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LB K'Vaughan Pope (transfer to Tenn St)

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In two years from now linebackers on the roster project to be juniors Craig Young and Tommy Eichenberg, sophomores Cody Simon and Mitchell Melton, and freshman Reid Carrico. Assuming they add one more by position switch or a 21’ recruit they will still be one or two injuries away from being quite thin and we’re also assuming here that they’re all starting lineup material. The unit will also be relatively young. If Ohio state has 7 seniors and juniors this year who can all play good then wouldn’t it be wise to redshirt one of 3rd year player’s Dallas Gant or Pope? It would virtually gurantee one of them two years to be a starter.

side note this season could be the first since 2005 when three OSU LB’s were drafted.
 
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Birm: K’Vaughan Pope will be breakout Buckeyes star
Like Darron Lee in 2014 and Jerome Baker two years later, it’s time for another relatively unknown Buckeyes linebacker to step up and dominate the Big Ten. The guy to do that is K’Vaughan Pope. Pope flashed his talent last year in limited opportunities, but now as a junior, he’s going to be hard to keep off the field for Ohio State — even with all the impressive depth at the position. Expect Pope to be a starter by the end the season and a player who turns heads all year long.
 
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TERADJA MITCHELL, DALLAS GANT AND K’VAUGHAN POPE, LB
All three members of Ohio State’s talented trio of junior linebackers could benefit from another year of eligibility, given that they’ve only been sparingly in their first two seasons as Buckeyes and still were unlikely to be starters on defense if a season was played this fall.

With Borland, Werner, Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard all back for their senior seasons, Gant, Mitchell and Pope were all projected to be backups for the third year in a row, leading many to question whether Ohio State made a mistake by not redshirting them as freshmen.

Now, though, all three are essentially getting that redshirt back, giving them the potential to start for at least two years as Buckeyes no matter what happens with the postponed season.

Of course, it’s also possible any of the senior linebackers could return for another year, which could delay the younger linebackers’ opportunities to be starters even longer. But that would be a bit of a surprise, considering that those four all made the Senior Bowl’s Top 250 watch list and will likely pursue NFL careers next year.

It’s also possible that any of those seniors could opt out of a winter or spring season, which could open the door for Gant, Mitchell or Pope to start sooner, and even one big season next fall could be enough for any of them to make their mark as Buckeyes and legitimize themselves as NFL prospects. But it's a good benefit for all of them – and for the experience of Ohio State’s linebacker unit in 2022 – that they have the opportunity to stay for a fifth-year senior season in their back pockets.
 
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Ohio State almost certainly won’t need any extra help with the pass rush, so Al Washington isn’t going to need to loan out some linebacker versatility like he did occasionally with Baron Browning.

If anything, the Silver Bullets are looking to the back instead of the front with the athleticism they have on hand, which is why Craig Young was spending individual drills with the safeties during spring camp. Young might take the torch from Browning as the most position-flexible member of the unit this season, and he’s absolutely going to be a key part of the rotation for the Buckeyes.

But if there’s anybody who might benefit from spending a few reps with the Rushmen and learning from Larry Johnson, maybe that’s the path that finally leads to a role for K’Vaughan Pope. There has never been any question about Pope’s speed, he’s progressively added strength throughout his career and he’s shown that he can be an opportunistic playmaker at times off the bench. It hasn’t translated to a regular spot in the rotation at linebacker heading into his senior year, and that’s still far from a sure thing heading into training camp. But that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to tap into that potential before it’s too late.
 
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Still only the 2nd most surprising Pope to quit.
18175.iStock_000016841750_PopeBenedict-XVI_fef29af237.jpg
 
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