Former Ohio State Lineman Brian Bobek Transferring To Minnesota

Bobek moves on from OSU

Earlier last week, Ohio State center Brian Bobek hinted that he could be leaning to either a Big Ten or Big 12 school. 

On Saturday, Bobek put all the guessing games to rest. It's now known that he will be transferring within the Big Ten conference.

Bobek confirmed to multiple media outlets that he will be moving on to Minnesota to finish his final two years of eligibility. To meet with NCAA rules, Bobek will sit out the 2012 season.

Here’s what Bobek said to the Minnesota paper:

“I am excited to announce that I have given my commitment to Coaches Kill and Limegrover are exceptional coaches, and I am confident they and the rest of the staff are on the way to restoring the winning tradition of the Minnesota football program. I look forward to making a contribution to Minnesota football and, once eligible, having an opportunity to achieve my personal goals as a football player.to announce that I have given my commitment to Coaches Jerry Kill and Matt Limegrover to join the University of Minnesota football program. Minnesota was one of the first schools my family and I had contacted when I made the decision to transfer, and the coaches responded as soon as they got permission from Ohio State to contact me.

“The University of Minnesota offers a quality education, and I hope to take advantage of the many opportunities of going to school in a great city like Minneapolis. Also, my family and I are happy for me to have the chance to continue to compete in the Big Ten, one of the best football conferences in the country.

“I once again want to thank the athletic department and football program at The Ohio State University for their consideration and assistance in easing my transition to the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Golden Gopher football program.

“Go Gophers!”

Bobek was a four-star member of the Buckeyes’ 2011 recruiting class and played sparingly last season. With the departure of Michael Brewster, Bobek was expected to move into a starting role under first-year coach Urban Meyer. However, Bobek was not listed on the team’s most recent two-deep heading into voluntary summer workouts.

This obviously caused some rumors of a transfer that ultimately led to Bobek leaving the program for Minnesota. We wish the best of luck to Brian in the future.

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.

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.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Welcome to your Tuesday version of Buckeye Bits, and Happy Valentines Day Buckeye fans! We are in the midst of what can only be described as a sports apocalypse. Fairly meaningless college basketball, NBA games and the NHL are the only things out there to quench your sporting thirst.

Hopefully these links can get you through another cold February day. I know this is the only thing getting me through another horrible February. I hopped on a plane last year to check out the Tribe in Arizona. I highly recommend checking out your team during the Spring some day if you get the chance. Just make sure you bulk up on the sunscreen if you head to warmer climates. I learned that lesson the hard way last year.

Anniversary Of A Legend. As you may or may not know, today is a special day in Buckeye lore. The anniversary of Wayne Woodrow Hayes birthday has been reached. During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football program, Hayes's teams won five national championships (1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970), captured 13 Big Ten Conference titles, and amassed a record of 205–61–10. Woody also sparked a fire under the belly of what is now arguably one the greatest rivalries in all of sports. He would be 99 years old today, having died in 1987. Happy birthday to one of the greatest coaches in history. You will never be forgotten.

Shooty Hoops- The Buckeyes played an inspired and sloppy game against the Spartans last Saturday in Columbus. I realize it's hard to get up for every game on your schedule but this was the Spartans! The Buckeye's have to give a better showing than that. It's performances like this that have me worried about what may happen in March. There are only a handfull of games left on the schedule to work out the kinks.Let's hope Matta and the boys get serious about this season or they will be watching the Final Four on TV in early April. Here's my go to column at the start of the week for OSU Hoops.

Depth Chart Breakdown: Penn State Week

Posey ready to contribute again

The depth chart for the Ohio State Buckeyes was released earlier this week, with some shake ups as well as returnees to the football team. When Penn State comes into town on Saturday, some faces of old will rejoin the team, including DeVier Posey. Injuries that took place are healing up, which means some more shifting around. Let's take a look at the key moves in this week's depth chart.

Interesting Notes
- DeVier Posey makes his return to the gridiron for the first time since the 2010-2011 Sugar Bowl. The thing really perking my interest here is that he's listed next to Philly Brown as "Philly Brown OR DeVier Posey". If I'm correct in thinking, this means Posey and Philly will be the starters at split end.

- Johnathan Hankins, who left the Purdue game with an injury, is listed at DT again, so he must be OK to play.

- Ryan Shazier is in at weak-side linebacker, which means Andrew Sweat is still feeling the effects of the concussion, and will not be able to play. I'm kind of glad Shazier finally gets his shot to prove he's a playmaker as a starting linebacker, though.

- T.Y. Williams is not listed on the depth chart this week. Not sure if he was pushed down due to Posey, but even if he was, he should still be able to get some playing time. Very odd after his performance against Purdue, which wasn't outstanding, but showed improvement.

For the actual Depth Chart for the Penn State game, hit "Continue Reading"

Kenny Guiton Is Now #2 On Depth Chart

Smooth moves

Kenny Guiton has surpassed redshirt senior Joe Bauserman on the depth chart for the spot behind #1 QB Braxton Miller, according to Jim Bollman, who met with the media yesterday. When asked about who is listed as the backup to true freshman starter Braxton Miller, Bollman said it's third-year sophomore Kenny Guiton. Bollman went on to say that Guiton had improved a lot in the "athletic department" and has done a good job working hard in practice, and taking advantage of opportunities.

While this news isn't shocking, it's great to see that Guiton has finally earned his way up to that #2 spot. We always knew that Guiton should have the spot, but the coaches continued to give the nod to Joe Bauserman. Noise for Guiton as the back up reared it's head soon after the Nebraska game, in which the Buckeyes were at a 20 point advantage when Bauserman entered the game in relief of an injured Braxton Miller. Soon after, the Cornhuskers managed to come back, and it was Bauserman's head.

Week 1 Depth Chart Released

Coach Fickell is ready. Are you?

Akron is just days away from invading the Horseshoe on Saturday at Noon, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Along with that bit of news, comes the release of the depth chart for the game, making it all the more clear that I'm not dreaming, and yes, I can stop pinching myself. With that, let's break down what we know from looking at the depth chart.

Quarterback
1. Joe Bauserman OR Braxton Miller

Thoughts: This was much expected as we predicted throughout the off-season that Fickell is going to give the redshirt senior his first real career start. If Braxton Miller outplays him in the first two games, then I expect Miller to take over soon after.

Running Back
1. Jordan Hall
2. Carlos Hyde OR Rod Smith

Thoughts: My first initial reaction to this was no. How could Jaamal Berry not be starting after all the good things we had seen and heard from camp. Then I came back to reality and remembered that Berry had suffered a hamstring injury that had kept him from participating in many Ohio State practices and key drills that show the coaches who's the best from the rest. Without that shot to prove, Berry moved down the depth chart, and my guess is that this hamstring injury is more than OSU is willing to let on, which isn't good news at all.

Fall Depth Chart Officially Released

The speculation is over, as the 2010 fall depth chart has been released for our beloved. For the most part there aren't many surprises. A couple things to note:

• Brand Insane is listed as the starting running back. I know it says "OR" but he's rightfully been given the nod, as I predicted. (hey, I'm not right very often, just let me have this one.)
• Andrew Sweat beast out Sabino for the open "sam" spot. Kind of curious how this played out. We read a lot about Sabino playing well in practice and camp and Sweat "challenging him for the spot" or "pushing him" which lead me to believe that Sabino, not Sweat, was the front runner. Obviously I trust the coaching staff's decision, but I wonder what it was that separated them...
• C.J. Barnett is your starting Strong Safety. Most of us would have guess it would have been Orhian Johnson.
• Tyler Moeller is out first string STAR, taking over for Hines who will now be starting at free safety. Good to see Tyler back to where we thought he'd be a year ago before that dreadful incident in Florida. Nothing good happens in Florida...
• Taurian Washington appears to be our 3rd WR behind Posey and Sanzenbacher. hopefully T-Wash puts carries all the successes he's had in spring ball and camp in to the regular season for a change. We're pulling for him. He's put in his time, stuck it out and now it's up to him to make it happen.
  

Obviously this is just the first of many depth charts we'll see throughout the season, but it's still exciting to know who's going to be lining up where on opening day in SEVEN DAYS!!!

Spring Finals: Linebackers

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is the Linebackers.

Some people say that Penn State is Linebacker U. For the past couple of seasons, Buckeye fans have had the pleasure of disagreeing with them. From Spielman, to Hawk, to Laurinatis, and now to Homan and co. The Buckeyes have been graced with some great linebackers over the years, and have produced with them to. Linebackers are mainly focused on the rushing game, as they have to attack that running back and make the big play. Sometimes they drop back, and can steal a couple from you though. Just look at Homan's pick in the Rose Bowl. That was 1 of the very many key moments of the game. This year's core consists of speed, power, and just overall good playing. It may not be the Schlegel-Hawk-Carpenter trio, but they will get the job done this year. We also have some good players coming in from this class that could make an impact right away.  

Spring Finals: Safety

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is Safety.

The Safeties have always been the second line of defense behind the corners in pass protection. Fortunately, they don't just stand there on runs either, so they get a buck load of tackles during the season. Safeties are generally big corners, that hit hard, and leave some memories. Ohio State last year had Kurt Coleman, an outstanding safety, but was picked in the 7th round. The only reason in my mind was that he was a tad too slow, and the size. Size is important, but when your good at everything you do, it shouldn't matter. This year we have some great talent and will be able to use more of it in the past. One more quick note that will send smiles everywhere across Buckeye Nation. Anderson Russell is not on the roster, nor is there anyone that plays like him. (Sorry, still haven't gotten that edgy feeling away whenever I think about him). We've got some people coming back, but for the most part, you will be seeing some new faces deep in the defensive backfield this year.

Spring Finals: Cornerback

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is the Cornerbacks.

The cornerback position is important because they are the first protection when it comes to the passing game. Ohio State has been blessed with loads of decent, top tier corners including Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Gamble, Shawn Springs, and many others. This season the spot holds one of the deepest positions which contains two seniors starting, and a sophomore backing them up when things get too rough.

Spring Finals: Offensive Line

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is the Offensive Line.

Ohio State has been criticized so much about the offensive line that in 2008, Jim Tressel himself took over for Jim Heacock. Much of the blame had been put on him as well for losing and collapsing against top-tier teams. It didn't help much, but in 2009, the O-Line turned the corner of destiny, making themselves a decent line. Against USC, they held their own, and opened up lanes for Boom Herron to find, and to cut through. Then against Penn St. they opened up holes for Boom and Zoom to destroy the D-line, and then gave up no sacks the the Nittany Lions. Now in 2010, with the majority of everyone returning to their spots, things are looking up for this group of talented linemen.

Spring Finals: Wide Receiver

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is Wide Receiver.

The Ohio State wide receivers have had some pretty good cores in the past, including Santonio Holmes, TG2, Gonzo, Hall, and more. The 2010 group is looking to make a statement that they can be one of the groups in that list itself. The receivers always play an important role at Ohio State, but this year, they have to do work to impress. We start with Mr. Posey.

Spring Finals: Running Back

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is Running back.

The running back is my favorite position on any team. They have to carry the ball and run between the tackles, and it takes so much strength, agility, and a knack for finding that open hole. At OSU, it's elevated even more. We've had so many great running backs including Mr. Two Timer, Eddie George, Beanie Wells, Keith Byars, etc. This year it gets even better as we are completely overloaded on the front of running back. So many people could earn starting spots, it's almost surprising some of them didn't redshirt. The huge storyline of this year is that the depth of this group is greater than ever before. That might be true, and could work out well. Or, it could be a bad thing to have too much like we do, because of people wanting to transfer for not getting playing time. It's going to be a tough thing to do when it's time for Coach Tressel to announce the depth charts for this fall.

Spring Finals: Fullback

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is covering the fullback. As you can see in this picture, fullbacks are key to a running backs openings. They are called the lead blocker for a reason. When a quarterback hands off to a running back, the RB is going to be looking for a hole quick, and it should come right of the shoulder of the fullback. So with that, let's dive right in to the fullbacks that are currently attending The Ohio State University.

Spring Finals: Quarterback

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today, we start with the Quarterback.