and his leadership council, so Meyer switch up the schedule and gave the guys the entire weekend off during the spring. Players and coaches alike are enjoying more family time, nobody more so than Meyer who gets to watch his son play his senior year of baseball that feature a schedule of a bunch of Friday/Saturday contests. They also practice in the morning, so he is at more of his kid’s event than ever. Why should you care? Because him being more balanced will keep him from burning out the way he did at Florida. That will keep him here longer. I’m not really into the 6-7 type Fickell year myself, so I’ll take Meyer as long as I can. On to the good stuff…
Offensively, spring is always a mishmash of players who are in new spots or are filling in for injured people who have post season surgeries and this spring is no different. Depending on who is practicing on a given day can help the offense perform in wildly different directions, but the biggest question is who will play QB for the 2018 Buckeyes?
DWAYNE HASKINS-obviously based on his relief effort versus Michigan, he is the odds-on favorite to take the first snap versus Oregon State. He spent spring break in Miami working out with a bunch of NFL guys, so his dedication is pretty evident. His raw talent is NFL level. He has made some jaw dropping throws, namely one on a bad low snap that he picked up off the ground and promptly threw a dart 30 yards down field in a millisecond. That is something that is just god-given, and he has the tools. The biggest issue with him is polish. The Second Wiseman remarked if you could combine Dwayne’s talent with Joe’s ability to be “a dude” and athleticism, you would have the perfect QB. Which brings us to:
JOE BURROW-the kid many people wrote off is not going away and has been making some spectacular plays ins camp. Joe’s athleticism has been on display and he has been able to move the chains under duress with his feet (reminder that the offensive lines have been without 3 projected starters, so the 1st and 2nd team lines are very mishmashed). Being able to evade pass rushers is something Joe has been better than Dewayne at, simply because he is a better athlete. In spring ball with a bunch of OL hurt, that is a huge edge. Joe isn’t going away and his competitive nature is something that is keeping him very much in a race that most have already called. I still think Dewayne opens as the starter, but Joe is very capable of being the guy. Him not transferring would be a huge win for Day and company..
TATE MARTELL-Tate has had his moments at QB, but he has really shined with his open field movements when he scrambles. His shiftiness is very evident, and many inside the WHAC believe he should move to H and be a major contributor in the slot position. The Third Wiseman noted how well he did playing H in bowl practice for the scout team (since Joe Burrow was emulating “Statue” Sam Darnold”). Tate has made defenders pretty angry during periods where the O/D goes two hand touch (as opposed to being “live tackling”) when he jukes defenders and leaves them grasping at air. They of course always claim he was “tagged”, but the video usually always sides with Tate. As you can remember during his cameo in last year’s spring game, his first ever carry in the Shoe resulted in a shifty QB run TD. Could he have a Tebow package? Or move to H full time to prep for being a Julian Edelman-type? We will see. The kid has the “it” factor for sure, but 5’10 QBs in the NFL are pretty rare…
At running back, I was shocked to hear the first name that cam from both the Second and Third Wiseman’s mouths was ANTONIO WILLIAMS. Antonio has had an excellent spring, having consistently been the most physical runner in camp. On top of that, he is the top pass protecting back on the team. Despite the wicked 1-2 punch of JK Dobbins and Mike Weber, look for Antonio to get into the mix. His arrow is firmly pointed up.
JK DOBBINS-JK is also having a great spring. He is our best back in space and has been physical running our tight zone looks versus the defense. Pass blocking will forever be difficult with him due to his size and lack of length versus blitzing LBs, but he should be out in a pattern anyways (do you think Sean Payton would ever ask Alvin Kamara to pass block? Exactly.). Look for him to open as the feature back and have a huge year.
MIKE WEBER-Mike continues to be his own worst enemy in terms of being in the doghouse. His attitude is generally a roller coaster, but his talent is very evident. In a year where I expect the OL to take a step back, we will need our RBs to run as physical as ever, so Mike will be a huge part of that. He reminds the Second Wiseman so much of Carlos Hyde that it is scary, from the physicality to the moodiness. Tony Alford will keep his foot up Mike’s hind end until the bowl game clock say 0:00, but that is what is take with Mike.
At WR, AUSTIN MACK has been excellent and the leader of the pack in terms of consistent play. This position has been impacted a great deal by holding old player such as Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin out of scrimmage time. A kid like Austin really has a chance to shine due to this…
The biggest enigma of the Meyer-era continues to be BIN VICTOR. The Second Wiseman had one of the greatest lines ever (I’ve known him for two decades so this is saying something) when he said “one play Bin looks like AJ Green, the next play he looks like (seldom used Georgia Tech transfer) Jeff Greene”. I laughed out loud at that one. He also has taken turns snagging balls on the corners and Jordan Fuller that have been some next level plays. The Third Wiseman noticed the same thing and went as far as to say he is the key to if we go on a National Championship run. The ability/hype is real, but this year it is put up or shut up time for Bin. Either the light goes on and he makes football into a career, or he graduates and moves on in life. It is time…
On the offensive line, it is another group that has suffered from injury issues. Brandon Bowen (who we called as the starting guard last year) continues to rehab and is out for spring. Michael Jordan has been in and out of practice with a shoulder injury. Isaiah Prince has been nicked up and missed time. It has been a mish-mash from the first day. However, with an injury comes an opportunity. The guys turning heads:
DEMETRIOUS KNOX-the light has turned on for Meech this spring. This is his chance to run with a guard spot and make it his and he has done just that. He has been very physical and has had good chemistry in the pass protection game. His maturation will be huge playing next to a new tackle.
BRADY TAYLOR-the best candidate for the Reid Fragel/Darryl Baldwin award is Brady Taylor, the fifth year senior with 0 career starts who is replaced two straight Remmington winners. No pressure right? At 6’5, Brady is the tallest center we have had in a while and has had some trouble with shorter DTs in pass rush. However, his length has been as asset in the run game and he has been moving people. That makes Meyer’s offense go, and Urban has probably had the best crew of centers in the history of the game. Can Brady be 70% of Billy? For the sake of our sanity, we hope so. He has made major strides this year and it is his turn to man the apex of the line.
THAYER MUNDFORD-the last take of last year’s recruiting class is turning out to be the one most likely to start the season off at RT. First year starting RTs always give me the yips (think Farris, Chase and Prince, Isaiah), but Thayer has transformed his body and has been a “grinder” from the first day he stepped for on campus. That is paying off in spades this spring, and he is taking advantage of his opportunity.
In terms of full unit performance, the offense whooped on the defense in the first scrimmage two Fridays ago and the defense returned the favor this past Friday. I will have a defensive update soon, but I need to go ice my hand after typing this much LOL. Needless to say, our talent is pretty evident across the board, but the OL will dictate the season...
The first thing they noted was how the new practice schedule has been implemented for the team. Gone is the standard Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday Scrimmage setup that Urban Meyer has used for years and it has been flipped to Monday-Wednesday-Friday. This allegedly stems from last year’s seniors mentioning “WHAC fatigue” in their exit meetings with Meyer and his leadership council, so Meyer switch up the schedule and gave the guys the entire weekend off during the spring. Players and coaches alike are enjoying more family time, nobody more so than Meyer who gets to watch his son play his senior year of baseball that feature a schedule of a bunch of Friday/Saturday contests. They also practice in the morning, so he is at more of his kid’s event than ever. Why should you care? Because him being more balanced will keep him from burning out the way he did at Florida. That will keep him here longer. I’m not really into the 6-7 type Fickell year myself, so I’ll take Meyer as long as I can. On to the good stuff…
Offensively, spring is always a mishmash of players who are in new spots or are filling in for injured people who have post season surgeries and this spring is no different. Depending on who is practicing on a given day can help the offense perform in wildly different directions, but the biggest question is who will play QB for the 2018 Buckeyes?
DWAYNE HASKINS-obviously based on his relief effort versus Michigan, he is the odds-on favorite to take the first snap versus Oregon State. He spent spring break in Miami working out with a bunch of NFL guys, so his dedication is pretty evident. His raw talent is NFL level. He has made some jaw dropping throws, namely one on a bad low snap that he picked up off the ground and promptly threw a dart 30 yards down field in a millisecond. That is something that is just god-given, and he has the tools. The biggest issue with him is polish. The Second Wiseman remarked if you could combine Dwayne’s talent with Joe’s ability to be “a dude” and athleticism, you would have the perfect QB. Which brings us to:
JOE BURROW-the kid many people wrote off is not going away and has been making some spectacular plays ins camp. Joe’s athleticism has been on display and he has been able to move the chains under duress with his feet (reminder that the offensive lines have been without 3 projected starters, so the 1st and 2nd team lines are very mishmashed). Being able to evade pass rushers is something Joe has been better than Dewayne at, simply because he is a better athlete. In spring ball with a bunch of OL hurt, that is a huge edge. Joe isn’t going away and his competitive nature is something that is keeping him very much in a race that most have already called. I still think Dewayne opens as the starter, but Joe is very capable of being the guy. Him not transferring would be a huge win for Day and company..
TATE MARTELL-Tate has had his moments at QB, but he has really shined with his open field movements when he scrambles. His shiftiness is very evident, and many inside the WHAC believe he should move to H and be a major contributor in the slot position. The Third Wiseman noted how well he did playing H in bowl practice for the scout team (since Joe Burrow was emulating “Statue” Sam Darnold”). Tate has made defenders pretty angry during periods where the O/D goes two hand touch (as opposed to being “live tackling”) when he jukes defenders and leaves them grasping at air. They of course always claim he was “tagged”, but the video usually always sides with Tate. As you can remember during his cameo in last year’s spring game, his first ever carry in the Shoe resulted in a shifty QB run TD. Could he have a Tebow package? Or move to H full time to prep for being a Julian Edelman-type? We will see. The kid has the “it” factor for sure, but 5’10 QBs in the NFL are pretty rare…
At running back, I was shocked to hear the first name that cam from both the Second and Third Wiseman’s mouths was ANTONIO WILLIAMS. Antonio has had an excellent spring, having consistently been the most physical runner in camp. On top of that, he is the top pass protecting back on the team. Despite the wicked 1-2 punch of JK Dobbins and Mike Weber, look for Antonio to get into the mix. His arrow is firmly pointed up.
JK DOBBINS-JK is also having a great spring. He is our best back in space and has been physical running our tight zone looks versus the defense. Pass blocking will forever be difficult with him due to his size and lack of length versus blitzing LBs, but he should be out in a pattern anyways (do you think Sean Payton would ever ask Alvin Kamara to pass block? Exactly.). Look for him to open as the feature back and have a huge year.
MIKE WEBER-Mike continues to be his own worst enemy in terms of being in the doghouse. His attitude is generally a roller coaster, but his talent is very evident. In a year where I expect the OL to take a step back, we will need our RBs to run as physical as ever, so Mike will be a huge part of that. He reminds the Second Wiseman so much of Carlos Hyde that it is scary, from the physicality to the moodiness. Tony Alford will keep his foot up Mike’s hind end until the bowl game clock say 0:00, but that is what is take with Mike.
At WR, AUSTIN MACK has been excellent and the leader of the pack in terms of consistent play. This position has been impacted a great deal by holding old player such as Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin out of scrimmage time. A kid like Austin really has a chance to shine due to this…
The biggest enigma of the Meyer-era continues to be BIN VICTOR. The Second Wiseman had one of the greatest lines ever (I’ve known him for two decades so this is saying something) when he said “one play Bin looks like AJ Green, the next play he looks like (seldom used Georgia Tech transfer) Jeff Greene”. I laughed out loud at that one. He also has taken turns snagging balls on the corners and Jordan Fuller that have been some next level plays. The Third Wiseman noticed the same thing and went as far as to say he is the key to if we go on a National Championship run. The ability/hype is real, but this year it is put up or shut up time for Bin. Either the light goes on and he makes football into a career, or he graduates and moves on in life. It is time…
On the offensive line, it is another group that has suffered from injury issues. Brandon Bowen (who we called as the starting guard last year) continues to rehab and is out for spring. Michael Jordan has been in and out of practice with a shoulder injury. Isaiah Prince has been nicked up and missed time. It has been a mish-mash from the first day. However, with an injury comes an opportunity. The guys turning heads:
DEMETRIOUS KNOX-the light has turned on for Meech this spring. This is his chance to run with a guard spot and make it his and he has done just that. He has been very physical and has had good chemistry in the pass protection game. His maturation will be huge playing next to a new tackle.
BRADY TAYLOR-the best candidate for the Reid Fragel/Darryl Baldwin award is Brady Taylor, the fifth year senior with 0 career starts who is replaced two straight Remmington winners. No pressure right? At 6’5, Brady is the tallest center we have had in a while and has had some trouble with shorter DTs in pass rush. However, his length has been as asset in the run game and he has been moving people. That makes Meyer’s offense go, and Urban has probably had the best crew of centers in the history of the game. Can Brady be 70% of Billy? For the sake of our sanity, we hope so. He has made major strides this year and it is his turn to man the apex of the line.
THAYER MUNDFORD-the last take of last year’s recruiting class is turning out to be the one most likely to start the season off at RT. First year starting RTs always give me the yips (think Farris, Chase and Prince, Isaiah), but Thayer has transformed his body and has been a “grinder” from the first day he stepped for on campus. That is paying off in spades this spring, and he is taking advantage of his opportunity.
In terms of full unit performance, the offense whooped on the defense in the first scrimmage two Fridays ago and the defense returned the favor this past Friday. I will have a defensive update soon, but I need to go ice my hand after typing this much LOL. Needless to say, our talent is pretty evident across the board, but the OL will dictate the season...
