The lone surprise on the first unit was rising sophomore Curtis Grant at middle linebacker. He came in last year as a top five high school player, but was never able to pick up the system. It appears that business is beginning to pick up for Grant.

Ryan Shazier was at the weakside linebacker spot and Etienne Sabino was at the strong side. When they went to the nickel, Sabino left for Orhian Johnson, who went to safety while Christian Bryant went to nickel back.

By the time September rolls around, I think Kenny Hayes is going to look more like Johnathan Hankins than Johnathan Hankins will.

Hayes, who was listed as a 240-pound freshman defensive lineman last year, is now every bit of 285 pounds. Granted, last year's listing was a little light, but there is no mistaking Hayes for a speed rusher any longer. If he can keep the quickness that he has always had, he could end up quite a player on the inside down the road.

This being my first time seeing freshman linebacker Joshua Perry in person, I couldn't believe how skinny he looked. He's listed at 6-3 231 pounds, and he probably is, but he looks more like a receiver than a linebacker at the moment.

One of the more interesting things that I saw on the day was that Howard appeared to be almost like a liaison between Coombs and his fellow cornerbacks. Following one particular drill when Coombs wasn't happy with rising sophomore Doran Grant, Howard stepped in and explained why Grant did what he did. Coombs listened to them both, nodded, and sent them on their way.

Rising sophomore defensive tackle Michael Bennett certainly hasn't lost any quickness. He still bursts through the line and is a tough matchup for any guard. I believe he played defensive tackle exclusively today, which is where he is certainly at his best.

Pick6;1130778 wrote:dumb question that has probably already been answered. Are any of the big time freshman enrolled early and taking part in spring practice?

Meyer's newest hire was hooting and hollering with his first step onto the practice field on Wednesday. It was his first as a Buckeye, and it was clear that he was ready to go. If his verbal demeanor wasn't an indication of his excitement, then the running chest bump that he shared with safety Corey Brown certainly was.

stroups;1131350 wrote:Rod Smith is just a specimen

....the person who preceded Love as ASU's athletic director knew that football player Loren Wade had verbally threatened a female athlete on November 24, 2004, according to reporting by Jeff Metcalfe and Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic. The player Wade threatened, ASU gymnast Trisha Dixon, told The Republic that Wade "pretty much threatened my life." The Republic also reported that on March 6, ASU women's soccer coach Ray Leone informed then-football coach Dirk Koetter that Wade had threatened ASU soccer player Haley van Blommestein, possibly with a gun. Nearly three weeks later on March 26, Wade – when picking up van Blommestein at a suburban Phoenix nightclub – shot and killed fellow football player Brandon Falkner.

Now, just who was this athletic director who stopped short of kicking Wade out of the ASU program entirely, thereby enabling him to be reinstated by Koetter for spring football practice on March 21, 2005, five days before the shooting? Why, that would be none other than Gene Smith, the same man who has so fully trampled over a million different ethical guidelines as the athletic director at Ohio State University. Smith accepted the Ohio State AD job on March 5 of 2005, one day before Wade's threats against van Blommestein were relayed to Koetter.

Urban Meyer just announced that the team will elect captains this year, but he reserves the right to veto. He then turned to John Simon and told him he would be a captain.

LJ;1135573 wrote:ROFL

sleeper;1135604 wrote:John Simon is our best player. He'll win a Heisman before his time is done at Ohio State.

Rotinaj;1135716 wrote:Just 1?

LJ;1138306 wrote:So did chris fields really quit today or what?

WebFire;1138325 wrote:They gave him a week to come back?

While it's not particularly earth shattering, we were more than surprised to hear from a reliable source that Chris Fields had supposedly had an issue of some kind with a member of the staff and was potentially deciding whether or not he wished to remain a Buckeye. Dave Biddle and Marc Givler were hearing similar info while stopping short of calling it gospel but later in the evening Fields himself took to twitter advising he did not quit and will always be a Buckeye.
We don't doubt Fields will "always be a Buckeye" but we also feel pretty secure in saying something went down yesterday that was out of the norm. Whether or not there will be fallout down the line remains a mystery. Fields has always seemed fairly reserved on the surface so if there's any truth to the info Alex and others received, it's easy to wonder if he has more going on outside of football that could've played a role in whatever happened. Stay tuned.

COLUMBUS -- It was a hair-raising assignment for any offensive lineman -- much less one in his first week at a new position.
Positioned at left tackle opposite Ohio State's most disruptive pass-rusher during a recent practice, Jack Mewhort received a not-so-friendly welcome to life on the edge. All-Big Ten senior John Simon forced the St. John's graduate off balance then shoved him to the turf en route to the quarterback.
"I was thinking, 'Wow, I've got to get a lot better at this if I'm going to be doing this in the Big Ten,' " Mewhort said.
In truth, however, he is navigating the move to the line's most critical position just fine.
Despite the early humbling, OSU coach Urban Meyer calls the fourth-year junior "probably our best, most consistent lineman."

“Teams should be scared, I think,” Stoneburner said. “The way we practice and the way our offense is set up, with the guys we have, it’s going to be unbelievable out there. It’s going to be a show."
Even offensive linemen are getting excited about the potential of gaining big yards on every play next year.
“I just think it’s really exciting being out there knowing the guy running your offense is Coach Meyer,” left tackle Jack Mewhort said. “Anything can happen at any time. You can score on any play.”
While it's great to see that players are so passionate about Meyer's system, there are still plenty of holes that need to be filled. OSU has plenty of talent at quarterback and running back, but Ohio State still lacks an offensive talent to take all the pressure off these two positions.
Receivers, tight ends, and fullbacks need to be ready because anyone could be called on in this new offensive system.