Leadership, Not Talent, Is Key in 2010

Gone are some great leaders from '09 (Photo: ohiostatebuckeyes.com)

Drew Thurman (11:18 am)

It's been another week jam-packed with spring practice reports. The guys at both Eleven Warriors and The Ozone have done a great job of giving excellent coverage on who's hot and who's not.

From all accounts, the Buckeyes are deep, focused, and ready for a championship run in 2010. There really seem to be very few question marks. Outside of some battles at left tackle, strong-side linebacker, and safety, the biggest headlines surround the depth at positions like running back and wide receiver.

Honestly, as this spring is proving, talent will not be an issue for the Buckeyes this season. In fact, there may be more of a problem trying to get all the young talent on the field. The real issue this team will have to tackle this spring and in early fall will be chemistry and leadership. It sounds like Tressel and the staff have done a great job making the players well aware of it. This is what Larimore had to say on CoachTressel.com a week ago:

“The biggest thing [during spring ball] is leadership,” Larimore said. “We’ve got to bring the younger guys up. We can’t replace the guys we lost in terms of leadership because most were seniors, but we can bring the younger guys up through knowledge and in time they can replace them in terms of talent.”

Heacock had this to say about what he was looking for this spring to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN :

"And then you always want to see leadership. There's a new group of seniors in town, and you've got to develop those guys and see how they develop and see how they mature and how they handle a leadership role. You're always looking to see the little things. Are they taking care of business, doing good things off the field? You hope the direction is maturity, and they're gearing up and pointing toward a good fall."

Larimore, Heacock, and those in the Buckeyes camp know how important leadership is. Not only is it something Tressel pushes every year, but they have been witnesses to how much of a difference it can make.

Last season, the Buckeyes probably had their strongest group of leaders in recent memory. Prior to last year, both leadership and chemistry seemed to be lacking on certain levels. Take 2008, for example. There were a ton of great names on the Buckeye roster, but the team seemed void of truly strong leaders. Guys like Laurinatis, Wells, and Robiskie were solid players on the field, but never seemed to present the leadership the team needed. Combine that with Boeckman being benched in the middle of the season and guys like Hartline having issues with the decision, and you have some major problems with chemistry.

Last year was a completely different animal though. Outside of a few whispers of players complaining about Pryor's attitude, the team seemed to excel at the two aforementioned areas. It started with senior captains Kurt Coleman, Doug Worthington, and Austin Spitler. I would have never guessed these guys to be great leaders, but they thrived at it both on and off the field.

That's what this year's squad must replace. The talent is undoubtedly there and momentum is on the Buckeyes side after a huge Rose Bowl victory, but if a new crop of leaders doesn't present itself, this team may not get over the hump.

So, who should we expect to step up?  Well, here is what Heacock had to say (Rittenberg/ESPN ):

"Cam [Heyward] and Ross [Homan]. Brian Rolle looks like he's going to develop into a good leader. And that's something, as we go through spring, we'll get a little bit better feel for that. They've become seniors, and as they become seniors with Coach [Jim] Tressel, there's a lot of expectations put on our seniors. He expects the seniors to do a great job of leading. That's something that as we go through spring, we'll get a little bit better feel of what kind of leadership we're having."