Ohio State Football: Can Marcus Baugh End OSU's Tight End Production Woes?

It's been 21 years since an Ohio State tight end eclipsed the 500-yard receiving mark in a single season.

It was 1995, and running back Eddie George was running through, over and around every defense he faced on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. He opened up big things for a passing attack that featured All-American receiver Terry Glenn, who set a then-school record of 1,411 receiving yards in a single season.

Streaking down the middle of the field that season was tight end Rickey Dudley, who was the perfect complement to the George-Glenn one-two punch. Dudley hauled in 37 receptions for 575 yards and seven touchdowns for the '95 Buckeyes.

Over the course of the next 20 seasons, only one tight end (Jeff Heuerman in 2013) came close to matching those numbers, catching 26 passes for 466 yards and six touchdowns. But over the last 10 years, Ohio State's starting tight ends have become an afterthought in the passing attack, averaging just 15.8 receptions for 204.2 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per season.

Marcus Baugh is trying to put an end to those production woes.

The Riverside, California product came to Ohio State as a 4-star recruit and the No. 4 tight end in the 2013 class. He was the first tight end Urban Meyer recruited to the Buckeyes, and he was expected to come in and make an impact as a true pass-catching threat—and not just an extension of the run-blocking scheme and the offensive line. 

But Baugh's collegiate career got off to a rocky start when he was cited for underage drinking, which led to an indefinite suspension, and ultimately a redshirt season, in his first year with the Buckeyes. He sat and watched Heuerman emerge, who was taken by the Denver Broncos in the third round of last year's draft, and then Nick Vannett, who's projected as a third-round pick in 2016 by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller.

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"Marcus had some issues, he’s one foot in, one foot out right now," Meyer said during Baugh's first year, according to Daniel Rogers of the Lantern. "His effort’s been really good, he’s been trying to do things the right way, but to say he’s out of the woods, no."

Things got so bad that Baugh had one foot out the door and was ready to leave the program.

"It was in the summer (of 2014). It was a summer workout, and I just didn’t show up because I was going to leave," Baugh said, via Dave Biddle of 247Sports. "I was really going to leave. But I ended up just staying. That was after my redshirt year. So, yeah, it was pretty tough."

Baugh fought his way back and earned the trust of the coaching staff ahead of the 2015 season, and he served as Vannett's primary backup. He played sparingly throughout the season, but he flashed potential and what he could add to the Buckeyes offense in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame, when he ran a perfect flag route and hauled in a 27-yard reception that set up Ohio State's second score. 

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With Vannett's graduation, Baugh is next in line and ready for his opportunity to start in an offense that's also replacing its top three pass-catchers (Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller) and do-everything running back Ezekiel Elliott. 

Baugh has a great opportunity to emerge as a go-to target for JT Barrett during spring and fall camps. That's especially true with a realigned coaching staff that has Ed Warinner calling more of the shots. As head of the Kansas offense in 2008, Warriner heavily featured the tight end position, and the coaching staff is telling incoming recruits that the focus is shifting offensively. 

"They told me that this year they know they need the ball in the tight end's hands because it was so under-utilized in the past," Jake Hausmann, an incoming 4-star tight end told Ari Wasserman of the Plain Dealer. "They know in order for them to be more successful than they are now, they really need to be throwing the tight end the ball." 

That bodes well for Baugh and his prospects for this season. 

"There are a lot more throws headed [Baugh's] way," Warinner said after a recent spring practice, according to Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch. "I made sure that Marcus got some catches. We want to see what he can do."

If Baugh answers the bell, Ohio State's meager tight end numbers could be put to bed.

All stats via OhioStateBuckeyes.com. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. 

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.