Matt Tamanini
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You’re Nuts: Which Buckeye veteran do you think will surprise people this season?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
It’s taken Hero Kanu a few years at Ohio State to find his footing, which is sort of funny if you consider his foot skills were never the issue. In fact, Kanu’s journey to Columbus actually began as a soccer goalie back in his hometown of Geltendorf, Germany.
But when the 305-pound defensive tackle felt like he’d outgrown soccer, he began to look for a new athletic pursuit, and American football provided the opportunity he needed to use his size to his advantage.
So when I say it’s taken a few years to find his footing, what I really mean is it’s only taken a few years. Kanu, a redshirt sophomore is about to begin his fourth year of playing football — total. He’s in his third year with the Buckeyes, plus one year of high school, and he’s got enough raw talent and athleticism that he’s basically been learning on the fly.
Last season, Kanu quietly made his way into the rotation, proving that his lack of experience doesn’t indicate a lack of talent. He netted 10 tackles and one sack (which came in Week 1 against Indiana) in just 90 snaps across 12 games; not too bad for someone who’s only been playing football for a few years.
This season, I’m expecting Kanu to surprise us with even splashier playmaking and critical gains for a defense that’s already pretty splashy.
Kanu is expected to be the Buckeyes’ first DT off the bench in a year where defensive line coach Larry Johnson will look to the backups to take a lot of reps, starting early in the season, to take some of the load off starters Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton.
While it’s still unclear exactly how many reps Kanu will take, I suspect he’s going to surprise us by taking on a more critical role in keeping the defense afloat while Hamilton and Williams catch their breath.
Rest time will be especially important for the starters this year, where the 12-team playoff expansion could elongate the season, so Kanu and the backups need to hold down the ship so the starters can stay off the field longer. The defensive line has been in desperate need of more depth, and this year especially, it’s the key to keeping the defense healthy.
The good news is that what Kanu lacks in experience, he makes up for in versatility. He had a productive spring, and with more reps under his belt now, keep an eye on what the experience does for his confidence.
If everything goes according to plan, he could be just the Hero the defensive line has been holding out for.
There is a bit of a theme between Jami and my picks as we are both going with defensive tackles. Perhaps Jami’s is a bigger risk as she is taking a second-team lineman while I am taking a starter, but in terms of the top-four defensive linemen, Ty Hamilton is clearly the least celebrated. However, history is on his side when it comes to having one big, breakout season.
In case you didn’t know, Ty Hamilton is the younger brother of former Ohio State and current Jacksonville Jaguar d-lineman DaVon Hamilton. The elder Hamilton brother was something of a journeyman during his time in Columbus. In his first four years as a Buckeye, he totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, but in 2019, not only did he earn All-Big Ten third-team honors, but he doubled his TFL total with another 10.5 and ended up being drafted in the third round.
While DaVon’s tenure in college football barely predated the explosion of the transfer portal, he did things the old-fashioned way. He kept working despite being a bit buried behind other guys for years and he turned himself into an elite-level player. Now it’s time for his brother to try and do the same.
In his first four seasons as a Buckeye, Ty has amassed just seven tackles for loss, but 4.5 of them came last year as his playing time increased. Now, he is set to have similar opportunities to his brother as a starter. Alongside Tyleik Williams in the middle, with J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer on the edges, the OSU defensive line is incredibly experienced and loaded with talent.
If the Ohio State defense is as dominant as I believe that it will be, offensive lines will likely be focusing on some of the bigger-named players, which could leave Hamilton with more advantageous matchups. Ultimately, I believe that everyone on that line will have career seasons, and while Ty might not turn in the same statistical production that his brother did, the roadmap is there for him to be a breakout star for the Buckeyes this season.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Which Buckeye veteran do you think will surprise people this season?
Jami’s Take: Hero Kanu
It’s taken Hero Kanu a few years at Ohio State to find his footing, which is sort of funny if you consider his foot skills were never the issue. In fact, Kanu’s journey to Columbus actually began as a soccer goalie back in his hometown of Geltendorf, Germany.
But when the 305-pound defensive tackle felt like he’d outgrown soccer, he began to look for a new athletic pursuit, and American football provided the opportunity he needed to use his size to his advantage.
So when I say it’s taken a few years to find his footing, what I really mean is it’s only taken a few years. Kanu, a redshirt sophomore is about to begin his fourth year of playing football — total. He’s in his third year with the Buckeyes, plus one year of high school, and he’s got enough raw talent and athleticism that he’s basically been learning on the fly.
Last season, Kanu quietly made his way into the rotation, proving that his lack of experience doesn’t indicate a lack of talent. He netted 10 tackles and one sack (which came in Week 1 against Indiana) in just 90 snaps across 12 games; not too bad for someone who’s only been playing football for a few years.
This season, I’m expecting Kanu to surprise us with even splashier playmaking and critical gains for a defense that’s already pretty splashy.
Kanu is expected to be the Buckeyes’ first DT off the bench in a year where defensive line coach Larry Johnson will look to the backups to take a lot of reps, starting early in the season, to take some of the load off starters Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton.
While it’s still unclear exactly how many reps Kanu will take, I suspect he’s going to surprise us by taking on a more critical role in keeping the defense afloat while Hamilton and Williams catch their breath.
Rest time will be especially important for the starters this year, where the 12-team playoff expansion could elongate the season, so Kanu and the backups need to hold down the ship so the starters can stay off the field longer. The defensive line has been in desperate need of more depth, and this year especially, it’s the key to keeping the defense healthy.
The good news is that what Kanu lacks in experience, he makes up for in versatility. He had a productive spring, and with more reps under his belt now, keep an eye on what the experience does for his confidence.
If everything goes according to plan, he could be just the Hero the defensive line has been holding out for.
Matt’s Take: Ty Hamilton
There is a bit of a theme between Jami and my picks as we are both going with defensive tackles. Perhaps Jami’s is a bigger risk as she is taking a second-team lineman while I am taking a starter, but in terms of the top-four defensive linemen, Ty Hamilton is clearly the least celebrated. However, history is on his side when it comes to having one big, breakout season.
In case you didn’t know, Ty Hamilton is the younger brother of former Ohio State and current Jacksonville Jaguar d-lineman DaVon Hamilton. The elder Hamilton brother was something of a journeyman during his time in Columbus. In his first four years as a Buckeye, he totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, but in 2019, not only did he earn All-Big Ten third-team honors, but he doubled his TFL total with another 10.5 and ended up being drafted in the third round.
While DaVon’s tenure in college football barely predated the explosion of the transfer portal, he did things the old-fashioned way. He kept working despite being a bit buried behind other guys for years and he turned himself into an elite-level player. Now it’s time for his brother to try and do the same.
In his first four seasons as a Buckeye, Ty has amassed just seven tackles for loss, but 4.5 of them came last year as his playing time increased. Now, he is set to have similar opportunities to his brother as a starter. Alongside Tyleik Williams in the middle, with J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer on the edges, the OSU defensive line is incredibly experienced and loaded with talent.
If the Ohio State defense is as dominant as I believe that it will be, offensive lines will likely be focusing on some of the bigger-named players, which could leave Hamilton with more advantageous matchups. Ultimately, I believe that everyone on that line will have career seasons, and while Ty might not turn in the same statistical production that his brother did, the roadmap is there for him to be a breakout star for the Buckeyes this season.
Let us know who you are agreeing with:
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