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Ohio State offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Jim Bollman was very happy to add four talented offensive linemen to the roster on Wednesday. With Marcus Hall, Corey Linsley, Sam Longo and Jack Mewhort, the Buckeyes landed one of their best offensive line crops in the Jim Tressel era.
But just how quickly will any of them be able to crack OSU's starting lineup, or the two deep? Well, we had a chance to check in with Bollman about that and much more during the signing day press conference.
Obviously he's not going to single anyone out this early, but he indicated that he thinks Hall and Mewhort could possibly play right away. Mewhort is listed as the No. 2 center prospect in the country by ESPN.com, but played guard as a senior (he played center as a sophomore and junior though). Bollman is not sure where he will end up at OSU, but it likely won't be center since Michael Brewster will be manning the position for the next 2-3 years. Bollman thinks Mewhort could play any of the five spots on the offensive line, but might start out at guard or tackle.
leroyjenkins;1401610; said:
2009 OHIO STATE OFFENSIVE LINE
Who's gone: Three starters, in three-year left tackle Alex Boone; guard Steve Rehring; and guard Ben Person.
Candidates
Tackle: Mike Adams (So.), J.B. Shugarts (So.), Bryant Browning (Jr.), Marcus Hall (Fr.), Andy Miller (Jr.), Josh Kerr (Jr.)
Guard/Center: Mike Brewster (So.), Justin Boren (Jr.), Jim Cordle (Sr.), Jack Mewhort (Fr.), Andrew Moses (Sr.), Evan Blankenship (So.), Connor Smith (Jr.), Corey Linsley (Fr.), Sam Longo (Fr.)
Projected starters: Browning, Cordle and Brewster are returning starters, and Browning started all 13 games a year ago at right tackle. But the assumption is that one of them won't be starting in 2009. Sophomores Adams and Shugarts are considered by most to be the leading candidates at left tackle and right tackle, though both dealt with injuries as true freshmen. Brewster should hold down the center spot, as he did for the last nine games a year ago, and Boren, the Michigan transfer, should earn one of the guard jobs. That leaves Cordle and Browning fighting for the last guard spot, though it's possible a talent like Hall could have a role somewhere before it's all over.
Questions: Are Adams and Shugarts both healthy enough and prepared to be starting Big Ten tackles, considering a lot of assumptions have been made based on their talent? Will Browning move inside, as expected, even though the coaches said he looked more comfortable at tackle last year after they gave him a quick look at guard? How many of the true freshmen will work into the two-deep immediately, with Hall and Mewhort the most likely candidates? Is Brewster going to make the leap from freshman starter to sophomore star? A starter at guard and center at Michigan, just how good will Boren be after his season as a transfer? Though three starters are lost, with athleticism added, could the line be a real strength instead of maddeningly inconsistent? After making a change in scheme when Terrelle Pryor took over at quarterback last year, how much will working with Pryor for the entire spring and preseason allow the line to get more comfortable with what's asked?
Ohio State football: Coach talks offensive line
by Doug Lesmerises
Tuesday February 10, 2009
AP
Justin Boren, (56), should start somewhere on the offensive line for Ohio State. Mike Brewster (50), Jim Cordle (64) and Connor Smith (73) also return as options.
After the signing day news conference on Wednesday, Jim Bollman spoke about his options on the offensive line. To hear him talk, he's ready to throw all the guys in a kettle and mix it up. Michigan transfer Justin Boren has played guard and center, as has senior Jim Cordle. Starting center Mike Brewster wasn't a center until he got college. Bryant Browning has played guard and tackle. Bollman, not surprisingly, won't commit to anything.
But there are options out there.
Where do you feel this line is? It seems to have a lot of options but not a lot of experience.
There are some guys who have gained some experience. Michael Brewster gained a lot of experience this year, needless to say. Bryant Browning got a lot of experience this year. Justin Boren has a lot of experience. Jim Cordle has a lot of experience. Michael Adams and J.B. got their feet wet. It was unfortunate those guys had some of the in-season injuries they did, but still they got some valuable experience, getting in the mix of things and learning the offense and things like that.
Andrew Miller, Connor Smith, Andrew Moses, Josh Kerr are all guys who are very experienced, who know the system, who will have some opportunities as spring approaches. Then you add Evan Blankenship, who is younger guy who has been here two years, now this spring is a big factor for him. Then you add the four guys we just signed.
So there's a little more experience then you think when you sit and add all the pages together. And there's multiple facets of where guys could end up going. So winter conditioning and those guys getting stronger and spring ball will be a lot of fun. It'll be real interesting. I'm looking forward to it.
Ohio State football: Offensive line projections
by Doug Lesmerises
Tuesday February 10, 2009
D.L.
J.B. Shugarts, Mike Brewster and Mike Adams should all be starting for the Buckeyes on the offensive line as sophomores.
Speaking before the Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State offensive Jim Bollman coordinator was asked about some of the struggles of the offensive line during the 2008 season and pretty quickly started talking about two true freshmen.
"One of the things that probably was frustrating of the things that happened was Michael Adams getting injured and J.B. Shugarts getting injured," Bollman said. "Those guys would have both gotten a lot more action through the year than they ended up getting. Bowl practice were great for those guys."
A guess at the two-deep
Left tackle: Mike Adams, Andy Miller
Left guard: Justin Boren, Connor Smith
Center: Mike Brewster, Andrew Moses/Jack Mewhort
Right guard: Jim Cordle, Bryant Browning
Right tackle: J.B. Shugarts, Marcus Hall
I'm guessing his injury may have had something to do with that.At left tackle, Mike Adams is obvious choice to take over as the starter, but he has yet to prove himself. This spring will be important for Adams who can secure his status as a starter. He barely played as a true freshman last year and there are extremely high hopes for him.
See, Browning gets something of a bum rap. He wasn't nearly as bad as many people make him out to be. He had some bad games, as did everybody on the line, but there were a number of games, IIRC, that he graded out much higher than you'd expect.Buckeneye;1439717; said:Not a knock on Browning, but he got smoked last year - a lot.