Jordan Hall Sidelined 10 Weeks With Foot Injury

Hall is a key offensive weapon for Meyer

Ohio State announced some bad news for Buckeye Nation, stating that senior tailback Jordan Hall will be out 10 weeks after having surgery on his foot last Friday.

"Hall, who enters his senior season with 2,513 all-purpose yards to rank 26th all-time at Ohio State, suffered an accidental cut to the bottom of his right foot Wednesday afternoon while walking in grass outside his residence in Columbus. He had surgery Friday at the Ohio State University Medical Center.

“This is an unfortunate accident to a really fine young man,” Meyer said. “He’s handling things well, though. He’ll be in a non-weight bearing cast for about six weeks and then he’ll rehabilitate the injury for at least four weeks after that.”"

In case you were wondering how this affects the team as far as playing games, Hall will most likely miss the season opener against Miami (OH). The Redhawks come to town only 9 weeks from now. If everything goes alright in Hall's recovery, there's no reason he shouldn't be back in time for the second or third week of the 2012 season.

Hall has 817 career rushing yards with five touchdowns and has also caught 21 passes out of the backfield for 202 yards and four more TDs. He came out of spring drills No. 1 on the depth chart at running back. 

Junior Carlos Hyde (707 career rushing yards and six touchdowns), sophomore Rod Smith (116 and one, respectively) and true freshman Bri'onte Dunn were also competing in the mix at running back throughout spring.

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

4-Star RB Dontre Wilson Down To Ohio State And Oregon

Wilson has 4.4 speed

DeSoto all-purpose back Dontre Wilson, the 2013 speedster from the Texas high school powerhouse, has come out of nowhere in the recruiting world of Ohio State. Wilson is a 5'10", 165-pound running back from DeSoto, TX. He is ranked No. 107 in the country by 247Sports.

Wilson is the No. 15 recruit in Texas (TX) and is the No. 10 Running Back in the nation.

Having the 2013 class mainly focus on Derrick Green, a fellow 4-star, Wilson seems to be more of a speed back in the mold of LaMichael James or DeAnthony Thomas for Oregon. It makes sense, then that the Ducks are in his final 2 selections of schools.

Originally slated to make a decision between Texas and Oregon at the Eagle spring game in late May, Wilson told the Ohio State Rivals site that he is down to the Buckeyes and Ducks ($), making no mention of the Longhorns, who were supposed to be where the Buckeyes are now: In the top 2 finalists in a report published on Wednesday. 

There had been some talk in recent weeks that Urban Meyer's squad was in the running for the 5-10, 175-pounder, but no one really paid attention, as we mentioned before it seemed the '13 class was focused on Green. This has seemingly come out of nowhere.

Here's the quote from Wilson via BuckeyeGrove.com:

"It's just Oregon and Ohio State, that's my top two. I'm not looking at any other schools right now, just those two."

2013 3-Star RB Ezekiel Elliott Commits To Ohio State

Elliott has 4.4 speed

2013 3-star running back Ezekiel Elliott has committed to Ohio State per Bucknuts ($). Following a weekend visit to the campus, Elliott gave his verbal to the Buckeyes, giving OSU it's 6th member of the 2013 class. Elliott is also the first running back in the '13 class.


The 6'0", 195-pound Elliott chose Ohio State over his other finalist Notre Dame, as well as a slew of other offers from the likes of Missouri, Arizona State, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wisconsin.

During his junior season of football, Elliott ran for 1,802 yards and 42 touchdowns, while catching another 23 passes for 401 yards and six more scores.

Also an elite track athlete, Elliott won a Class Three state title in the 110-hurdles (14.1) and finished second in the 300-hurdles (37.85) as a sophomore. Last summer, Elliott won the AAU national championship in the 15-16 age group in the 400-intermediate hurdles, and finished second in the 110-meter hurdles. He plans to run track in Columbus as well for the Buckeyes, making him a 2-sport athlete at the D-1 level.

While only a 3-star, there is plenty of talent coming from this kid's legs. He has clocked a 40 time of 4.40. That's exceptionally fast, which is what Urban Meyer is looking for. He can use Elliott in a multitude of ways including kickoffs, punt returns and perhaps even a couple of packages that use his speed well against certain defensive alignments. Either way, this is a solid pick up for the class of 2013. 

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

Brionte Dunn Reinforces His Commitment To The Buckeyes

Soon to be in the Scarlet and Gray

According to many reports, with Dustin Fox being the first, Brionte Dunn has officially backed Ohio State after an in-home visit that was after an already sweet official visit to Ohio State itself.

While Dunn had never really de-committed from Ohio State, he himself told the media that he would still be taking visits to Michigan, and he was re-thinking the Buckeye commitment, saying he was now only a "soft" commit. Now, there's no need to worry about him ending up somewhere else, as he had announced he will not be taking any more visits, and that he is 100% Scarlet and Gray.

Dunn had said he had some questions he wanted answered including how he would fit in when it comes to Meyer’s “spread” offense, and between the official visit and Meyer’s in-home visit those questions have been answered to Dunn’s satisfaction, it appears.

The 6'1", 220lb RB rushed for 1,700 yards this season despite missing a couple games with a fractured pelvis. He rushed for over 2,000 yards his junior season.

The Urban Meyer pain train continues, as he is just barreling over any Big Ten coaches that stand in his way. 

Jaamal Berry In More Trouble

Get away from trouble!

According to The Lantern, Ohio State running back Jaamal Berry has been named a suspect in an alleged assault that occurred Friday morning. This is the second time Berry has been involved in a situation like this, with the last time allegedly assaulting another individual, and in less than a month.

The latest occurrence took place on Vine Street, near the North Market and involved a 21 year old non-OSU student. The victim was struck in the face, with a "closed fist".

"Berry, a redshirt sophomore running back, was with another male and was allegedly yelling at the victim and his friend after the victim was struck by a car. The victim, who The Lantern has chosen not to name at this time, said that Berry and his friend were yelling vulgar remarks at him. After asking why they were yelling, the victim said that Berry crossed the street and punched his friend, and then punched him in the face with a closed fist"


Basically what that says watered down: Berry punched a guy and his friend in the face, including the one that had just gotten hit by a car. Swell.

Remembering A Buckeye: Ron Springs

It is hard to believe that Woody Hayes came to Lafayette High School, in Williamsburg Virgina on FIVE recruiting trips. You would think that he would have been too busy trying to keep all the great Ohio football players in Ohio. Something, or someone special, had to have been playing in Virgina. That someone was Ron Springs.

Springs graduated from Lafayette High School and went from being a navy blue and gold Ram to a scarlet and gray Buckeye (with a stop in Coffeyville for a season). A running back, Ron rushed for 2,140 yards all time as a Buckeye. He still ranks 18th on the all time rushing list at Ohio State.

After being drafted in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, Ron went on to play for Tampa Bay before his career ended in 1986. He amassed over 2,000 yards both rushing and receiving in his NFL career, scoring 28 touchdowns.

Young Running Backs Ready To Step Up

Jordan Hall looks to be a major factor for the Buckeyes this fall.

Despite losing Brandon Saine to graduation and also losing Boom Herron for the first five games of 2011 due to his role in “Tatgate,” getting production out of the running back position should not be a problem for Ohio State.

While Herron is on the sidelines for the first five weeks, junior Jordan Hall and sophomore Jaamal Berry figure to get most of the touches at running back.  Also ready to fill in is Carlos Hyde and Rod Smith.

These four will need to produce to keep pressure off whoever the new starting quarterback will be.  Establishing a run game is something the coaches will look to do to keep defenses on their toes and making them unable to just pin their ears back and rush the passer.

Excitement is building

Will the 2010 Buckeyes dance in victory?

Living up to expectations has not been easy for the Buckeyes over the past few seasons. As every ESPN personality will remind you, OSU struggled in big games before finally getting victories against Penn St., Iowa and Oregon in last year’s Rose Bowl (that win is looking better every week with the video game numbers the Ducks are putting up).

This year has a different feel to it than normal. The Buckeyes are further distancing themselves from their reputation as big game floppers. Using the victory in Pasadena as a springboard to this season, the silver bullets have come out firing on all cylinders. The offense currently sits in the top 10(!) nationally in points scored and total offense. The defense is nasty as usual despite letting offensive juggernaut EMU get 3 touchdowns this past weekend. Special teams have also improved slightly the past 2 games, the called back Posey TD notwithstanding. The kicking game is off to a great start as well.

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.

The Backfield: An Embarrassment of Riches

The man that started it all.

Ohio State has always had a stellar run game.(save for 2004) We've even had the luxury of having at least one game breaker taking the majority of the carries. Eddie gave way to Pepe Pearson. Pepe was followed by Michael Wiley. Wiley was proceeded by Jonathan Wells, Mo C, then someone I didn't like and most don't either because he stunk it up. Then we had Antonio Pittman, Beanie and his stiff arm. That led to Boom and Zoom last season which brings us to now. Boom, Zoom and 100 other guys that want to, and are very capable of seeing significant time on the field. Most programs should be so lucky, unless they're TTUN. Screw them.

I didn't forget you, Raymont.

Bo Delande, Jaamal Berry, Zach Boren, James Georgiades, Jordan Hall, Dan Herron, Adam Homan, Jermil MArtin(who is rumored to be transferring), Rod Smith, Carlos Hyde, and Brandon Saine. "A pair and a spare" is what some say is the key to a successful running game. Last season there was a pair and 2 spares in Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin. And then you also have to throw mini-Boren in the mix taking a couple carries a game, and catching a few well-timed passes as well. On top of that, there's some guy by the name of Terrelle Pryor that can run the ball pretty well too. Hopefully he runs it less, but hey, it works. Boom and Zoom(or Zoom and Boom if you're like me) are the pair, they have been for a while now. Who should "start"? Who's in the running to be the spare(s)?
(Primary) Starter - Brandon Saine (Sr.) - Most would tend to agree, Zoom offers greater versatility in the starting tailback position that Boom. He can run up the gut, around the edge, catch passes and is a serviceable blocker. He makes the opposing defense guess what we're going to use him as. He's even started to show big play ability at the end of last season. He's no Eddie or Beanie but he should be the starter. After Boom started the season as our number 1 tailback, Zoom garnered most of the carries and took over that role by mid season. He should keep it, barring catastrophe or major changes. The question remains though; can Zoom take the bulk of the carries? Or are we still looking at a 60-40 split?

Yup, that's a hole.

Dan Herron(Jr.) - He was the guy last year that showed up at the end of camp as the "starter". He won the job. Yet as the season went on, Saine came in and took over. Maybe that was due to a couple of injuries or maybe it was because of what happens on the field. My guess is a little of both. Boom has the most big play ability from what we've seen so far. He has more touchdown runs of 20 yards or longer than anyone else on the team. He's tough, quick and tends to hold on to the ball. However, he has a propensity for getting tripped up when he has one of two men to beat, and I know that frustrates a lot of people. He doesn't pick his feet up and gets shoe strung by the defender and goes down. That's my only knock against him really, other than the fact that he hasn't shown the pass-catching ability of Zoom.

Almost as excited as I was. I bet I drank more though..

Jordan Hall(So.) - 3rd place in yardage from the tailback position last season. Jordan saw significant playing time against Toledo, New Mexico(90 yard game) and Illinois. From that point on he was given spotty playing time as the other backs got healthy again. For me the biggest thing going for Jordan is his familiarity with Pryor, since they went to high school together(I can't wait til i go to height school). This isn't to say that Jordan showed flashes of brilliance last year and has some serious talent, it's just that I have limited game film to make a better case.

Jermil Martin(So.) - Was the 4th back last year, and is rumored to be transferring to Youngstown State soon. I can't really blame him, he's only got 4 years of eligibility and he's gotta make the best of them. The thing I like about Jermil is his size and power. He's gonna make the defender pa for trying to tackle him. He doesn't have the speed that Beanie did/still does at that size but few people do. In any other year he'd probably be moved to the full back position but with Zach Boren and Adam Homan likely filling those spots that's not an attractive option either. And here's where it gets interesting.......

Jaamal Berry(Fr.) - The guy runs a 4.31 40 and checks in around 200 lbs. 4.31 40, I had to say it again. A speed back that isn't afraid to take a hit. While I don't see him as a threat to crack the top 2 spots Jordan Hall should be concerned. It is my opinion that Jaamal could use that speed and see significant playing time as a return man. Especially since that is an area of much needed improvement for this team. Just stay out of the dog house, unlike Ray Ray the rapper.

Carlos Hyde(Fr.) - Ahhhhhh Mr. Hyde. We've been expecting you. Big, bruising power back with quick feet and adequate speed at 4.5 40 yard dash. Not bad for a guy that weighs 238 lbs. Lemme tell ya, I weigh close to that and I'm nowhere near that fast. Never have been, never will be. Some say Hyde has the best shot at being the 3rd back in our rotation this season. He'll have to earn it. Hopefully he picked up the same work ethic at Eddie George at Fork Union.

Roderick Smith (Fr.) - 220lbs, 4.6 40 yard dash. Top 10 in rushing in Indiana state history. Obviously he's no bum. Possesses good cut-back ability, size and acceleration. Would likely see significant playing time anywhere else but OSU. It appears that Roderick is burried on the depth chart, but surprises happen and nothing is set for sure.

The Rest of the Pack - Adam Griffin(Fr.) will most likely see time at special teams but also has experience playing defensive back. If he has his father's work ethic, which is likely because it's contagious, he'll make an impact in some way or another. DeLande, and Georgiades will likely also see special teams duty covering kicks and scout team work. Homan will likely be the same as well as back up full back behind Boren, who has that position locked up for the next 3 years in my mind.

Zach Boren (So.) 1st String Fullback - Big, angry and can also catch the ball. Boren has this position locked up for the next 3 season. I love him simply for his hatred of scUM. I wanted to keep him separate because anyone that plays fullback has a special place in my heart. All guts and seldom any glory. Offensive linemen always complain about not getting any press, try playing fullback.

Any way that this "problem" shapes up, OSU is in a great position. I don't recall an Ohio State team being this deep at any position in my life time. One thing is for sure though, nothing is set in stone and depth charts are for the most part fluid. Whoever works the hardest and makes the plays will get the lion's share of carries and help lead this team to victory.

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.