Grant Freking
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2 former Ohio State pass rushers finding success outside of Columbus
Grant Freking via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jamal Marcus and Noah Spence are racking up the sacks for Akron and Eastern Kentucky and finding new life after OSU.
The first edition of the Transfer List since Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State included Buckeye-turned-Hoosier offensive lineman Tommy Gardner and Jeremy Cash, Duke's playmaking, All-American safety. This time, the headliners are Jamal Marcus and Noah Spence, a pair of former defensive ends for the Buckeyes who are showing out elsewhere. Two players from Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class also qualify for the Transfer List.
2013 season/offseason
Tommy Brown
Reason for leaving: In search of more playing time, Brown, a backup offensive lineman, left Ohio State in August 2014.
Ohio State stats: Brown redshirted the 2011 season as a true freshman. After not seeing much of the field in 2012, Brown saw 208 snaps in 2013 and played in all 14 games.
Next school: Akron.
The Latest: The NCAA granted Brown's request to play immediately at Akron, and he participated in 11 of the team's 12 games. This season, Brown has seen action in all five of the Zips' contests.
Frank Epitropoulos
Reason for leaving: Epitropoulos left Ohio State prior to the 2014 season to focus on getting into medical school.
Ohio State stats: Epitropoulos played in four games and tallied one catch during the 2013 campaign after redshirting as a true freshman in 2012.
Next school: Michigan State.
The Latest: Epitropoulos, a junior, joined the Spartans in July. He has not recorded any statistics this season.
Jamal Marcus
Reason for leaving: In a mutual decision with Ohio State, Marcus left the Buckeyes in May 2014 for academic reasons.
Ohio State stats: Marcus appeared in 24 games for Ohio State from 2012-13, making 29 tackles and totalling two sacks. The defensive end's most notable moment was when he started in place of the suspended Noah Spence in the 2014 Orange Bowl and had six tackles.
Next school: Akron.
The Latest: After sitting out the 2014 season as a transfer, Marcus has played in three games this fall, recording 11 stops, five tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Mike Mitchell
Reason for leaving: A four-star linebacker prospect from Texas, Mitchell redshirted the 2013 season as a true freshman, and then decided to transfer to be closer to his family.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Texas Tech.
The Latest: Mitchell rode the pine last fall as a transfer. This season, Mitchell has appeared in three games, notching three tackles and one fumble recovery.
Luke Roberts
Reason for leaving: Roberts decided to transfer in July 2013, and he reportedly passed over offers from power conference schools in favor of attending one of the country's most prestigious academic institutes.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Harvard.
The Latest: Roberts played in seven games for Harvard in 2014, picking up three tackles. He does not appear on the Crimson's 2015 roster.
Jayme Thompson
Reason for leaving: A safety from Toledo, Thompson transferred in April 2014 and appeared to be simply looking for a better shot at playing time. Thompson redshirted as a true freshman in 2013.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Iowa Western Community College.
The Latest: In 2014, Thompson registered 81 tackles and two interceptions at Iowa Western before allegedly moving on to Indiana. Thompson tweeted that he transferred to IU in July, but he does not appear on the Hoosiers' roster. Actually, Thompson is still listed on Iowa Western's roster.
2014 season/offseason
Jamel Dean
Reason for leaving: A class of 2015 signee with Ohio State, Dean was declared medically ineligible by the Buckeyes in the spring.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Auburn.
The Latest: Dean, who got clearance from renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews to continue his football career, has to sit out the 2015-16 season as a transfer. It's safe to say Dean and Ohio State possess different opinions on his departure from Columbus.
Marcelys Jones
Reason for leaving: The former four-star offensive lineman decided to leave Ohio State this past June, presumably to find a quicker route to playing time.
Ohio State stats: During his true freshman season in 2014, Jones played in Ohio State's 66-0 win over Kent State, but otherwise Jones barely saw the field.
Next school: Kentucky.
The Latest: Less than a month after committing to Kentucky, Jones was dismissed for violating team rules in mid-August.
Mirko Jurkovic
Reason for leaving: Jurkovic signed with Ohio State as a member of its 2015 recruiting class, but could not qualify academically, leading to his departure from Columbus in June.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Georgia.
The Latest: Less than a month after failing to gain entry to Ohio State, Jurkovic confirmed that he will be attending Georgia.
Noah Spence
Reason for leaving: A second positive drug test in the summer of 2014 caused the Big Ten to indefinitely suspend Spence, a former star defensive end for Ohio State. Previously, Spence had been suspended for the 2014 Orange Bowl and the first two games of the 2014 regular season.
Ohio State stats: Spence played as a true freshman in 2012, but he broke out in 2013 with eight sacks (second-best in the Big Ten, tops on Ohio State) and 14.5 tackles for loss, earning first team All-Big Ten honors for his performance.
Next school: Eastern Kentucky.
The Latest: The former Buckeye found more off-the-field trouble in May after announcing his transfer to Eastern Kentucky -- EKU is an FCS program, so Spence was eligible to play this fall -- in January, but Spence seems to have shaped up since his latest legal entanglement. Through four games for the Colonels, Spence has 18 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
Continue reading...
Grant Freking via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jamal Marcus and Noah Spence are racking up the sacks for Akron and Eastern Kentucky and finding new life after OSU.
The first edition of the Transfer List since Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State included Buckeye-turned-Hoosier offensive lineman Tommy Gardner and Jeremy Cash, Duke's playmaking, All-American safety. This time, the headliners are Jamal Marcus and Noah Spence, a pair of former defensive ends for the Buckeyes who are showing out elsewhere. Two players from Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class also qualify for the Transfer List.
2013 season/offseason
Tommy Brown
Reason for leaving: In search of more playing time, Brown, a backup offensive lineman, left Ohio State in August 2014.
Ohio State stats: Brown redshirted the 2011 season as a true freshman. After not seeing much of the field in 2012, Brown saw 208 snaps in 2013 and played in all 14 games.
Next school: Akron.
The Latest: The NCAA granted Brown's request to play immediately at Akron, and he participated in 11 of the team's 12 games. This season, Brown has seen action in all five of the Zips' contests.
Frank Epitropoulos
Reason for leaving: Epitropoulos left Ohio State prior to the 2014 season to focus on getting into medical school.
Ohio State stats: Epitropoulos played in four games and tallied one catch during the 2013 campaign after redshirting as a true freshman in 2012.
Next school: Michigan State.
The Latest: Epitropoulos, a junior, joined the Spartans in July. He has not recorded any statistics this season.
Jamal Marcus
Reason for leaving: In a mutual decision with Ohio State, Marcus left the Buckeyes in May 2014 for academic reasons.
Ohio State stats: Marcus appeared in 24 games for Ohio State from 2012-13, making 29 tackles and totalling two sacks. The defensive end's most notable moment was when he started in place of the suspended Noah Spence in the 2014 Orange Bowl and had six tackles.
Next school: Akron.
The Latest: After sitting out the 2014 season as a transfer, Marcus has played in three games this fall, recording 11 stops, five tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Mike Mitchell
Reason for leaving: A four-star linebacker prospect from Texas, Mitchell redshirted the 2013 season as a true freshman, and then decided to transfer to be closer to his family.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Texas Tech.
The Latest: Mitchell rode the pine last fall as a transfer. This season, Mitchell has appeared in three games, notching three tackles and one fumble recovery.
Luke Roberts
Reason for leaving: Roberts decided to transfer in July 2013, and he reportedly passed over offers from power conference schools in favor of attending one of the country's most prestigious academic institutes.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Harvard.
The Latest: Roberts played in seven games for Harvard in 2014, picking up three tackles. He does not appear on the Crimson's 2015 roster.
Jayme Thompson
Reason for leaving: A safety from Toledo, Thompson transferred in April 2014 and appeared to be simply looking for a better shot at playing time. Thompson redshirted as a true freshman in 2013.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Iowa Western Community College.
The Latest: In 2014, Thompson registered 81 tackles and two interceptions at Iowa Western before allegedly moving on to Indiana. Thompson tweeted that he transferred to IU in July, but he does not appear on the Hoosiers' roster. Actually, Thompson is still listed on Iowa Western's roster.
2014 season/offseason
Jamel Dean
Reason for leaving: A class of 2015 signee with Ohio State, Dean was declared medically ineligible by the Buckeyes in the spring.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Auburn.
The Latest: Dean, who got clearance from renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews to continue his football career, has to sit out the 2015-16 season as a transfer. It's safe to say Dean and Ohio State possess different opinions on his departure from Columbus.
Marcelys Jones
Reason for leaving: The former four-star offensive lineman decided to leave Ohio State this past June, presumably to find a quicker route to playing time.
Ohio State stats: During his true freshman season in 2014, Jones played in Ohio State's 66-0 win over Kent State, but otherwise Jones barely saw the field.
Next school: Kentucky.
The Latest: Less than a month after committing to Kentucky, Jones was dismissed for violating team rules in mid-August.
Mirko Jurkovic
Reason for leaving: Jurkovic signed with Ohio State as a member of its 2015 recruiting class, but could not qualify academically, leading to his departure from Columbus in June.
Ohio State stats: None.
Next school: Georgia.
The Latest: Less than a month after failing to gain entry to Ohio State, Jurkovic confirmed that he will be attending Georgia.
Noah Spence
Reason for leaving: A second positive drug test in the summer of 2014 caused the Big Ten to indefinitely suspend Spence, a former star defensive end for Ohio State. Previously, Spence had been suspended for the 2014 Orange Bowl and the first two games of the 2014 regular season.
Ohio State stats: Spence played as a true freshman in 2012, but he broke out in 2013 with eight sacks (second-best in the Big Ten, tops on Ohio State) and 14.5 tackles for loss, earning first team All-Big Ten honors for his performance.
Next school: Eastern Kentucky.
The Latest: The former Buckeye found more off-the-field trouble in May after announcing his transfer to Eastern Kentucky -- EKU is an FCS program, so Spence was eligible to play this fall -- in January, but Spence seems to have shaped up since his latest legal entanglement. Through four games for the Colonels, Spence has 18 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
Continue reading...