• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

2013 Buckeye Football Pre-season News

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Buckskin86

Buckskin86

Moderator
BAWaZdYCcAALIvh.jpg:large

Here they are (straight left to right): Apple, Sprinkle, Hill, Lewis, Burrows, Barrett and Houston. Welcome, Buckeyes.

Seven Enroll For Start of Spring Semester
Ohio State football gained five new scholarship freshmen and a couple of walk-ons this week
Jan. 11, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State football team grew this week with the addition of six true freshmen who have completed high school requirements and enrolled at Ohio State for the spring semester. The six, plus a transfer walk-on, took part in the start of the team's winter conditioning exercises Tuesday afternoon. The first day of spring football is Wednesday, March 5.

The newest Buckeyes are:

CB Eli Apple - Vorhees, N.J. and Eastern High School
Eli Apple is a cornerback who is rated as high as the No. 6 prospect nationally on the ESPN 150 ... played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... helped Eastern, coached by Dan Spittal, to a 7-4 record in 2012 and to a regional semifinals berth ... has always wanted to play for Ohio State ... the son of Annie and Tim Apple, Eli just recently changed his last name from Woodard to Apple to honor Tim, his father since age 2.

QB J.T. Barrett - Wichita Falls, Texas and Rider High School
John Thomas (J.T.) Barrett is considered one of the nation's premier dual threat quarterbacks, although his senior season came to an early end with a knee injury in the fifth game of the season ... had rushed for 569 yards with seven touchdowns and passed for 784 yards and five scores prior to the injury ... J.T. rushed for over 1,500 yards with nine touchdowns and passed for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns for coach Jim Garfield's Raiders as a junior ... he is the son of Stacy and John Barrett.

CB Cameron Burrows - Trotwood, Ohio and Trotwood-Madison High School
Cameron Burrows was Ohio State's first commitment to the 2013 class when he announced in January 2012 that he would be a Buckeye ... he helped lead Trotwood-Madison, coached by Maurice Douglass, to three state championship games, including going 14-0 and winning the Division II state title in 2011 ... played in the 2013 Under Armour All-American game ... Burrows was named first-team all-Ohio by the Associated Press ... he is the son of Dionne and Andre Burrows.

FB Devin Hill - Columbus, Ohio and Northland High School
Devin Hill attended Purdue University the past two seasons - red-shirting in 2011 - and walked-on to the Ohio State football program this week after enrolling in school ... played running back and linebacker at Northland and was a classmate of Jared Sullinger ... Devin is the son of Venisa and Darryl Hill.

FB William Houston - Dublin, Ohio and Dublin Scioto High School
Despite holding a scholarship offer from another school, William Houston preferred being a Buckeye and accepted Ohio State's offer to join the team as a preferred walk-on ... Houston helped Scioto, coached by Karl Johnson, to an 8-3 record and a regional quarterfinal berth in 2012 by rushing for 1,158 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns ... he also had 75 career receptions for 804 yards and six touchdowns ... Houston is the son of Cynthia Rawls and William Houston, who was a three-year Ohio State letterman in the 1990s.

DE Tyquan Lewis - Tarboro, N.C. and Tarboro High School
Tyquan Lewis is a stand-up defensive end from Tarboro, N.C., and Tarboro High School ... comes from a tremendous program at Tarboro ... the Vikings, coached by Jeff Craddock, won three consecutive North Carolina Class 2A state championships and had won 21 consecutive games before dropping the 2012 state championship to East Lincoln ... Lewis, who was injured in the title game but still played, recorded 13 sacks as a senior and was named to the Associated Press all-state team ... Lewis is the son of Tyronda Whitaker.

DE Tracy Sprinkle - Elyria, Ohio and Elyria High School
The 2012 Associated Press first-team all-Ohio selection and co-defensive player of the year, Tracy Sprinkle recorded 19 sacks and 30 total tackles-for-loss among his 103 tackles as a senior ... Elyria, coached by Kevin Fell, was 7-3 in both 2012 and 2011 ... Sprinkle was a third-team all-state pick as a junior after making 94 tackles and eight sacks ... Elyria's Chase Farris is a third-year sophomore offensive lineman at Ohio State ... Sprinkle is the son of Tracie Sprinkle and Percy Hicks.
Click to expand...

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011113aaa.html
 
On leadership for 2013: ?It's a huge void," Meyer said. "Jordan Hall returning is a boost. I look for C.J. Barnett and Christian Bryant to step up. And guys I already had conversations with that have not been in that situation but now they are are Philly Brown and Carlos Hyde.

"Jack Mewhort is there already. We asked him to take that spot that maybe (John) Simon took and that is the overall heart. He's a tough guy.?

Meyer also mentioned linebacker Ryan Shazier as a possibility. There are lots of possibilities. But there probably aren't as many obvious leaders as there were last year with John Simon, Zach Boren and Etienne Sabino.

?That was a huge part of of the success last season, it was the leadership,? Meyer said.
Click to expand...

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/01/chasing_alabama_urban_meyer_sa.html
The Offseason

* Meyer said he's very satisfied with where they are at right now. A year ago they were just trying to put a staff together while doing 5am workouts because people were late for meetings.

* The mantra for this team going forward is "truth" and "fundamentals." Meyer said they have to get "a lot better" for next year and the players are going to hear that during today’s team meeting.

* Meyer said they can't even look ahead to next year right now. They have to figure out who's going to play D-line. Those guys aren't good enough the way they are right now to have OSU on that elite level.

* Meyer said they did a lot more things with the young guys during the season because they knew they wouldn't have those 15 bowl practices.

* Meyer said he hopes freshman QB J.T. Barrett brings something they need at the QB position: a grinder. A guy who works hard and lives quarterback all day long.

* Meyer said Braxton Miller and the WRs took a big step in 2012 but are still nowhere near the level they need to be. He said if they take a similar leap this offseason, then they will be getting close to the level Ohio State needs from its passing game.
Click to expand...

http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2013/TwoMintueDrill_Meyer_01_11_13.html
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
1) He said Jordan Hall "will be a captain again" and he will no longer be a tailback. He's moving out to the hybrid No. 3 position "with Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson."

Urban said Hall was the only guy they had last spring who could "make someone miss" and that's what they're offense is predicated on.

2) Meyer said he is excited to get back to Columbus and start working with the offensive guys he has coming back. He said Corey Brown will slide to the slot and the top three tailbacks will be Carlos Hyde, Rod Smith and Bri'onte Dunn, though he did say Warren Ball presents ?an intriguing option? for them at tailback.

Meyer said Dunn had a ?directional problem? last year, ?we said right and he went left.?

He did say there was ?one more guy I can?t remember,? which I?m assuming meant Ezekiel Elliott, who won?t be at OSU until after spring ball.

3) Meyer said they have zero leadership on defense right now. He said Christian Bryant is the ?emotional leader? of the defense, but they are incredibly young and he doesn?t know where the leadership will come from.

4) Meyer said their top options at middle linebacker right now are Curtis Grant and Camren Williams. He said Josh Perry could play outside or inside but he?s not sure who else they have at linebacker. He about jumped out of his seat when Herbstreit mentioned Trey Johnson and Mike Mitchell, ?I love freaks,? he said with a smile.

5) Meyer really likes the talent on the defensive line. He said Noah Spence is up to 245 pounds from 225 last year and he was practically salivating about Spence and Adolphus Washington. He said he expects this group to be top 5 in the country in two years but they need to accelerate that.

6) Meyer said Drew Basil will be their No. 1 punter heading into spring and Frank Epitropoulos ?will get a chance.? He joked about the fact they won?t need to punt this year, then reminded fans ?we will definitely punt.? He said after those two ?we don?t really have many other options right now.?

7) Meyer said the four guys they have coming back should give them the best offensive line in the Big Ten. Also talked about how much he loves Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett at the tight end spot.

8) One important thing Meyer tried to explain was the fact he never called out the other coaches in the Big Ten about their recruiting, ?people have to sell newspapers.? He said he was asked about the Big Ten?s lack of success compared to the SEC. He responded by saying the entire conference needed to look itself in the mirror and figure out a way to go win games. Mentioned more night games, more speed and better recruiting as three possible ways to improve the overall profile of the conference.

9) Meyer said he is adamantly against the new recruiting rules that will deregulate everything. He said the vote was unanimous among the 14 Big Ten coaches against the new rules and feels like it went from being a done deal to being 50/50. He also said if they do adopt the new rules, he has already talked to Gene Smith about increasing the recruiting budget by ?seven or eight? times so other people aren?t outdoing them.

10) Someone asked Meyer about the OSU-Michigan rivalry. He responded by pointing out the fact they were wearing blue and made him do 10 pushups. When he got up, he accidentally said the word Michigan and Meyer made him do 10 more while threatening to get Anthony Schlegel on him.
Click to expand...

Urban notes from Buckeye Cruise for Cancer- Ozone
 
Upvote 0
Plenty of spring questions await Ohio State football: Doug Lesmerises analysis

Five players to watch

1. Adolphus Washington: The sophomore defensive lineman could be a star in the making. He?ll certainly start. At 6-3 and 289 pounds, the Buckeyes need him to be a Cameron Heyward-like presence.
2. Curtis Grant: A five-star recruit, he hasn?t panned out for two seasons. The Buckeyes almost moved him to defensive end, but instead they?ll give him another shot at middle linebacker. It could change the defense if it finally clicks for him.
3. Bradley Roby: Instead of leaving for the NFL, Roby returns as maybe the best player on the team. Meyer said he?s as good as any corner in America when at his best. If he makes the jump, he?ll give a young line more time to get to the quarterback.
4. Jordan Hall: The 2012 captain is back as a fifth-year senior. After four seasons at running back, Hall will shift to the slot. Freshmen Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson will also play there, but Hall will get a good long look this spring.
5. Jeff Heuerman: The junior tight end is a physical specimen, and graduated tackle Reid Fragel Tweeted that Heuerman will be the next Rob Gronkowski, ?but better. Mark my words.?

Five new guys

1. Taylor Decker: The sophomore should take over for Fragel at right tackle as the only new starter on an offensive line otherwise made up of seniors ? Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley and Marcus Hall.
2. Camren Williams: The sophomore should fight Curtis Grant at middle linebacker. Right now, linebackers are Ryan Shazier and lot of unknowns.
3. Cam Burrows: The freshman cornerback is in early and could replace Travis Howard, though junior Doran Grant is the leading candidate.
4. Elie Apple: Same as Burrows. The two corners were major signings in the 2013 recruiting class and they could wind up at least as the second-team corners this season.
5. J.T. Barrett: Already enrolled, the QB is limited by an ACL injury suffered in high school. But a speech he gave while recruits were visiting in the fall is already something of an OSU legend. His natural leadership should help the QB meeting room, despite his youth.
Click to expand...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's football assignment for 2013?

Make up for the 15 bowl practices lost because of NCAA sanctions, replace seven starters on defense, take quarterback Braxton Miller from good to great, develop more playmakers, run the unbeaten streak to 25 games, make the Big Ten title game for the first time and, maybe, win a national title in Urban Meyer's second year, just as he did at Florida and Jim Tressel did with the Buckeyes.

High bar? Sure. But it comes with success and the belief that everything in year two of a coach's system has to be easier.

"It's just the year two of not having to deal with, 'Here's what we call this formation,'" offensive coordinator Tom Herman said while describing how working with Miller will change. "Just the speed and progress should be a lot faster than it was ever was. So it'll be a little neat to get the signals out of the way and just work on refinement rather than just knowledge."

It all starts Tuesday with the first day of spring football practice.

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/03/plenty_of_spring_questions_awa.html

Ohio State football: Burning questions for spring practice
Sunday March 3, 2013

It is time to turn the page for the Ohio State football team. Its undefeated 2012 season is history. Irreplaceable leaders such as John Simon and Zach Boren must be ... well, replaced.

But also gone is the postseason ban that prevented Ohio State from winning the Big Ten title or playing for the national championship. With most of the offense and defensive secondary back, Ohio State has been anointed as a legitimate contender for the national title. On Tuesday, Ohio State begins spring practice, which will culminate with the spring game in Cincinnati. Ohio Stadium is unavailable because of maintenance work.

As the Buckeyes start preparation for the 2013 season, they must begin to answer several pressing questions. Beat writers Tim May and Bill Rabinowitz will take turns addressing six of them.
Who could be a breakout performer on offense?

May: Certainly it won’t be Braxton Miller, he of the Sports Illustrated cover, who last year set the season school record for total offense. Nor will it be running back Carlos Hyde, who came within a whisper of a 1,000-yard season. But it could be fifth-year senior Jordan Hall. He was expected to be the hybrid slotback in the spread before a cut foot in the summer delayed his debut, and then a knee injury cut his season short after 21/2 games. With blue-chip recruits Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson headed this way in the summer, Hall — elected a co-captain last season — needs to reassert why coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman had such grand plans for him this time a year ago. Without such a consistent slotback presence in 2012, the new offense only scratched the surface of its on-paper capabilities.

cont...
Click to expand...

- See more at: http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/con...for-spring-practice.html#sthash.ILj75mrx.dpuf
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top