Ohio State Football 2011: Projecting the Two-Deep for All Positions by Week 1
The Buckeyes have wrapped up their spring practices and workouts, and now begins the long four months of very little happening with the roster.
But based on the spring scrimmage, the Ohio State roster looks pretty deep, and can certainly only get deeper with the No. 3 recruiting class as rated by Scout.com for 2011.
With quite a bit of roster turnover defensively and suspensions to four starters on the offense, there are a lot of open roster spots at the moment, especially at QB.
Here is an early projection of the two-deep at all 13 major skills positions and the STAR position that the Buckeyes use very often against spread teams.
And for positions with multiple starters, we will list the two or more projected starters and the top backup as well.
Note: * - position with a suspended starter
Quarterback: Joe Bauserman, Braxton Miller*
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Out of the four competitors to keep the starting QB seat warm for Terrelle Pryor to come back in Week 6, the two top contenders have to be senior Joe Bauserman and freshman Braxton Miller.
Bauserman started off the competition as the favorite mostly because he has taken the most snaps in live action and has seniority, two things that coach Jim Tressel likes.
However, Bauserman has a very limited ceiling and has never shown the ability to win big games from the QB position.
Miller is the wild card, four months removed from high school, and led the team in completions, completion percentage and TD drives in the scrimmage.
Pryor has taken the youngster under his wing, and Miller has all the tools that can make him a special player at the collegiate level.
Ultimately, this contest will come down to if Miller can pick up the playbook quickly enough to lead an efficient offense to start the season.
Running Back: Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry*
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Even with Dan Herron under suspension, the OSU running back stable may be one of the deepest in the country.
Youngsters Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry were lethal together in kick returns, and should provide an equally lethal 1-2 punch in the run game.
Expect both backs on the field together pretty frequently early in the season as the coaches love Hall as a receiving option either out of the backfield or in the slot.
Keep an eye as well on big Rod Smith, who was well-hyped in pre-bowl practices by several players and coaches.
This Ohio State team should have no problem running the ball, even without Boom to start the season.
Wide Receiver: Corey Brown, T.Y. Williams, Chris Fields*
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While the RB position is extremely deep on the Ohio State roster, the WR position has quite a few Buckeye fans concerned outside of DeVier Posey.
With Posey under suspension, Ohio State is very limited in the receiver department in terms of proven talent to line up on the field.
Corey Brown, who only caught eight passes and one TD last season as a freshman, is all but guaranteed to be the No. 1 guy, but the question is who's No. 2?
Right now, the battle appears to be between speedster Chris Fields and lanky redshirt freshman T.Y. Williams, who had a 68-yard TD reception in the spring scrimmage.
Williams' late surge at the end of spring, if he keeps it up in fall camp, is very intriguing with his great size as a complement to Brown's pure speed.
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Tight End: Jake Stoneburner, Reid Fragel
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Like at the RB position, the Buckeye TE position is very loaded with two players who can be weapons as blockers and receivers.
Jake Stoneburner emerged last year as a solid option over the middle with two TDs and 222 yards receiving.
In addition, they found a gem in Reid Fragel, who has size and great hands, which he showed with 121 yards on just nine catches and a TD reception.
With Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett on the way from high school, they don't have to worry about TEs in OSU any time soon.
Offensive Tackle: Andrew Norwell, J.B. Shugarts, Marcus Hall*
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The offensive line will be hurt with the suspension of All-Big Ten T Mike Adams, although Andrew Norwell had plenty of experience playing at tackle.
RT J.B. Shugarts will be heading into his third season as a full-time starter at RT and is a very physical blocker that needs to avoid drawing false-start calls.
The wild card to watch is Marcus Hall, who redshirted in 2010 in order to improve his academic standing to get back on the field.
OSU's tackle pool runs very dry after those three players until Adams returns, so they can't afford to have too many injuries, even after Week 6.
Offensive Guard: Jack Mewhort, Corey Linsley, Antonio Underwood
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Offensive guard is one of the positions where Ohio State could have some question marks, mostly since both starters from 2010 are gone.
The two will most likely be 2009 products Jack Mewhort and Corey Linsley, both very athletic guys that could give Ohio State great athleticism inside.
Mewhort and Linsley, along with stud center Mike Brewster, could provide the most athletic interior linemen OSU has had in some time.
Freshmen Antonio Underwood and Chris Carter will likely be the only backups at the G position, meaning that the 2012 recruiting class will need to hit the offensive trenches hard.
Center: Mike Brewster, Brian Bobek
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Like the TE and RB positions, when freshman Brian Bobek enrolls at Ohio State, the depth at the center position will be spectacular.
We all know about Brewster, as he has been a three-year starter heading into his senior season and is the prototypical center with first- to second-round NFL potential.
With Brewster and Bobek, the Buckeyes don't need to worry too much about the center position for quite a few seasons.
Defensive End: Nathan Williams, John Simon, J.T. Moore
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The Ohio State defensive line group will need to find a way to overcome the loss of Cameron Heyward to graduation.
Luckily, this position has a tremendous amount of depth, especially with edge rusher Nathan Williams back for his senior season.
Johnny Simon will likely be moved around the defensive line and could start at DE, much like Heyward did his junior and senior seasons.
But the sleeper to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman J.T. Moore, who had a sack and 1.5 TFLs in the spring scrimmage and could be the heir to Williams' job.
Including the recruiting class of 2011, the Buckeyes will not need to worry about having quality depth at the position, but rather about finding a player who can have the impact that Heyward did.
Defensive Tackle: Johnathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel, Adam Bellamy
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Even if John Simon does not start at DT but rather at DE, the Buckeyes will have plenty of quality depth at the DT position.
Sophomore Johnathan Hankins, who has tremendous quickness for a guy who weighs close to 320 pounds, will likely start along with Garrett Goebel, who has been a solid depth player for quite some time.
Adam Bellamy also will likely find some playing time after a strong showing in the Sugar Bowl.
Don't forget that Ohio State also has good DT recruits on the way in Joel Hale, Michael Bennett and Chase Farris, each of whom have a solid shot to see the field very soon.
Outside Linebacker: Andrew Sweat, Dorian Bell, Jonathan Newsome
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The linebacker position at Ohio State has historically been strong, especially this year, with the depth at this position among the best in the entire country.
Although there is only one returning starter at this position, Andrew Sweat, the depth waiting in the wings is just ready to burst at the seams.
Not only is former five-star prospect Dorian Bell ready to step in, but keep an eye on Jonathan Newsome, who saw time at LB last year and can also move to DE in certain situations.
And in addition to the depth that's already there with freshman Ryan Shazier in Columbus, just wait until Curtis Grant comes calling in the summer.
Grant's size and pedigree almost assumes there is no way he won't see the field in some capacity this season.
Inside Linebacker: Etienne Sabino, Storm Klein
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For the past three years, Ohio State fans have waited for Etienne Sabino to arrive with his pedigree of being the top inside LB among high school prospects.
In 2011, after redshirting in 2010 to learn more of the mental aspects of the MLB position, Sabino has dominated in spring practice and the recent scrimmage.
Third-year backer Storm Klein is another possibility, and will still be on the field in some capacity due to his athleticism and sheer hitting force.
These two are part of the reason why the Ohio State defense is so intriguing this year: it may be one of the most purely athletic units the Buckeyes have had in quite some time, and that's saying something.
Cornerback: Travis Howard, Dominic Clarke, Dionte Allen
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The cornerback position will take somewhat of a hit with two-year starters in Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence both graduating.
Luckily for Ohio State, Travis Howard exploded onto the scene with a big second half of the season and looked dominant in spring football.
The question that remains is who will be No. 2 at corner.
Right now, the guys to keep an eye on are third-year sophomore Dominic Clarke, who played very well in the Sugar Bowl, and Florida State transfer Dionte Allen.
Bradley Roby is also a possibility, but look for all three of these guys to get some time on the field in nickel and dime situations, giving OSU good depth at the corner position.
And it may only be a matter of time before blue-chip freshman Doran Grant sees the gridiron with his tremendous athletic gifts.
Safety: Orhian Johnson, C.J. Barnett, Christian Bryant
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The safety position saw such a large amount of attrition with three different players suffering season-ending injuries by the end of October.
OSU fans did get to see FS Orhian Johnson grow over the course of the season and turn into a very dependable player in the secondary.
And fans should be excited to get C.J. Barnett back, who looked like a dominant force against Miami. He forced a turnover off a deflection and showed utter force when hitting an offensive player, showing shades of the late Jack Tatum.
But Barnett's injury cost him his sophomore season, and he should be ready to come back with a bang.
Freshman stud Christian Bryant will be competing for playing time at either corner or safety, more likely the latter.
But the youngster who dazzled at the STAR position in relief of Tyler Moeller should be on the field very often in 2011.
STAR: Tyler Moeller, Christian Bryant
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The Buckeyes created a new position to combat spread offenses in 2008 called the STAR position, which is essentially a hybrid S/LB position.
Ironically, the position came to the front the year Tyler Moeller started making big plays.
The extremely athletic defender is what Tressel probably envisioned when they created the STAR position, with incredible speed and tackling ability.
Moeller is purely a disruptor and a playmaker who can stuff the run and defend the pass, making him a valuable commodity in the back seven.
And keep an eye on Bryant as well at the STAR. Although he is not as big as Moeller, Bryant brings a different dimension to the STAR, with better coverage ability than Moeller.
But both of these guys add quite a unique dimension to the OSU defense and have the playmaking ability to turn nickel and dime defenses into an even more formidable matchup for opposing offenses to deal with.
For more college football news and information, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
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