Overrun with talent

With all of the recruitment going on, it's great to bring in Brady to our group, we hope to have him around for awhile.

The log jam at running back this fall is a great problem to have. With returning co-starters Boom Herron and Brandon Saine, Ohio St. will have an experienced and fairly talented back field when they open play inside the shoe on Sept. 2 against Marshall (see what I did there). Most teams in the big ten, and the country for that matter, would love to have two backs of this caliber. However, this is THE Ohio State University, and that means there will be plenty of young guys itching to get their chance. The depth and talent in our stable of backs this year is nothing short of extraordinary. I just hope that JT and company give the opportunities to the right guys based on their talent and production and not just class rank.

Jim Tressel has a history of being loyal to his upperclassmen which, in my opinion, is quite commendable. In the modern college football era, the message to coaching staffs is win or be fired. The pressure to succeed and support a whole athletic department must be crushing at times. However, JT is fiercely loyal to his players and coaches, sometimes to a fault (Jim Bollman comes to mind). He is the personification of Midwestern values which has made him one of the most liked and successful college coaches.

The guy can run.

With recruits like Berry, Hyde and Smith waiting in the wings, Tressel may have to move out of his comfort zone and explore the possibility that maybe our best option in the backfield is not Boom or Zoom. Herron and Saine have been serviceable but unspectacular the last few years. Injuries have played a part for sure and replacing a Beanie Wells is by no means easy. However, with a title contending roster already in place, I wonder what the untapped potential of these younger guys could add to our loaded roster.

Now, I am not suggesting that these guys won’t see the field or get a fair shot. We all saw two years ago on a sad day in Southern California that Tressel does have the stones to pull a veteran in favor of a younger player. My fear is that our current combo rushing attack will be just adequate enough to keep these younger guys from getting a good enough look. If it turns out that one or both starters has a break -out season that would be fantastic. I’ll be cheering as loud as anybody. Just remember, true title contending teams are few and far between. Would you want to sacrifice putting our best squad on the field in favor of upperclassmen loyalty? I know I wouldn’t.