Football
Buckeye Football 2006 - The Defense
By John PorentasThe Ohio State defense is being hit hard by graduation this year, and a number of key underclassmen have either declared for the NFL draft or are seriously considering the NFL draft.
Departing seniors include all three linebackers (A. J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel, and Bobby Carpenter), safety Nate Salley, defensive back Tyler Everett, defensive end Mike Kudla and defensive tackle Marcus Green. Additionally, cornerback Ashton Youboty has declared for the NFL draft, and safety Donte Whitner is also rumored to be ready to follow suit, though as of the moment he has not officially done so. The final date to declare for the draft is January 15.
If Whitner goes, the Buckeyes will lose their entire secondary, their entire linebacking corps and two of four defensive linemen. The only defensive starters to return in 2006 would be defensive linemen Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson.
That's a tremendous loss of talent and experience, but the cupboard won't exactly be bare in 2006.
Defensive Line
Though probably the least sexy position on the defense, the defensive line will ultimately determine just how good or bad the OSU defense will be in 2006. A strong pass rush can take some pressure off defensive backs and linebackers in coverage, and strong defensive line play in the running game can allow linebackers to roam and get to running backs.
On the inside, Pitcock will be a dominant player and will make a serious run at both All-Big Ten and perhaps even All-American honors. Joining Pitcock on the OSU defensive interior will be either Joel Penton or Patterson. Patterson can play either defensive end or in the middle, and could see time at both positions next year. Penton saw considerable playing time in 2005 and in 2004 as a backup and Patterson was a starter at defensive end the entire 2005 season.
Supplying depth on the interior are Nadar Abdallah and Sian Cotton. Both are big (Abdallah is 6-5, 300, Cotton 6-4, 315) and have been waiting in the wings for a chance. Cotton will be a redshirt junior next year and Abdallah a redshirt sophomore, so both have been in the program and will have some understanding of the defense and will have had considerable time in the OSU weight room. Todd Denlinger redshirted in 2005 and will also add depth in 2006.
At the defensive end position, Jay Richardson will return after seeing significant playing time in 2005, as will true freshman Lawrence Wilson. Richardson is a good pass rusher whose weakness has been on the run. Wilson is a budding star who played early in the year and started the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame after missing some regular-season time with an injury. Adding additional depth at the defensive end spot is inexperienced but gifted Vernon Gholstin and Alex Barrow. Also returning at the defensive end position are Doug Worthington and Ryan Williams. Both are freshmen who redshirted this year. The wildcard player in this mix is Mike D'Andrea, who if healthy could fill the role at rush end the Bobby Carpenter filled in 2005.
In a Nutshell: OSU will return some experienced players to the defensive line and has a host of unproven talent waiting to step into key roles in 2006. We think that the there is enough talent and experience at these positions to make it a strength on the OSU defense next fall, and that bodes well for the buckeye defense. OSU should be very strong up the middle, and should be able to get some pass rush from the defensive end spots.
The-Ozone best guess as starters
DE - Lawrence Wilson 6-6, 235
DE- Jay Richardson 6-6, 280 or David Patterson 6-3, 285
DT - Quinn Pitcock 6-3, 295
DT - David Patterson or Joel Penton (6-5, 290)Linebackers
This position seems to be the focus of a lot of angst for OSU fans, and on the surface, that concern seems justified, but believe it or not, OSU will put three linebackers on the field in 2006, and they will probably be pretty good.
At one outside backer Marcus Freeman will be a redshirt sophomore in 2006 and will impress a lot of people. Freeman was injured in 2005 and redshirted, but prior to the injury was as good as the linebackers who were on the field in 2005. That's saying a lot, but Freeman is that kind of player. According to several OSU players, Freeman consistently finished ahead of all the other linebackers in wind sprints. He can run, hit, and cover. Freeman will be on the field in 2006.
Candidates for the other outside linebacking position are James Laurenitis, Curtis Terry, Austin Spitler, John Kerr, Ryan Lukens, and Mike D'Andrea aka Mr. Wildcard. Laurenitis surprised everyone by getting on the field in 2006. He played extensively on special teams and took Bobby Carpenter's spot in the Michigan game and the bowl game after Carpenter was injured on the first play of the game against the Wolverines. His experience in 2005 and another year in the weight room will help him tremendously in 2006.
Kerr transferred to OSU from Indiana after earring freshman defensive player of the year in the Big Ten at I.U. Kerr and Laurenitis seemed to be sharing playing time in the Fiesta Bowl and both played extensively on special teams. One of those two will probably win the outside linebacker position opposite Freeman. Kerr could also be a candidate for the inside linebacker position.
Curtis Terry played extensively on special teams and brings great speed to the position. Terry could develop into a Cie Grant type outside linebacker and will probably backup Freeman in 2006.
At inside linebacker the candidates are Chad Hoobler, John Kerr, and Mr. Wildcard, Mike D'Andrea. We don't think D'Andrea will end up in the middle if for no other reason than to protect his injured knees and shoulder. That leaves Hoobler and Kerr. Both have seen the field on special teams, though Kerr has been on the field more than Hoobler in regular game situations.
In a Nutshell: Ohio State may be a little inexperienced at linebacker next fall, but not totally inexperienced. Laurenitis, Kerr, and D'Andrea have all been on the field at least to some extent, and all of the linebacking candidates have played extensively on special teams. While there will be a definite falloff in experience, there is definitely talent at all the positions. This unit will be better than most people expect in 2006. The personnel on the field will probably change often with the situation, with there being running situation specialists, passing specialists, nickel package specialists, etc.
The-ozone best guess starters:
OLB Marcus Freeman 6-2, 230
OLB James Laurenitis 6-3, 231
ILB John Kerr 6-1, 246
Mr. Wildcard Mike D'Andrea 6-3, 248, who can and probably will play at OLB, ILB, and DEDefensive Backs
If Donte Whitner leaves this year, and it looks like he will, it will be a wholesale retooling year in the defensive backfield. Retooling, however, is not the same as rebuilding.
At corner, Malcolm Jenkins will return in 2006 as a starter after bursting onto the scene in 2005. With the departure of Ashton Youboty to the NFL Jenkins will likely become OSU's number one cover guy in 2006 . Jenkins had a very good 2005 and should be even better in 2006. He will be more experienced and will benefit from a year in the weight room.
There are a hoard of candidates for the opposite corner, none of whom are tested, but all of whom are talented. Brandon Underwood, Mike Roberts, and Andre Amos are the most likely candidates, and one of that trio will emerge to win the starting corner position. We like Andre Amos out of that group. We saw him shut down Mario Manningham in the North-South All-Star game and were impressed.
The Buckeyes will have to find two safeties if Whitner goes to the NFL, but there is absolutely no lack of candidates at those positions. Jamario O'Neal, Antonio Smith, Donald Washington, Sirjo Welch, Brandon Mitchell, Nick Patterson, Curt Lukens, and Anderson Russell are all players who could emerge, but we think it will be pretty cut and dried at safety.
Two players, Brandon Mitchell and Jamario O'Neal, saw considerable playing time in 2005 in the nickel package and on special teams, and will be the leading safety candidates. Mitchell has a few starts under his belt as a safety and will be a fifth-year senior in 2006. O'Neal was good in 2005 and will be better in 2006.
A nickel back candidate will have to emerge in 2006, and that could go a couple of ways. Jamario O'Neal could take the third cover corner position in the nickel, leaving room for another safety on the field, or a corner could emerge as a true nickel back. We think the trio of Nick Patterson, Donald Smith and Anderson Russell will compete for that spot.
In a Nutshell: Despite the wholesale loss of starters, the OSU defensive backfield will not be devoid of experience. Jenkins, Mitchell and O'Neal have logged significant playing time, and we expect all three of those players to be on the field in 2006.
The-Ozone best guess starters
CB Malcolm Jenkins 6-1, 180
CB Andre Amos 6-1, 180
S Jamario O'Neal 6-1, 180
S Brandon Mitchell 6-3, 205Nickel Nick Patterson 6-2, 210
Coaching
We have two words to say about the OSU coaching staff. - Jim Heacock
We think the Heacock, and his number one henchman Luke Fickell, have things under control for the OSU defense. They knew who was graduating at what positions and made sure that there were players who got at least some playing time in 2005 to bring them along for 2006. If you read our position-by-position breakdown, it strikes us just how much returning experience there really is despite the loss of all those starters. We also think that Heacock and Fickell will coach to the strengths of their personnel (athleticism and depth) and away from the weakness (experience). We think the OSU defense will be coached for specialists early in the year so that players don't have to absorb too much too fast, and that players will expand their roles as the season wears on. We also like very much the job that corner coach Tim Beckman and safety coach Paul Haynes have done with both young and veteran players. In particularly, Jenkins and O'Neal both played well in 2005, and much credit can be given to those two coaches for that fact.
Overall Outlook
The sky is not falling for the OSU defense. In fact, while it's not a totally sunny sky, it's just a little cloudy.
Despite the loss of all those starters, the Buckeyes have enough experience coming back to be at least steady in the early going in 2006, and should definitely improve as the season goes on. We actually think that the 2006 defense could be more of a big play defense than the 2005 one was. OSU did not produce many turnovers in 2005, but we think there are more big play type players that can be on the field in 2005, namely O'Neal, Jenkins, Mitchell and Freeman. We also think the defensive front will be strong and that will help cover up whatever deficiencies the back seven may have in the early going.
Next: We were going to cover special teams today, but decided to combine it with another aspect of the 2006 team, the possible contributions of incoming freshmen. Look for that tomorrow here on the-Ozone.
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