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Football Recruiting
Two-Minute Drill: Fickell on 2013 Defensive Haul
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After one year as Ohio State’s interim head coach, Luke Fickell spent last season as the defensive coordinator under new head coach Urban Meyer.

It was an up and down year for the Buckeyes on defense, which started slow but finished strong in the month of November. One of the biggest issues for OSU in 2012 was the lack of depth at linebacker.

Fickell is hoping they helped to fix that problem in the future with the addition of blue-chip prospects Mike Mitchell and Trey Johnson. Here’s a breakdown of what Fickell had to say about Ohio State’s 2013 haul on the defensive side of the ball on Wednesday.

On 2013 Class…

* James Laurinaitis always reminds Fickell on Signing Day that he was a 3 star until he committed to OSU. They bumped him up to 3.5.

* Fickell said coach Herman did a great job getting them on to Mike Mitchell. Has a great family.

* Fickell also praises Director of Player Personnel Mark Pantoni for making life a lot easier on the coaches. Herman called him the unsung hero of Signing Day.

* Fickell said the 250 mile radius is still where OSU will do its best recruiting. "It was just one of those years."

On Linebackers…

* Fickell said they addressed some issues at LB. Feels like they got three good ones with Darron Lee included.

* Fickell said Zach Boren made Ryan Shazier a better football player because he didn't have to worry who was next to him.

* Fickell said he can’t really remember the linebackers they had committed in the spring because he’s been hit in the head to many times.

* Those two guys were Alex Anzalone and Lewis Neal. Anzalone signed with Florida and Neal ended up at LSU.

More on LBs…

* Fickell said the two LBs they signed are strong enough to come in and "hopefully hold up" if they can get the mental side.

* Fickell said LB Mike Mitchell won't have a problem fitting in physically. Similar to Joey Bosa.

* Fickell said LB Trey Johnson has an understanding of the game of football that you can't teach.

* Fickell said Mitchell has a knack for the football but was more of a rushing LB in HS. Johnson better feel for all-around LB position.

* Fickell said Curtis Grant is going to get a shot at Mike LB in the spring. Still expecting big things from Joshua Perry.

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