5 Buckeyes Make Athlon Sports Top 25 Big Ten Heisman Contenders

Miller tops the list for the Buckeyes

Athlon Sports released their top 25 Big Ten Heisman contenders earlier this week and 5 Buckeyes managed to make the list.

Although I think it's a bit odd to pick Heisman contenders out of every single conference, it is interesting to look at where some players would stand if, in fact, the college football world was just the Big Ten.

As for the Buckeye players, Braxton Miller at 4th, John Simon at 7th, Johnathan Hankins at 14th, Jake Stoneburner at 22nd and CJ Barnett at 24th. 

Here are the Top Ten from the list, with the explanations:

"1. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan (SR)
There is no player in a better Heisman situation in the Big Ten than Robinson, but because Montee Ball was so unstoppable a year ago, they are essentially 1a and 1b. Shoelace has the NCAA records, the electric, big-play, highlight-reel skills needed to enthrall voters, a better chance at a Big Ten title, has multiple national showcase games in and out of conference and plays the all-important quarterback position (11 of last 12 winners). If he can stay healthy, Robinson will have the slight edge over Wisconsin’s workhorse.

2. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin (SR)
It is nearly impossible to argue with Ball’s production. But the 2012 Badgers are not going to be the same team that set school records for scoring two years in a row. Gone is uber-leader Russell Wilson, offensive genius Paul Chryst and three first-team All-Big Ten blockers. Ball will still post big numbers this fall, but a 1,700-yard, 18-TD season will pale in comparison to his 2011 output — and won’t get him back to New York.

3. Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska (SR)
Sexy Rexy Superman Burkhead is arguably the most complete football player in the nation. He has every skillset a coach can ask for in a workhorse feature back: Strength, size, toughness, durability, vision, instincts, quickness, hands and leadership. For Burkhead to make it to NYC in December, however, he will likely have to lead his team past Michigan and into the Big Ten title game. A tall order until the defense improves its overall play.

4. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State (SO)
If Heisman voters are trying to find a darkhorse from the Big Ten, they need to look no further than Ohio State’s quarterback. Miller showed flashes of brilliance as only a true freshman on one of the worst Buckeye teams in two decades. And now he has spread guru Urban Meyer tailoring his high-powered attack to Miller’s perfectly suited dual-threat skillset. This team could have the best record in the league, but Ohio State’s offensive leader will have to overcome the program’s current sanctions on his way to the Big Apple.

5. Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska (JR)
The Huskers’ quarterback is finally an upperclassmen and will have to show improved consistency and accuracy in the passing game to get into the Heisman mix. However, he has electric play-making ability and is poised for his best season yet at the helm of a program known for its dual-threat Heisman Trophy signal callers. With the Big Ten’s top receiving corps around him, Martinez has a chance to silence all of his critics in 2012. And potentially win a conference title as well.

Ohio State Players Jake Stoneburner, Jack Mewhort Lose Scholarships

Ohio State football players Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort have lost their scholarships for the summer,  meaning they will pay their own way for summer school and will have a chance to return to the football team after the summer season has ended.

From the Plain Dealer:

"Meyer had announced on June 4 that they were suspended indefinitely. Stoneburner, a senior tight end, and Mewhort, a junior left tackle, are both key starters for the OSU offense.

"We are disappointed with the decisions made recently by two of our football players," Meyer said in the statement Friday. "Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort will each be removed from athletic scholarship beginning with the summer term, and they will continue to be suspended from team activities until stipulations are successfully met. They will have an opportunity to return to the team in good standing following the summer session.""

According to Ohio State, both Stoneburner and Mewhort will be allowed to work out at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, but they will not be working out with any other Buckeyes. Stoneburner, for one, talked after spring football about looking forward to throwing often with quarterback Braxton Miller this summer. Now that won't happen, at least at the WHAC.

The players initially entered not guilty pleas for their scheduled arraignments this past Monday. The Delaware Municipal Court website now shows those guilty pleas to disorderly conduct, with the status of the cases indicating that they are finished. Both players are listed as owing $299 in fines and court costs.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics

Troy Smith Sees Greatness In Ohio State Quarterback Braxton Miller

The sky is the limit for Miller

Since first stepping onto the field in a game against the Akron Zips in the 2011 season, sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller has drawn many comparisons in his style of play. 

It's a common thing college football fans do. Terrelle Pryor was Vince Young, Carlos Hyde is/was Eddie George. When Miller took the reins at quarterback, he instantly was the next Troy Smith. 

Out of many comparisons, I think this one in particular is spot on. Both quarterbacks aren't the tallest in the game (Smith is 6'0" while Braxton stands at 6'3"), but the athletic ability surpasses any type of weakness. Whether it's making plays with their feet or dancing around would-be tacklers to buy time to throw, Troy and Braxton have a lot in common.

Now, Troy Smith himself is calling out the comparison. Only thing is, he's taking it one step even further: 

“I see a lot of myself in him, all of myself,” Smith said. “I solely believe he has a chance to be 10 times better than I was. He’s a lot faster. He’s a much better athlete.

“I’m extremely excited about his future. I want to see him take off.”

Smith said he is impressed with how Miller handles himself off the field, as well, something he learned more about when he said the two quarterbacks met for the first time recently. Smith said Miller and other players today have increased media coverage and social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, which put standouts such as Miller under more of a microscope than Smith was under during his OSU career.

To not only be compared to Troy Smith by Smith himself, but to also be told that he can be ten times better than what Smith was in college is a pretty damn good compliment. Smith, as you know, won a Heisman trophy in 2006 while on the way to the biggest stage in college football. The Buckeyes hadn't been to the championship game since 2002, when Smith was a freshman (he later red-shirted). The ending wasn't as sweet as anyone wanted it to be, but Troy had led his team to the promised land. 

2013 4-Star Quarterback J.T. Barrett Set Out To Prove Ability In Elite 11

Barrett is out to prove his ability

2013 Ohio State commit QB J.T. Barrett attended ESPN's Elite 11 camp in Dallas over the weekend. ESPN has video of Barrett talking about his skills as a QB as well as some of the Elite 11 coaches telling us what they think of the Texan quarterback.

When Barrett talked about himself, he mentioned that he wants people to recognize him as a quarterback because he can throw the ball. Most people that put him down as a dual-threat mostly believe that he's just a running threat, but Barrett disagrees. 

He also makes mention of how he didn't get recruited by Texas and how that has motivated him to do even better in college.

See for yourself about Barrett's playing style and the accuracy he can show when launching a football to receivers. This kid can be a pretty good player once he joins the college ranks. 

Video after the jump.

Ohio State, Urban Meyer Release Post-Spring Depth Chart

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer took some time on Wednesday to outline his team’s post-spring depth chart, which is outlined below.

Meyer mentioned that it was key to form a two-deep following spring because once preseason camp rolls around, the Buckeyes want to focus on their opponents and not figuring out their own two-deep.

"We made a big emphasis with our players that spring practice was not just fundamental development and skill development," Meyer said. "It was about earning a spot on the team because our focus in August is not developing the depth chart, it's trying to go win a game.

"I think the urgency was there this spring, especially after the players were made well aware that 'Your playing time will largely depend on spring practice.' I just like that approach. We've adapted that and went with that for years."

Offense
LT 74 Jack Mewhort, 76 Darryl Baldwin
LG 78 Andrew Norwell, 55 Tommy Brown
C 71 Corey Linsley, 50 Jacoby Boren
RG 79 Marcus Hall, 73 Antonio Underwood
RT 77 Reid Fragel, 68 Taylor Decker
TE 11 Jake Stoneburner, 86 Jeff Heuerman or 81 Nick Vannett
WR 15 Devin Smith, 83 Michael Thomas
QB 5 Braxton Miller, 13 Kenny Guiton
RB 7 Jordan Hall, 34 Carlos Hyde
FB 44 Zach Boren, 49 Adam Homan
WR 10 Corey Brown, 80 Chris Fields
WR 16 Evan Spencer, 9 Verlon Reed

Defense
DE 54 John Simon, 88 Steve Miller or 50 J.T. Moore
DT 52 Johnathan Hankins, 63 Michael Bennett
NT 53 Garrett Goebel, 51 Joel Hale or 72 Chris Carter
DE 93 Adam Bellamy or 43 Nathan Williams (injured this spring), 57 Chase Farris
OLB 10 Ryan Shazier, 42 Luke Roberts or 36 Connor Crowell
MLB 14 Curtis Grant, 32 Storm Klein
OLB 6 Etienne Sabino, 59 Stewart Smith or 15 Joshua Perry
CB 25 Bradley Roby, 9 Adam Griffin
S 2 Christian Bryant, 3 Corey Brown
S 4 C.J. Barnett, 19 Orhian Johnson
CB 7 Travis Howard, 12 Doran Grant

Special Teams
K 24 Drew Basil, 39 Drew Clinton
H 17 Ben Buchanan, 13 Kenny Guiton
P 17 Ben Buchanan, 24 Drew Basil
LS 56 George Makridis or 41 Bryce Haynes

Meyer did not list return men, but said that Jordan Hall and Devin Smith figure to be involved heavily in those duties.

Jalin Marshall Proves Skill At Elite 11 Regional, Nike Football Training Camp

Urban's future playmaker

Perhaps one of the most interesting prospects that the Buckeyes have in their 2013 recruiting class is Jalin Marshall. Over the weekend the 5-star athlete participated in two different camps. One of the camps was the Elite 11 Regional in Columbus, Ohio. The other was also in Columbus but for the Nike Football Training Camp.

Middletown High's star put forth a great performance at the Elite 11 Regional at Ohio Dominican University on Friday. Jalin has said many times that he would like to come into Ohio State competing as a quarterback. His day at the Elite 11 should only help him get that opportunity.

The 6'0", 190-pound Marshall was one of six quarterbacks recognized for accuracy at an event that featured the likes of Michigan bound signal-caller Shane Morris, Stanford commit Ryan Burns, Northwestern commit Matt Alviti, Notre Dame pledge Malik Zaire, Louisville bound Kyle Bolin, Kansas commit Montell Cozart, Purdue commit Danny Etling, Michigan State pledge Damion Terry and uncommitted four-star Mitch Trubisky.

Ranked as the nation’s No. 2 athlete prospect and No. 15 prospect overall according to 247Sports, the exciting Marshall could help a college football program at a number of positions.

“I’ll be competing for the (quarterback) job, but if they want me to get in there and run routes or take handoffs, that’s what I’ll do,” Marshall explained.

As a junior, Marshall used his 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash to rush for 1,972 yards and 20 touchdowns, while passing for 781 yards and six more scores. He got off to a slow start on Friday, but heated up as the day went on. During three-step, five-step and seven-step drop drills, Marshall was particularly impressive in delivering the ball on the money and with zip.

Marshall has also been putting out calls to potential future Buckeyes, trying to recruit the best talent in the country to come play for Ohio State.

“I’m trying to get Jaylon Smith, Robert Foster and Vonn Bell,” Marshall said. “I talk to them and tell them come play with me and it’s going to be the best time of your life.”

Scarlet Tops Gray 20-14 In 2012 Ohio State Spring Game

Michael Thomas making an impact early

New head coach Urban Meyer told everybody he planned to work on the passing game during Saturday’s Scarlet and Gray Game, and he wasn't joking.

What he didn’t say was the Buckeyes would be unveiling an up-tempo spread offense that left the Buckeyes working to run a new play every 25 to 30 seconds. As it turned out, it was largely entertaining even if there weren’t many points scored.

The Scarlet rallied for a 20-14 win over the Gray before an announced crowd of 81,112 on a raw 45 degree day at Ohio Stadium. (At least the rains subsided before the scrimmage began.)

Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller was 24 of 31 passing for 258 yards with an interception for the Scarlet team.

His top targets were freshman Michael Thomas (12 catches, 131 yards), Chris Fields (five catches, 72 yards) and Nick Vannett (four catches, 38 yards). Tailback Rod Smith had 46 yards on eight carries with a touchdown, while Carlos Hyde also had a TD run.

Miller said he has developed a special bond with Thomas, an early enrolling freshman who spent last fall at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy.

Gray team quarterback Kenny Guiton completed 16 of 24 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown with a critical late interception. He also rushed for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter.

Corey “Philly” Brown had seven catches for 90 yards for the Gray.

Unprompted, Meyer shared the team’s top playmakers – excluding the quarterback position -- in his opinion.

“Right now, the top playmakers in order would be Jordan Hall, Jake Stoneburner, Carlos (Hyde) and then Philly Brown, Michael Thomas and Devin Smith,” said Meyer, who watched the entire 91-play scrimmage on the field from behind the offense. “And then we have (Jeff) Heuerman right there and (Nick) Vannett as well.”

There were no kickoffs as each series at the start of a half or after a score started on the offense’s 35-yard line. There were four 10-minute quarters. The second half was played with a running clock.

The Scarlet team had the ball to start the scrimmage and went 65 yards in eight plays to a touchdown. Miller came out firing, completing all four of his pass attempts for 51 of those yards. He hit Thomas for 11 yards, Tyrone Williams for 6, Chris Fields for 25 and Williams again for 9. Carlos Hyde did the rest, going up the middle for the 1-yard touchdown behind a block from Jack Mewhort. The Scarlet led 7-0 with 7:43 left in the first half.

Guiton then led the Gray on a prolonged drive from the 35 down to the Scarlet 19. That included 12-yard runs by Guiton and Dunn. But Guiton’s third-down pass to Brown was broken up by safety Christian Bryant. Kyle Clinton attempted a 36-yard field goal – with Meyer standing right next to the holder – but it was wide right.

The Scarlet team then drove from its own 20 down to the Gray 24. Miller hit Fields for 21 yards on a crossing route. But the drive was stymied when Miller was sacked by Adam Bellamy. Drew Basil came in and hit a 41-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 9:47 left in the second quarter.

Meyer then had Basil attempt a series of field goals that did not factor into the scoring. He was good from 41, Bellamy blocked an attempt from 45, good from 45 and 53 and short on a pair of 58-yard attempts.

The next Gray series was marred by sacks by Michael Bennett and Ryan Shazier for the Scarlet. But the Scarlet gave the ball right back as Miller overthrew Vannett and was intercepted by Gray’s Adam Griffin. Later in the half, Miller had an apparent 49-yard completion to Fields – reminiscent of his heave to Devin Smith to beat Wisconsin –negated by an offensive pass interference penalty.

The Gray took over on its own 49 after a short Scarlet punt. Aided by a personal foul on Joel Hale, the Gray had a first down at the Scarlet 28. On first down there, Guiton threw down the middle perfectly to Smith on a crossing route. He hauled it in at the 10 and deftly split a pair of defenders on his way to the 28-yard touchdown that cut the Scarlet lead to 10-7 with 37 seconds left in the half.

Miller and the Scarlet moved quickly into field goal range as he hit four straight passes – 10 yards to Thomas, 11 and 15 yards to Vannett and 14 more to Thomas – to get out of bounds at the 15 and stop the clock with six seconds left. Basil’s 32-yard field goal capped the half and put the Scarlet up 13-7 at the break.

2012 Spring Game Rosters Set For Ohio State

The Meyer era is set to unfold

The 2012 Spring Game will take place this Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Teams were selected earlier this morning and below are the results of the "draft" day that the Ohio State players and coaches held.

Team Scarlet

Head Coach – Tom Herman

Assistant Coaches – Everett Withers, Mike Vrabel, Tim Hinton

Game Captains – Zach Boren and Jack Mewhort

QBs – Braxton Miller, Justin Siems

OL – Darryl Baldwin, Reid Fragel, Marcus Hall, Eric Kramer, Corey Linsley, Jack Mewhort, Tim Trummer

RBs – Carlos Hyde, Rod Smith

FB – Zach Boren

TEs – Jeff Heuerman, Derek Burkholder, Nick Vannett

WRs – Chris Fields, Frank Kangah, Ryan Ross, Evan Spencer, Michael Thomas, Tyrone Williams

DL – Michael Bennett, Logan Beougher, Chase Farris, Joel Hale, Johnathan Hankins, William McCary, J.T. Moore, Se’Von Pittman, Kharim Stephens

LBs – Connor Crowell, Storm Klein, Ryan Shazier, Stewart Smith

DBs – C.J. Barnett, Christian Bryant, Doran Grant, Zach Domicone, Travis Howard, Vincent Petrella, Ron Tanner, Julian Vann, Jamie Wood

K/P – Drew Basil, Kyle Clinton, Kevin Niehoff

LS – Bryce Haynes

Team Gray

Head Coach – Luke Fickell

Assistant Coaches – Kerry Coombs, Ed Warinner, Stan Drayton, Zach Smith

Team Captains – Etienne Sabino and John Simon

QBs – Kenny Guiton, Cardale Jones

OL – Ivon Blackman, Brian Bobek, Jacoby Boren, Tommy Brown, Taylor Decker, Andrew Norwell, Ben St. John, Antonio Underwood

RBs – Bri’onte Dunn, Jordan Hall

FB – Adam Homan

TEs – Kyle Schuck, Jake Stoneburner

WRs – Corey Brown, Peter Gwilym, Verlon Reed, Taylor Rice, Devin Smith

DL – Adam Bellamy, Dalton Britt, Chris Carter, Garrett Goebel, Steve Miller, John Simon, Nathan Williams

LBs – Curtis Grant, Ross Oltorik, Joshua Perry, Andy Reed, Luke Roberts, Etienne Sabino

DBs – Corey Brown, Adam Griffin, Orhian Johnson, Tyvis Powell, Bradley Roby, Nick Sarac

K/P – Ben Buchanan, Kyle Clinton, Russell Doup

LS – George Makridis

2013 4-Star Quarterback JT Barrett Commits To Ohio State

Barrett is a huge grab for Ohio State

The good news has just gotten better. As the Ohio State recruiting machine continues to roll on, the country’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, JT Barrett, has committed to Ohio State, giving Urban Meyer his 10th commitment in the 2013 class.

Barrett visited Ohio State near the end of March and came away with a great feeling about the Buckeyes. 

He announced soon after that, that Ohio State, LSU, Texas Tech and Nebraska were his top choices at that time and he would make another trip back to Ohio State, most likely in the summer. Now, it seems the Buckeyes have earned the commit from Barrett.

Barrett’s list of scholarship offers included Ohio State, Nebraska, LSU, Texas Tech, Arizona, Illinois, Ole Miss, Baylor, Kansas State and Mississippi State before he selected the Buckeyes.

The 6'2", 205-pound Barrett completed 102 of 171 passes for 1,605 yards during his junior season. He connected for 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Barrett also rushed for 1,521 yards and nine touchdowns. Barrett also led his team to the fourth round of the playoffs as a sophomore and is one of the up and coming prospects in the 2013 class.

JT Barrett runs a 4.60 40, is a legit 6'2" and 205-pounds. Quicker than fast. Moves with a powerful quickness about him.

Barrett can be considered a true dual-threat QB prospect. A program can design a QB-run game (Urban/Tebow) with him. He has very good, quick and reactive feet.

Barrett is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the country’s No. 1 dual threat quarterback, the No. 38 overall prospect and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Texas.

Barrett’s decision is a huge one for the Buckeyes. With Braxton Miller just a sophomore, Cardale Jones a freshman, and Barrett headed to Ohio State, the quarterback position looks great for years to come. Of course, super athlete Jalin Marshall is headed to OSU. Marshall loves playing quarterback, but has the potential to be the Buckeyes' version of Percy Harvin. That's the role he will most likely take.

Ohio State Spring Practice Notes: Saturday's Scrimmage

(OhioStateBuckeyes.com)

Buckeye fans were in for a treat on Saturday. Earlier in the week, OSU head coach Urban Meyer invited students and faculty at Ohio State to join the team in their scrimmage that took place on Saturday. Some ugly weather forced the Buckeyes to cancel the practice at the 'Shoe and move it inside the WHAC.

Still, over 1,000 students, staff members showed up to root the Buckeyes on through a two-hour scrimmage.

Highlights from the scrimmage included a pair of long touchdown passes from Braxton Miller to Devin Smith and Jake Stoneburner. He also found Jeff Heuerman for a shorter TD pass. Freshman running back Bri'onte Dunn dazzled the crowd with a 55-yard run on a cutback where he reversed field and was tackled out of bounds just a couple of feet away from the endzone. Dunn really continues to impress the coaching staff.

Miller had two interceptions on the day. One he threw right to corner Bradley Roby, by far the ugliest play of the day. The other went off his receiver’s hands to safety Orhian Johnson (Johnson ended up returning it for a score), so nothing that can't be fixed. Braxton's progression as a QB will be essential to the Buckeyes ability to keep defenses on their toes at all times.

Zach Boren got involved big time, with what looks to be a play that Urban will be using frequently during the season. That play is in the Spread formation with Miller handing it off to Boren on the inside. Just in case that becomes too predictable, Meyer added the same formation and turned it into a play-action pass.

Spring Practice Notes: Day 9

Option/Zone Read (Josh Winslow)

In what was the best practice of the spring thus far, Urban Meyer left the field a very happy man. Let's take a look at some key notes from the practice brought to you by Cleveland.com

- Urban Meyer was upbeat after what he called the best practice of his tenure at Ohio State.

"That was AIA. That's our best practice of the spring, one of the best practices I've seen," Meyer said. "The intensity level was an A. Competitiveness was an A. Coaching was an A by our assistant coaches. Execution is obviously not an A, but it doesn't have to be right now.

"If you want to see a ball practice, that was a ball practice."

- Meyer was most excited by the offense, which beat the defense in a practice scrimmage for the first time. This scrimmage focused on third-down execution, with third-and-five situations repeated. Meyer said the offense had a 70 or 80 percent success rate before the defense battled back.

"Snaps are hitting the quarterback right between the numbers. It's not a clown show out there like at a couple points. Guys are competing. That's why I'm going to leave here tonight impressed with the Ohio State Buckeyes," Meyer said.

"It's huge. It's not about execution. I'm not worried about that right now. But I want to see guys go and I want to see an offense resemble an offense and the defense come back with its back against the wall," Meyer said. "It is a big moment for me and for our staff."

- The highlight of practice was a 75-yard touchdown pass from Braxton Miller to running back Carlos Hyde. Miller scrambled to the right, and with the Buckeyes teaching their passcatchers to break off their deep routes short and run their short routes long in scramble situations, Hyde took off, caught the ball behind the defense, and took off.

I asked Meyer about Miller's ability to throw on the move after keeping plays alive, and Meyer said, "Having a quarterback that makes something out of nothing is every coach's dream and we've got one, and we might have two.

That was praise for backup Kenny Guiton as well as Miller.

He also said Hyde had an excellent practice.

"He's drinking the Kool-Aid right now," Meyer said.

Miller's reward for the touchdown pass? He got tackled pretty hard by defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins on the next play. The quarterbacks wear black jerseys that are supposed to limit their ability to get hit, but that didn't seem to apply on every snap Wednesday.

- Defensive lineman John Simon continues to show a new level of quickness firing off the ball. Watch the video and you'll see just one example of how he routinely beats the first-team tackles in head-to-head drills. Jack Mewhort and Reid Fragel will get better each time they face Simon.

Simon is still working at Leo a lot, the pass-rushing end spot which also drops into coverage at times. But that is not his best position and every time he's dropping into coverage instead of attacking the line of scrimmage, that's a big loss for the defense. The Buckeyes need a Leo to emerge, but with Noah Spence coming in the fall, it might be his to earn.

- Sophomore defensive lineman Michael Bennett, also in the video, continues to improve as well. He moved onto the first team early in camp and there seems to be no way that he won't be a starter in the fall.

- OSU redshirt freshman lineman Chris Carter from John F. Kennedy High has moved from offense to defense. Meyer said the plan was to try Carter at both this spring and he made the switch at the halfway point. Wednesday's practice was number nine of 15.

He worked in with the second team defensive line at times, joining Steve Miller, Adam Bellamy, Joel Hale and Chase Farris. The first team defensive line is Simon, Hankins, Bennett and Garrett Goebel.

- Farris made a big interception in the scrimmage at the end of practice and was praised by Meyer for making a play, but Meyer had to be reminded of his last name.

- True freshman center Jacoby Boren is out for the rest of spring after having surgery on a torn labrum he suffered at the end of his senior football season. His older brother, senior fullback Zach, said the original plan was for his brother to wait until after the end of the season in November, but he moved into the No. 2 center role this spring and the coaches wanted him at full strength for September, so the surgery was done now.

Meyer confirmed the surgery and his affinity for the youngest Boren, once again calling him a "tough nut." Boren sliding past Brian Bobek as the No. 2 center, when it seemed like Bobek had a shot to be the starting center before the spring, has to be one of the surprises of practice. Corey Linsley is the starting center.

- Meyer mentioned running back Jordan Hall and tight end Jake Stoneburner as the top playmakers on offense, but the receivers showed some signs Wednesday. Corey "Philly" Brown had a nice catch twisting his body over the middle, and Tyrone Williams used his 6-6 frame on a touchdown catch in the corner of the endzone off a Miller lob. Williams has shown progress all spring after showing little as a redshirt freshman last year.

- Injuries (or people who didn't participate much) - Zach Domicone, Jamie Wood, Storm Klein, Se'Von Pittman, Verlon Reed, Jacoby Boren, Nate Williams and Evan Spencer (arm in sling)

Join us after the jump for even more in-depth coverage of the practice.

Spring Practice Notes: Day 1

Football is back. Take a couple of seconds to soak that sentence in. Now that you've let that float into your mind, it's time to get to business.

The 2012-2013 Ohio State Buckeyes have a brand new head coach in Urban Meyer, who has won 2 national championships (both with Florida). Spring football has hit in Columbus as of yesterday and here's the breakdown from what we gathered.

The first day of official practice started off with the players and coaches moving inside to the WHAC due to the heavy winds in Columbus. At this point in time it doesn't make a difference whether they practice inside or outside, this is a time to see who's got what, no matter where they are playing.

The practice started quickly and ended much of the same way. The entire practice, the Buckeyes full-out sprinted to just about every drill once they completed whatever station they were at. This continued for the whole practice, giving us the hint that the coaching staff is stressing speed onto this team. Whether or not Ohio State is ready to be sprinting right now, they have to get to that point. Urban must have known this:

"I think they got exhausted. The amount of plays we got was incredible. That was even a lot for me," Meyer said Wednesday, crediting offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who came from Iowa State, for bringing that to the offense. "We weren't that way at Florida. We weren't rapid fire. But we're rapid fire now."

While having spring practice is great, it won't last long. The second practice is Friday and the spring game is April 21. It's important to Urban that this team is well prepared for what they have ahead. Many times before, Meyer has explained that the two-deep will be set before fall camp.

In fact, right after spring camp, the depth chart will most likely be just about finished with some wiggle room for incoming recruits and injuries, etc. As for right now, we already got a good in-depth look at what the Ohio State offensive depth chart looks like right now. Join us after the jump for the goods.

Monday's Buckeye Bits

Rise and shine Buckeye fans, it's March Madness Week! Despite the Buckeye's loss in the B1G Championship to Michigan State, the weekend was still a success after finishing off a great run for the basketball team.

Heading into the weekend Buckeye fans were a bit skeptical of their chances in any tournament, let alone the NCAA tournament. Thankfully, a last second win over MSU to win a share of the regular season title, and shutting down Purdue and Michigan, brought some much-needed energy and hope before the March Madness tournament.

The Madness begins tomorrow but to hold you over until then, let's dive in to today's Buckeye Bits!

Buckeyes Earn A 2-Seed. The NCAA March Madness tournament selection show yesterday revealed the seeding of the 68-team bracket, where the Buckeyes landed in the East region as a #2 seed. The opponent they will face (Thursday at 9:50) is the #15 seed, Loyola Greyhounds. The Buckeyes region is pretty tough, featuring opponents such as #1 seed Syracuse, #3 seed Florida State and #6 seed Cincinnati. Here are the rest of the region's, for your viewing enjoyment: Midwest, West, South (H/T Eleven Warriors)

Monday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning Buckeye fans, and welcome to ITS's first edition of the "Buckeye Bits". Starting today, every week Monday through Friday, our writer's will present some of the links that may just perk your interest up, and not just with the Buckeyes. As for today, let's get started!

All He Does Is Win. True freshman quarterback Braxton Miller was named the National Freshman Performer of the Year by College Football Performance. Miller started in the fourth game of the 2011 season, against Colorado, and his season stats were 85 of 157 passing, for 1,159 yards and 13 touchdowns. Just running the ball, the young baller 715 yards on 159 carries, averaging almost 5 yards a carry and had 7 touchdowns. Previous winners included 2010's Marcus Lattimore, and 2009's LaMichael James.

Walrus Ball Takes A Bow. Jim Bollman, the previous offensive coordinator and Walrus Ball genius, is taking his talents to flight. Bollman will join the Boston College Eagles as their offensive line coach, as well as their running game coordinator. After being on the Ohio State staff for 10 years, here's what Bollman had to say: "I am very excited about this opportunity," Bollman said. "One of the most important and rewarding parts of my career has been working with outstanding people, and I look forward to working with Frank Spaziani and his staff. I'm very familiar with the ACC, having coached at NC State and Virginia. Boston College has a great offensive line tradition and has produced some of the best talent in the NFL. I look forward to the challenge of continuing and enhancing that tradition."

Gator Bowl Preview: Ohio State vs. Florida

The offense relies heavily on Braxton Miller

This was one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory for the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-6, . The lineup changed from week to week due to suspensions and injuries. There was little or no continuity throughout. Against Michigan, though, some things finally clicked for the Buckeye offense in the season-ending loss to the Wolverines as they rolled up 372 yards total offense and 34 points on TTUN.

Quarterback Braxton Miller showed what he could be capable of as he accounted for 335 of those yards (235 passing, 100 rushing) and three touchdowns. Two of those TDs were long touchdown strikes, a 54-yarder to Philly Brown and a 43-yarder to DeVier Posey. That was only the second game the dynamic Posey played during the season because of suspensions. You know Posey will want to go out with a big game and look for Miller to try and find him early and often. Even Fickell and Bollman have admitted to drawing up some plays that feature the senior in some different keyed-in looks. OSU’s passing game ranked 117th (out of 120 teams) at 124.1 yards per game. The good news is that this team has aerial and vertical potential with Posey and Brown at full-go, which they showed against UM.

OSU’s running game was a mixed bag. The Buckeyes ended up 27th nationally at 195.7 yards per game on the ground. Running back Boom Herron was pretty much held in check during the three-game losing streak to end the season, which might explain the disastrous ending for Ohio State. They've relied on the run in November for the past couple of years, and this year it wasn't there to succeed.

Florida boasts an athletic and tough defense, even if there is not a lot of experience – seven of the 12 starters are freshmen or sophomores. The same can be said of the Ohio State offense, though. That youth worked against the Gators as they faltered against top competition in the SEC. Florida was 39th nationally in rushing defense (132.3 ypg), 10th in pass defense (167.3 ypg), ninth in total defense (299.6 ypg) and 25th in scoring defense (20.6 ppg). Key playmakers include MLB Jonathan Bostic and safety Matt Elam, who are all over the field on a consistent basis.

The 2011 Ohio State Team Awards

Herron has come a long way

It was announced over the weekend that the annual team awards for the football team were given out. Daniel "Boom" Herron was the head-liner this year, getting the team's MVP status.

After leading the Buckeyes in rushing last season with 1,155 yards and 16 touchdowns, Heron was suspended the first five games of the 2011 season for his involvement in the tattoos-for-memorabilia scandal.

He was suspended an additional game by the NCAA for the overpayment he received from now-dissociated booster Bobby DiGeronimo, but returned to run for 596 yards and three touchdowns over the final six games of the season. The Buckeyes won their first three games with Herron back in the lineup, including a 33-29 upset of Wisconsin in Columbus. Herron ran for 160 in that game, but Ohio State then slumped with a three-game losing streak to close out the season. They will now play in the 2011-2012 Gator Bowl, against Florida.

Here are some past MVP Award Winners:

2001: Jonathan Wells

2002: Craig Krenzel & Chris Gamble

2003: Michael Jenkins

2004: Mike Nugent

2005: A.J. Hawk

2006: Troy Smith

2007: Beanie Wells

2008: Beanie Wells

2009: Kurt Coleman

2010: Dane Sanzenbacher

Initial Gator Bowl Impressions: My Take

Chill, we got thisss

Wow, Gator Bowl against the Gators, this could get interesting. Urban Meyer’s old team against, Urban Meyer’s new team. A rematch of the 2007 National Championship, debacle!!

Let’s be honest two of the more disappointing teams in the nation this year. I have been reading a lot of people saying they have no desire to watch the game, some say the Buckeyes shouldn’t even have accepted a bowl bid. Well, to them I say: “Go Away!” (I could use much stronger language, but anyone could be reading this article).

The players, on this team, not Jim Tressel, not Terrelle Pryor earned this bowl bid. 95% of the players on this team (not exact math) had absolutely nothing to do with the penalties or infractions of the past year, they were innocent bystanders caught in an awful web of lies and deceit. They fought hard all year, won a game (Wisconsin) or two that they shouldn't have, and achieved the necessary 6 wins to become bowl eligible.

Urban Meyer Is Finally Home

Meyer is officially back in Columbus.

On a rainy afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State got its man.

Urban Meyer was announced as the 24^th head coach of The Ohio State University at a press conference Wednesday.  After a tumultuous eleven months or so, Buckeye fans finally had a reason to smile, as Meyer said all the right things to make you believe that Ohio State football will be national title contenders again sooner rather than later.



Athletic Director Gene Smith gave an opening statement before handing the podium over to the former Bowling Green, Utah and Florida coach.  Smith said many good things about Meyer, calling him a great football coach, but more importantly, a great person.  Smith thanked Luke Fickell for all that he has done for the team, adding that Fickell will stay on the staff under Meyer.  “This is the right time,” Smith said, “for Urban Meyer to lead our football program.”

While Meyer’s name had been thrown around the Ohio State job for months, both Smith and Meyer confirmed that the first contact they had was on November 20, 2011.  They first met in person to talk about the opening on Wednesday, Nov. 23, Meyer was presented with an offer to become head coach on Sunday, Nov. 27, and he accepted the offer this morning, Nov. 28.

Recap: Ohio State 34 Michigan 40

The last drive wasn't enough

When people remember the 2011 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-6, 3-5), what will come to mind? That this was the first team to lose to Michigan in 7 years? Maybe they'll remember it as Braxton Miller's coming out party, where he led the Buckeyes to a 6-6 record, which would have been much worse without him. 

Perhaps the line of thinking will go towards the team that came after Jim Tressel and before Urban Meyer. Whichever way people remember it, this season was rough for OSU fans, and they most likely will try and forget it.

When OSU took the field, there was some serious energy on offense, before Braxton Miller connected with a wide open Philly Brown for the first score of the game. Better yet, it was a long pass that completed an outstanding drive, that was perhaps one of the best drives this season. The common phrase this game was "Where was this play-calling all season?". 

It seemed as if Fickell, coaching in what may be his first and last Michigan game was pulling out all the stops and kidnapping Jim Bollman's playbook for the day, to allow Braxton to actually be set free. The 18th-ranked Wolverines and first-year head coach Brady Hoke notched their first win over the arch-rival Buckeyes since 2003, prevailing 40-34 in what was by far the most entertaining Ohio State-Michigan game since the one-versus-two game in 2006. The offense's on both sides exploded, but the same could be said about the defense's.

Braxton Miller: Proving Himself

Miller showed poise in the Purdue game

In an otherwise very ugly game for Ohio State against Purdue, Braxton Miller showed at times what has made him so special.  Miller escaped pressure time and time again to make a play, none seemingly more important than on 4^th down on what should have been the game-winning touchdown.  Miller was pressured, but showed great composure to keep his eyes downfield to find Jordan Hall behind the defense.

Miller definitely was not perfect on Saturday, but at this stage in his career, you cannot expect him to be.  He overthrew several open receivers deep down the field throughout the game.  His accuracy is something that needs to improve.  Miller was 8-18 against the Boilermakers for a career-high 132 yards, but the low completion percentage brought his season average to exactly 50 percent.

One has to wonder if this stage is getting to Miller, as he was hailed out of high school as being a “true dual-threat that is advanced as a passer in comparison to most,” according to ESPN.  His accuracy has been off almost all season, but his legs and his ability to make the big play have overshadowed this a bit.  Hopefully this is just a result of growing pains, coming from high school to college football.