Raekwon McMillan Is the Catalyst to Ohio State's Midseason Resurgence

COLUMBUS, Ohio — On the Sept. 16 edition of the Big Ten coaches teleconference, Urban Meyer was asked how he balances loyalty to his seniors with the emergence of talented younger players.

No specific players were mentioned by the interviewer, but it was obvious who he was making reference to. And judging by Meyer's answer, it was a situation that he had obviously been wrestling with recently.

“That’s a hard one," the Ohio State head coach responded.

"We have an obligation when they say, ‘You’re the head football coach’ to win the game and represent Ohio State, but you also—if the guy does everything right as far as academics, behavior on and off the field, his work ethic—then you give them every opportunity to succeed and you go with that guy.

"But there comes a point where if the younger player’s better, then you have to go with that younger player.”

Apparently, the Buckeyes are now at that point.

No disrespect to Curtis Grant, who has proven to be a solid, albeit unspectacular player at the Buckeyes' middle linebacker position in three-plus seasons at Ohio State.

But ever since the OSU coaching staff has opted to increase the playing time of Raekwon McMillan following the team's Sept. 6 loss to Virginia Tech, the Buckeyes defense has been noticeably improved—thanks in large part to the play of their of 5-star freshman.

That especially rang true last weekend, when McMillan put together the most impressive showing of his young college career in Ohio State's Big Ten-opening win over Maryland.

Subbing in for Grant on the second defensive series of the game—as he has since the Buckeyes' defeat at the hands of the Hokies—the Hinesville, Georgia, native tallied four tackles and returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown in OSU's 52-24 defeat of the Terrapins.

“It was one of the best feelings in the world," McMillan said of his first career touchdown. "My teammate helped me out by tipping the ball and I just took advantage of the moment.”

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The same could be said about the rest of McMillan's freshman campaign thus far, as he's managed to make his presence felt in limited action. On his first defensive series of the season, he recorded a tackle for loss in place of a briefly injured Grant against Virginia Tech. A week later, he totaled a team-high seven tackles and two sacks in the Buckeyes' beatdown of Kent State.

That's the type of production that the Ohio State staff was hoping to get from McMillan when it lured the 2014 recruiting class' top-ranked inside linebacker to Columbus over the likes of Alabama, Georgia and Clemson.

It also helped that McMillan opted to enroll early at OSU in January in an effort to get a head start on his college career.

"That’s what really changed the game for me," McMillan said. "Coming in early, learning the whole process through spring ball and through the summer and going through fall camp, knowing all the stuff, knowing the whole defense—well, not the whole defense—but knowing the concepts of it and certain stuff about it really helped me out a lot.”

McMillan may not know the whole playbook just yet, but he certainly brings enough to the table to make himself a more than viable option on a Buckeyes defense that's still trying to find its footing under new defensive coordinator Chris Ash.

As co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Luke Fickell explained, the freshman McMillan is already more advanced in pass coverage than the senior Grant, which has led to more playing time for the youngster against the likes of Cincinnati and Maryland.

“I communicated and talked with Curtis and said, ‘If this becomes a passing game, Raekwon might play a little bit more,’" Fickell said following Ohio State's Sept. 27 beating of the pass-happy Bearcats. "That was just a situation that maybe he had been a little bit better out in space and on the coverage side."

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Even with the insertion of McMillan into the lineup on a regular basis, the Buckeyes' pass defense remains a work in progress, as evidenced by the 352 yards that Ohio State allowed through the air against Cincinnati.

However, the Buckeyes showed growth a week later, surrendering just 244 passing yards to the Terrapins and recording four interceptions in the process.

One of those, of course, belonged to McMillan, who also recovered an interception that was fumbled by fellow OSU linebacker Darron Lee. The man who led the charge in McMillan's recruitment, Fickell wasn't surprised to see the Peach State product twice regain possession for the Buckeyes against the Terps.

“It’s not by accident that somehow No. 5 comes up with the ball,” Fickell said. “He’s always around the football.”

That's not to say that there aren't strides that he can still take. His boyish face aside, McMillan may not look like a true freshman at 6'2" and 240 pounds, but Fickell admitted that he'd still like to see the former prized prospect take more command at a position that serves as the de facto quarterback on the Ohio State defense.

"That middle linebacker—like Curtis Grant does when he’s in there for us—he is the heart and soul, he is the leader and that’s what’s expected of that guy," Fickell said. "For a freshman, [McMillan's] doing an unbelievable job. But the expectation of greatness is we’re not going to just let him sit on being a freshman. We’re going to need him to continue to grow.”

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With the Buckeyes currently in the midst of a bye week, McMillan will attempt to do just that as Ohio State gears up for the heart of its 2014 slate and a push for a potential playoff spot.

In fact, Meyer has altered his plan for the Buckeyes' second week off in the past month, thanks in large part to the play of his emerging middle linebacker.

“You see what Raekwon McMillan is doing with his confidence with playing," Meyer said. “I’m going to continue to give them as many game reps just to continue to show that maturity.”

That's just fine with McMillan, who couldn't be more satisfied with where he stands five games into his college career.

“I’m very happy. I feel like I’m blessed," he said. "The average 18-year-old doesn’t come in with the opportunity that I came in with.”

As he's proven lately, McMillan is far from the average 18-year-old.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.