LB A.J. Hawk (2x All-American, Lombardi Trophy, National Champion, Super Bowl Champion)

[BuckBackHome]

I'm not sure where to rank him as I do not go back as far as some of the old farts on this board, like the one who posted right before me , but I would say once difference with Hawk is that he has the best supporting cast of the previous greats. I'm not taking anything away from Hawk, just pointing out that it is nice he is not alone out there.

As good as Hawk has been these past four years, he really seemed to step up Saturday night. He was just everywhere and making huge plays whenever the chance arose.

 

[DEBuckeye]

Hawk is a f-in' monster, and so is Carpenter. They were playing totally lights out on Saturday night. All of our LB's are very good- I think it's cool that we have the best group of LB's in the country.

I know they'll get the chance to play on Sundays, and I hope that they are able to take full advantage of it.

I'd say that Hawk is as good as Katz, and better than Wilhelm, and should definately be on the list with the big guys (Speilman, Cousieau, Gradishar, etc.) in Buckeye history.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Hawk is top five at Linebacker in my opinion. Its hard to say he is better that Speilman. As far as Carp is concerned he is right behind Hawk in my opinion. Unbelievable game by those two players.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

As far as AJ's performance Saturday... and I add Carpenter as well... the old adage is so appropo

GREAT players play GREAT in GREAT games...

and since BinMich called me out... did you know Akron U beat OSU... in 1895.. Heisman was Akron's coach... and I was there

 

[ntd]

Hawk and Carp are going to be making big time money this time next year...

Two great players that play up in great games

 

[FadeToBuck4]

Who is better then Hawk? Carp and Hawk should be 1st round draft picks.

 

[hornyhoosier]

Hawk is deffinitly a special caliber player. Not only is he one of the best, if not the best, in college, he is onna be a good NFL player. It's easy to picture him as a pro-bowler.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Re: AJ Hawk - How good?

Definitely this good:
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[MrJethro]

I wood say hes one of the top 10

LB's in all a college football

 

[buckeyefool]

I see tibor has a new alias

 

[Steve19]

That good. Really. That good.

 

[LoKyBuckeye]

Hawk will be a top 10 pick next year... maybe even top 5. He was in the spotlight Saturday and had an unbelievable game. It's funny how some still say Iowa has a better LB corp than OSU.

 

[GoBucks89]

I'd say Hawk is second only to Spielman. Cousineau, Gradishar, and the rest were all great players, but A.J. I think out-ranks them. I'm old enough to have seen Gradishar but not old enough to have seen Jack Tatum when he played at OSU. By the time I saw "Assassin", he was already a safety for the Raiders. Marcus Marek made a lot of tackles, but he was not the complete player that the rest of those guys were. Pepper Johnson was great, but unfortunately and perhaps unfairly he was overshadowed by Spielman.

 

[AirForceBuck]

I will say that Hawk will go first round draft easily next year. But to tell you how he ranks among all of the former great LB's at OSU is hard to do right now. I believe Hawk sits around 13th in total career tackles after his first two games of this season. I think this question will be much easier to answer when the season is over or at least till the regular season is over.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Hawk named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

Per the Ozone...

Football: OSU linebacker A.J. Hawk has been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Here is what the Big Ten had to say about Hawk's performance on Saturday:

In a narrow loss to No. 2 Texas, Hawk spearheaded the Buckeyes defensive attack with a game-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops, three tackles for loss (including two sacks), one interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The two-time Preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year picked off his seventh career pass in the second quarter and returned it 24 yards to set up an OSU field goal to take a 13-10 lead. On the next Longhorns’ possession, Hawk recovered a fumble to set up another field goal and a 16-10 advantage. The senior linebacker’s three tackles for loss set Texas back 12 yards, including 10 yards lost on his two sacks. This marks the second weekly accolade for Hawk, as he was also honored on Sept. 29, 2003.
Other players of the week:

Offense: Tyrell Sutton, RB, Northwestern
Co-Secial Teams: Marquice Cole, PR, Northwestern; Brandon Williams, KR/PR, Wisconsin.
​

Great job by Hawk against Texas.....Congratulations.:osu: