BSB article about the TE's.
rivals
Adam Jardy
BuckeyeSports.com Staff Writer
In the spread offense that is overtaking more and more college football teams, the tight end position could find itself becoming overlooked.
<!--Start frost marcel mug Image--><SCRIPT language=Javascript>document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/Player/photo/WEBFROSHMUGFROST03.JPG', '', 0, 216, 144, 1, 'Marcel Frost.', '', 1144697278000, 'frost marcel mug', 1014, 'Align=Left'));</SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=152 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=146>
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Marcel Frost.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- End frost marcel mug Image-->Not so at Ohio State, however. As a team that traditionally plays its games close to the vest, the Buckeyes have gradually seen their offense lean towards the radical as speedsters such as
Santonio Holmes and
Ted Ginn, Jr. have allowed them to spread the field.
But even as the offense has evolved, head coach Jim Tressel has remained adamant that he plans to continue to utilize his tight ends to their full potential. And after a 2005 season that saw three tight ends catch a combined 21 passes for 185 yards, this year's group hopes to make more of an impact.
"I think all three guys –
Brandon (Smith), Marcel (Frost) and
Rory (Nicol) – have all shown the ability to stretch a field and also they're big bodies who can run our short routes and control the intermediate part of the field," OSU tight ends coach John Peterson said.
In 2004, Ryan Hamby and Nicol combined for 19 catches, 212 yards and one touchdown each.
Last season the Buckeyes suffered the loss of two of their top tight ends due to injury. Nicol missed the entire season with a foot injury and Hamby, a senior, missed four games with a knee injury.
That left Frost and Smith to do the work. Now, with Nicol healthy and
Will Crall taking reps during spring practice, the Buckeyes are hoping to build depth at the spot – and show that they can play a more pronounced role in the offense.
"That's what the spring's about," Smith said. "We have to show coach Tressel that hey, we're ready, we can handle this, we can block this, we can handle this route, catch this ball. We've just got to work and earn our time in practice."
For Nicol, this season is a chance to show he can get back to his freshman form, when he caught three passes for 34 yards and his first collegiate touchdown while backing up Hamby.
Peterson said Nicol's injury helped teach the unit how quickly a football career can be sidelined.
"They've learned something, that football's very fragile and it can be taken away on any single play," he said. "Some of these guys have faced that and know that they have to prepare themselves for that every single day."
On an offense that returns eight starters and looks to improve on some gaudy numbers put up last season – including putting up 617 yards of total offense against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. To do so, they will need Ginn to establish himself as a No. 1 wideout and have their tailbacks control the clock.
Doing both requires solid tight ends, who play crucial roles in both passing and rushing situations.
"You can't have a 1,300 yard rusher without a tight end," Frost said. "You can't have a Ted Ginn or a
Tony Gonzalez or a
Roy Hall without a tight end because without a tight end they're going to double-team those guys and put everybody in the box and you need the versatility to spread them out."
Heading into spring, Nichol tops the depth chart with Frost and Smith behind him.
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Brandon Smith.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- End Image-->Smith has been converted to a tight end after being originally recruited as a linebacker out of Euclid (Ohio) High School. He's listed as the third tight end on the spring depth chart behind Nicol and Frost.
A sophomore, Smith said some of the players he was recruited with have given him a hard time about switching to the opposite side of the ball.
"We jaw back and forth all the time, me and junior linebacker
Curtis Terry and all those guys I came in with," he said. "(Junior linebacker)
Chad Hoobler was one of the nation's best tight ends at the time. It's fun to mess around with those guys.
In the Jersey Scrimmage, Frost caught three passes for 17 yards and Nicol had one grab for three yards while operating from a basic playbook.
With three tight ends with varying levels of experience teaching one newbie, the position could have a bright future ahead at OSU. It might be a future that doesn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, however.
"When you have the explosive playmakers that we've had on offense from the receiving position, there's only one football so you have to prioritize and manage how you're going to try to get the ball to certain players," Peterson said. "Our guys have had a role and they did it very well and hopefully we just keep growing as we get better as a position."
