• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

XB Xavier Johnson (Houston Texans)

Prob a convo for a different thread but Ryan installs plays for specific personnel. Those drawn up plays work with great efficiency….

The issue is if a guy gets hurt, those drawn up plays are outta playbook…..he creates certain plays/schemes around specific players.

Essentialky, if a player gets hurt, the playbook shrinks a shitload. It’s happened 3 times now.

OSU vs Clemson
OSU vs Bama
OSU vs UGA

he seemed to be more ready against Georgia but it was still same situation….Cade getting hurt shrunk our playbook by at least 40%.
Yeah that'd oddly be a side effect of not playing enough of our depth... hard to create other packages if the kids don't play.
 
Upvote 0
I'd be surprised if they're promising him touches. After a year in which every major skill player either got knocked out of a game or missed half the season, I'm really excited that he's back. At the very least a great special teams player, great team player, and is willing to move around to benefit everyone else.

Agree with @Captain Buckeye that I like him out of the backfield as a flex type player, and I see him as someone who can rotate with Pryor in that role. Surprisingly good vision, runs sweeps well, and is most effective receiving swing passes and getting mismatches as that #4 or 5 option.
 
Upvote 0
I think Brandon is going to be our #3 by week 1. He’s that good.

Just my opinion.

I think Xavier might have special packages put in for him and that is cool. I just hope whatever packages he has can be executed by multiple personnel….Day’s biggest weakness continues to be how the playbook shrinks based on specific injuries.
Oh I think so too, but that's even more reason to have a veteran to raise your floor, when the freshman gets lost, hits the wall or maybe shouldn't be relied upon like a veteran when he didn't even have the option of playing in the spring.

the one bonus of X is he can adapt to your scheme. You need a slot ? a steady weapon on 4th down? a jet sweep guy? a sharp possession wr? a good, trustworthy returner?

he can do all of those things at a good level. Can he be great? maybe not, but OSU had plenty of great with CJ and Marvin and Emeka (and formerly Jaxon).

what they lacked was anything kinda good. The floor was so low below the great.

they didn't have the evan Spencer, jalin marshall, drew Carter, Roy Hall in 06, Brian Hartline (the player) steady performers (and yes I realize Brian went on to bigger things in the NFL, but he wasn't used at that level in college)
 
Upvote 0
Oh I think so too, but that's even more reason to have a veteran to raise your floor, when the freshman gets lost, hits the wall or maybe shouldn't be relied upon like a veteran when he didn't even have the option of playing in the spring.

the one bonus of X is he can adapt to your scheme. You need a slot ? a steady weapon on 4th down? a jet sweep guy? a sharp possession wr? a good, trustworthy returner?

he can do all of those things at a good level. Can he be great? maybe not, but OSU had plenty of great with CJ and Marvin and Emeka (and formerly Jaxon).

what they lacked was anything kinda good. The floor was so low below the great.

they didn't have the evan Spencer, jalin marshall, drew Carter, Roy Hall in 06, Brian Hartline (the player) steady performers (and yes I realize Brian went on to bigger things in the NFL, but he wasn't used at that level in college)
It wasn’t his fault, but that he had QB learning how to play QB


I'd be surprised if they're promising him touches. After a year in which every major skill player either got knocked out of a game or missed half the season, I'm really excited that he's back. At the very least a great special teams player, great team player, and is willing to move around to benefit everyone else.

Agree with @Captain Buckeye that I like him out of the backfield as a flex type player, and I see him as someone who can rotate with Pryor in that role. Surprisingly good vision, runs sweeps well, and is most effective receiving swing passes and getting mismatches as that #4 or 5 option.
He’s in essence a poor man’s Curtis Samuel. And that’s not said as an insult, but just that he’s not as talented as Samuel but will be used in a similar role. And I could see Pryor as somewhat in that role, to get him touches and involved.
 
Upvote 0
It wasn’t his fault, but that he had QB learning how to play QB



He’s in essence a poor man’s Curtis Samuel. And that’s not said as an insult, but just that he’s not as talented as Samuel but will be used in a similar role. And I could see Pryor as somewhat in that role, to get him touches and involved.
and OSU would have been much better off if Samuel could have been used in a more balanced role. He was underutilized when they had depth, then he was overused as a RB.
 
Upvote 0
What I saw v Georgia has me pumped. He also caught the pass against Notre Dame. Seems like a guy we can trust in big moments and he also adds a dimension we don’t have in spades (working out of multiple positions).

With an off season to figure out packages and player rotations I think this gives us that jalin, brax after the position switch, Paris Campbell etc multi threat player that just gives one more wrinkle to plan against
 
Upvote 0
What I saw v Georgia has me pumped. He also caught the pass against Notre Dame. Seems like a guy we can trust in big moments and he also adds a dimension we don’t have in spades (working out of multiple positions).

With an off season to figure out packages and player rotations I think this gives us that jalin, brax after the position switch, Paris Campbell etc multi threat player that just gives one more wrinkle to plan against
Honestly from what I saw of his vision at RB I'd be ok with him playing more of the Curtis Samuel role
 
Upvote 0

Ohio State will be without both of its starting linebackers and three of its top four wide receivers for the remainder of spring.

Steele Chambers was seen on crutches while Xavier Johnson was not in uniform and wearing a walking boot during Friday’s spring practice at Ohio State, and Ryan Day confirmed after practice that they will be out for the rest of the spring.
 
Upvote 0


With the depth at wide receiver and running back for Ohio State, it would have been understandable if Johnson had decided to either declare for the NFL Draft or enter the transfer portal. Instead, Johnson decided it would be in his best interests to return to Columbus for another season with the Buckeyes. What made another year at Ohio State attractive for Johnson was the plan head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline laid out for how he would be utilized in the offense.

Unfortunately, Ohio State fans didn’t get an idea of what Day and Hartline had in mind for how they would use Johnson this year, since the wide receiver/running back missed most of spring camp because of a foot injury. There isn’t any worry about Johnson not being on the field when Ohio State’s season begins in early September, as the coaching staff was just being cautious with the injury.

Along with being a factor for Ohio State on offense and special teams, it is likely Johnson will be named a captain since he is one of the three longest-tenured players currently on Ohio State’s roster. Even though the captains are named by a team vote, many have raved about some of the leadership Johnson provides, and Hartline has likened Johnson to Kam Babb when it comes to the type of leadership he has seen from him.

We got a preview of how Johnson can operate in an offense with guys like Harrison, Egbuka, Henderson and others last year. This year is going to be even more interesting to watch since even more will be expected out of the fifth-year standout. The tough part for opponents is Johnson can excel in all facets of the game, so it makes the Buckeye offense even tougher to prepare for.

Even though some of the bigger names that will go higher in the NFL Draft will get more attention, Xavier Johnson might be the most important player on the Ohio State offense.
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top