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LB Austin Spitler (official thread)

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Austin was interviwed by the Ozone at North-South media day

ozone

Like Amos, linebacker Austin Spitler said that playing the North-South was not something he could envision four years ago.

"My goodness no," he said.

"It's truly and honor to be here with all these great guys. I never would have thought I would be a part of this."

Spitler has his eyes set on earning playing time this season, but says he will not pout if that doesn't work out.

"You have to set goals, and my goal is to play special teams if I can," he said.

"Redshirting, if it happens, is a positive. You look at it in a positive way because you're going to get that much better and you get a whole extra year."
 
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Ozone
LB Austin Spitler: Played in both the North-South and the Big 33 and played well in both. He actually seemed to improve between the North-South and Big 33. He is very active and has the one thing you can't coach, a nose for the football. He always seems to be around the ball. He did miss a few tackles, but we think some time in the weight room will take care of that problem. We like Austin Spitler as a prospect, though a redshirt year would probably help him.
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OZone
8890.jpg

Spitler gets good pressure on a Gentry punt.
 
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Congrats to Austin on his academic achievement of a 4.0 during winter quarter.

Also, this blurb was the Ozone's report on the first day of spring practice was noteworthy:

theozone

There are what appear to be a couple of anomalies on the depth chart as well. Linebacker Austin Spitler is listed as an outside linebacker, but Spitler said yesterday that when he lined up on the first day of practice, it was at middle linebacker. Spitler also reported that his weight is up to 245 pounds on a 6-3 frame. Spitler is not just big, but is also an extremely bright athlete. He was one of three Buckeyes who earned a 4.0 this past academic quarter, joining Laurinaitis and Anthony Gonzalez as players who attained that academic achievement.​
 
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DDN

4/2/06

Spitler to compete for playing time with Buckeyes

By Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | Ohio State freshman linebacker Austin Spitler has always been a conscientious student, but he isn't quite sure how he managed to pull off a perfect 4.0 during the past academic quarter — one of only three players to accomplish the feat.

Granted, he was as quick to crack open a textbook as he was his playbook. But the Bellbrook product said sheepishly: "I think I got kind of lucky. A couple of the classes were kind of easy."

Of course, he may be required to dig a little deeper to master the football phase of college.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Spitler redshirted last season, but he's listed as a second-string outside linebacker on the spring depth chart and has designs on getting into the mix this year.

The Buckeyes must replace all three linebackers and nine defensive starters in all, but the shelves, as always, are stocked with ample talent.

"There's a lot of competition right now," Spitler said. "It's hard. Everybody's pressing. I just hope I come out on top. We'll see."

Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock believes Spitler has shown enough pluck and promise to make a contribution this year.

"He had a great off-season," Heacock said. "He's going to be a good player for us. He'll be in the competition for playing time."

Spitler arrived at OSU with little fanfare. He was rated as the No. 2 linebacker in Ohio and the 24th-best prospect in the state by Rivals.com, but he was overshadowed by four Parade All-Americans in his class.

He spent last season on the scout team, gleaning as much as he could from stars A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter.

"It was definitely hard (to sit), but I think it will be good in the long run," he said. "You get more experience. Your body has a chance to mature. And you learn from the older guys."

Hawk, of course, was an unheralded linebacker from the south Dayton suburbs who ended up surprising pundits. But when asked whether he sees himself on a similar career path, Spitler blushed and said: "Aww, I wouldn't say I'm close to that right now. But obviously, I'm inspired to be that. Who wouldn't? He's a two-time All-American and a great guy. He taught us a lot."

OSU shines in classroom

When coach Jim Tressel negotiated a new contract in 2003, he asked for only one football-related incentive: $200,000 for reaching the BCS championship game.

But his pact is loaded with potential bonuses for academic achievements, and he's hitting those on a regular basis.

Fifty-one players recorded a GPA of 3.0 or higher during winter quarter and 55 reached that plateau during fall quarter, giving Tressel at least a $20,000 bump each grading period.

Receiver Anthony Gonzalez and linebacker James Laurinaitis joined Spitler in the 4.0 club.

"I remember Bo Schembechler used to say Woody Hayes taught him you get what you emphasize," Tressel said. "If you want to become a good blitzing team, you emphasize it and work at it. With academics, you have to talk about it and pound it.

"A lot of our guys will get to go to the NFL, but not for very long. You want to make sure they have some fun choices after that."
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