Football
Spring Ball Brings Questions at Several Key Positions in 2005
By John Porentas

Spring football drills begin on Thursday for the Buckeyes, and OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel and selected players will meet with members of the media on Tuesday to talk about what the Buckeyes hope to accomplish this spring.

The Buckeyes will come into spring ball this year with talent and depth at most positions, but with a scarcity of experienced players at a few key spots.

Tailback will be a position that will be up for grabs in 2005, as will be one starting cornerback position, one defensive line position, and one offensive line position. The Buckeyes will also be looking for new specialists at kicker, punter, and long snapper. Finally, the competition for the job at quarterback should heat up again with Todd Boekman now officially in the mix with returners Justin Zwick and Troy Smith.

Tailback:

Tailback and the kicking game will probably be the two biggest question marks on the 2005 team. OSU will head into spring drills with just two scholarship tailbacks on the roster, Antonio Pittman and Eric Haw.

Pittman saw limited action last season and seemed to have some trouble adjusting to the physical play in Division I college football. While he was limited by injuries at times, when he was healthy he showed good vision and very good quickness, speed and feet.

Pittman is listed at 5-11, 190, but probably did not weigh quite that much last year. Pittman's effectiveness this season will probably depend on how successful he was at bulking up a little in the weight room since the 2004 season ended. Pittman has plenty of speed and good vision, but will have to be a bit stronger and tougher to be the main man in the Buckeye backfield in 2005, not just as a runner, but also as a blocker in passing situations.

Haw redshirted in 2004. At 6-1, 210, he is probably a bit sturdier than Pittman. Haw has great straight-ahead speed, much like former OSU tailback Maurice Hall, but has yet to show the ability to change directions and pick holes. He also lacks game experience.

We don't expect the tailback situation to be resolved this spring. On the upside, the lack of numbers at tailback for spring ball will give both Haw and Pittman a chance to get plenty of reps.

Offensive Line:

Mike Kne is the lone offensive lineman who saw action last season who will not return for next season. The list of candidates for Kne's spot is long.

Doug Datish (6-5, 295) was an early-season starter at guard last year before relinquishing his spot as the year wore on. Datish is a strong candidate to replace Kne at guard, though other options exist for the Buckeyes. He is currently listed at first team right guard on the spring depth chart.

OSU has somewhat of an abundance of offensive tackles, with Steve Rehring (6-8, 315), Rob Sims (6-4, 310) and Kirk Barton (6-6, 305) all returning. All three showed last season they can be dependable offensive linemen.

Sims and Barton are currently penciled in as the starters at offensive tackle, but don't be shocked if one of those two get a look at guard to make room for Rehring at tackle. If incoming freshman Alex Boone lives up to his billing at tackle next fall, a move of either Barton or Sims to guard is all the more plausible. That would pressure on Datish to hold his current spot along the offensive front.

Offensive lineman Andre Tyree (6-3, 290) is sort of the mystery man along the offensive front at guard. Tyree's career has been plagued by injuries, but will certainly get a look this spring at the guard position. Tyree is currently penciled in as the number two right guard behind Datish. Tyree's biggest asset is his ability to run. He came to OSU as a tight end/linebacker, but grew to offensive line size once he arrived. If Tyree can stay healthy, he could be the surprise of spring camp.

Also in the mix at guard will be redshirt freshmen Kyle Mitchum (6-6, 270) and Ben Person (6-4, 300). Both had good reputations coming out of high school and will itching to show their stuff this spring after spending last fall on the scout team.

Any way you slice it, the competition will be fierce for that guard position.

Defensive Line:

Everybody is back along the defensive front except defensive end Simon Fraser.

A pair of juniors, Jay Richardson (6-6, 270) and David Patterson (6-3, 285) are the current prime candidates to replace Fraser. Both Richardson and Patterson played extensively last season and both have enough experience not to be wide-eyed and awed this spring.

Richardson is an admitted pass-rush specialist that has to improve his run-stopping ability if he is to win the position. Patterson has more versatility and has played not only defensive end, but has also seen time on the interior defensive line as well. He has, however, had some problems with injuries in his early career at OSU.

Richardson and Patterson may be the current odds-on favorites to replace Fraser, but don't count out redshirt freshman Alex Barrow (6-4, 245). Barrow sat out last season, but OSU defensive line coach Jim Heacock loves Barrow's motor, attitude and relentlessness. Don't be surprised if Barrow makes a little move at that end position this spring and is in the mix next fall.

CornerBack:

Dustin Fox is gone, and backup E. J. Underwood will not participate in spring drills while he gets his academic ship in order. That will a leave a void at corner. That's the bad news.

The good news is that the Buckeyes have somewhat of a logjam at safety and nickel back, and one of those players is more-than capable of stepping in at corner.

Junior Donte Whitner (5-11, 200) is currently penciled in as the replacement for Fox, and Whitner is probably up to that task. Whitner has already established himself as a hitter and has shown cover skills as well in his role in OSU's nickel package.

Underwood, who was a starter last year before losing his position to Ashton Youboty, will not be on hand to compete. That will leave the door open for a couple of underclassmen, among those Underwood's brother, Brandon.

Redshirt freshmen Brandon Underwood (6-2, 170) and Shawn Lane (5-10, 180) are currently listed as Whitner's backup at corner, and both will get plenty of reps this spring after toiling on the scout team last year. Also listed as a backup corner is Sirjo Welch (6-0, 185) who was a veritable terror last season as a gunner on OSU kick coverage teams.

The movement of Whitner to corner from safety makes room for senior Tyler Everett (5-11, 196) at safety. Everett has already seen extensive action in his Buckeye career and established himself as a playmaker.

Quarterback:

If you don't know what's been going on here, you've been living under a rock, but just in case, here it is in a nutshell.

Both Justin Zwick and Troy Smith return, and both want to be the quarterback at Ohio State. Zwick won the job for the season opener last year, but lost the job when he was injured and Smith came on to lead the Buckeyes to several victories, including his magnificent performance against Michigan.

Smith, however, did not play in the Bowl game after being ruled ineligible by Ohio State due to his involvement with a booster. Zwick then came on to start the Alamo Bowl and had one of the best games of his career, leading the Buckeyes to a blowout win over Oklahoma State. In that game, Zwick silenced some of his critics who were skeptical of his toughness. Zwick pulled a hamstring early in the game, but went all the way to lead the Buckeyes to the win.

It is unclear as to whether Smith will be available to the Buckeyes early in the season due to pending NCAA sanctions due to his booster involvement. Most speculation has Smith missing at least one, and perhaps two, games this fall as a result of that incident. That would leave Zwick in the driver's seat in the early going, but Smith will practice with the Buckeyes this spring and will have a chance to show his stuff for the OSU coaching staff.

Also in the quarterback mix is Todd Boekman. Boekman has a strong arm, is athletic, and is the son of a high school coach.

Specialists:

The Buckeyes will be looking for a lot of specialists next fall. Actually, they have to replace all of them, including the punter, holder, kicker and long snapper.

Senior Josh Huston (6-1, 195) is the heir-apparent for the kicking job. Huston shared the kicking job with Mike Nugent in 2001 before losing the job to Nuge. Huston is back for his senior season and has at least seen the field some. He is also a candidate as a punter as well. Listed behind Huston at kicker is redshirt freshman Ryan Pretorius (5-10, 190).

Freshman A. J. Trepasso (6-1, 220) will be the only punter on hand for spring ball, so Trepasso will get plenty of work as the replacement for Kyle Turano. He is also listed as the holder, another role that Turano filled last season. Redshirt freshman Tyson Gentry (6-2, 165) is listed as Trepasso's backup as a holder.

Junior Drew Norman (6-0, 230) is currently listed as the replacement for ultra-reliable long snapper Kyle Andrews. Sophomore Dimitrios Makridis (6-1, 225) is listed as his backup.

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