March 26, 2007 - Jake Stoneburner, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound receiver from Dublin (Ohio) Coffman has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes. "It was an easy decision," Stoneburner said. "I've always been a Buckeye." Though sometimes listed as a tight end, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Stoneburner said he will go to OSU as a wide receiver. Ohio Football Recruiting News publisher Bill Kurelic ranks Stoneburner No. 4 overall in the state and said his versatility - enough speed (4.55-second 40) to play wideout, enough size to play tight end - set him apart. He had offers from Michigan, Southern Cal, Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Nebraska, among others. Welcome aboard, Jake!
Like flowers, questions also bloom in spring March 25, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "It’s spring, when a young man’s thoughts turn to, well, sightseeing on the Oval, honestly. But for Ohio State fans, the start of spring drills this week means it’s a chance to turn the page from some bad memories and start looking ahead to the 2007 season..."
The 3 a.m. text messages that Ohio State Coach Thad Matta receives don’t surprise him anymore.
But the person sending him the messages does amaze him: the Buckeyes’ football coach, Jim Tressel.
He won a national championship at the university in 2002. He also led Ohio State to a Big Ten championship this past season and the Bowl Championship Series title game against Florida.
"I don’t think he sleeps," Matta said.
Matta said that Tressel’s text messages tend to be motivational in nature.
"He’s always offering up words of encouragement," Matta said. "It says a lot about him. It’s all focused on team and playing hard and trying to finish a mission. It’s always good to get those and read and ponder them and take it and let the guys know kind of what he said."
Tressel has also spoken to the Buckeyes on several occasions this season, including as recently as last week during the N.C.A.A. tournament in Lexington, Ky., Matta said. He said he appreciated Tressel’s efforts.
"He does a great job for us," he said.
OSU announcer doubles his pleasure March 22, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - Congratulations to 1460 The Fan's Paul Keels for being inducted into The Ohio Radio and Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Paul has been the voice of the Buckeyes since 1998 and has provided some of the most memorable sports radio moments in Columbus..."
The Buckeyes secured their fourth commitment of the 2008 class when Canton (OH) South Running back/Linebacker DeVoe Torrence told Jim Tressel he wanted to be a Buckeye. Torrence, who is 6-2 215lbs and runs a 4.5 40, is one of the top players in Ohio and is the brother of 2007 recruit DeVon Torrence, a defensive back, who signed with Ohio State in February. DeVoe was recruited as a RB, his preferred position, although some project him to be a LB in college. He already had offers from a number of colleges, including TSUN, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Ole Miss and Cincinnati. Welcome aboard, DeVoe!
Big man may fill big shoes March 18, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Dublin Coffman’s Adams already being compared with offensive line great ..."
Buckeyes Land Major Playmaker March 13, 2007 Source: Scout.com - "DeVier Posey, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver from LaSalle High in Cincinnati, Ohio has decided that he will stay home and play for the Ohio State Buckeyes." Welcome aboard, DeVier!
Persist and perform Source: Cincinnati Enquirer - "Posey now has a bright future thanks to his mother's example"
Mike Adams, of Dublin Coffman (near Columbus) has verbally committed to Ohio State's class of 2008. Considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country, he made the announcement while celebrating his 17th birthday with family and friends. Adams is a 6'7" 305 lb goliath who had scholarship offers from, in addition to tOSU: TSUN, Notre Dame, LSU, Florida and Tennessee, to name a few. Welcome aboard, Mike!
Remembering Woody March 11, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Twenty years after his death, the state of Ohio remains on a first-name basis with one man: Woody. The mere mention of his name reverberates in the hearts and minds of millions. Wayne Woodrow Hayes passed away on March 12, 1987, but he lives on through those he touched and through the standard of excellence he set for the Ohio State football program. His players and colleagues recall lessons of loyalty, integrity and competitiveness that echo to this day..."
In death, he's still a winner March 12, 2007 Source: Los Angeles Times - "Twenty years ago today - March 12, 1987 - Woody Hayes finally stopped fighting. It wasn't by choice. The legendary and cantankerous Ohio State football coach often preached, "Paralyze resistance with persistence," but even persistence will take you only so far when Death is the last opponent on your schedule..."
Smith provides positive numbers March 11, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Quarterback fares well in workouts before pro scouts, coaches...Troy Smith let his workout do the talking yesterday, and the results might have stemmed the rising tide of naysayers..."
2007 Spring Preview - Analyzing the Big Ten March 8, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "...What will Ohio State do at quarterback?...The big questions, the most important positions and more are in the Big Ten Spring Preview..."
New Coach: Taver Johnson March 5, 2007 Source: A Friend - "A friend of buckeyefansonly.com, and a reliable source, sent an e-mail indicating that Taver Johnson, an assistant at Miami of OH, will be named the new assistant coach of the Buckeyes, replacing Tim Beckman. The link is to his Miami bio. Welcome aboard, Taver!
Tressel Adds Assistant Coach With NFL Hire and Gets Familiar Name as Grad Assistant March 6, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Tressel has hired Taver Johnson to fill the void created by Beckman's departure. Johnson comes to the OSU staff from the NFL Oakland Raiders staff where he was hired just this past February as a defensive line coach....Also joining Tressel's staff this month is former OSU linebacker Fred Pagac Jr..."
Date with Michigan might be moved March 4, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The Ohio State-Michigan football game could get pushed back to early December by 2009, if some Big Ten coaches and administrators get their way. OSU officials don't want that to happen, though, and it's not at all a given that such a move will take place..."
Buchanan First To Commit For 2008 March 2, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "Westerville (Ohio) Central kicker Ben Buchanan became the first player to commit to Ohio State for the 2008 class, according to his high school coach. Buchanan hit a 54-yard field goal in a game during his junior year at Central..." Welcome aboard, Ben!
Future Ohio State Kicker Draws From The Past March 5, 2007 Source: BuckeyeSports.com - "With names like Vlade Janakievski, Mike Nugent and Tom Tupa all listed as alumni, it’s not hard to see the impressive lineage of Ohio State kickers. Now, as the Buckeyes look to the future of their kicking game, they have secured a verbal commitment from their potential kicker of the future. In landing the first member of their class of 2008, OSU got a future player with a link to its kicking past..."
Spring Football Team Capsules: Big Ten March 1, 2007 Source: Buckeye Grove - "The Buckeyes will be looking to replace a lot of firepower on offense including the Heisman winner. Who will fill in the key roles? Get the scoop on that and much more as we present our Spring Practice Capsules for every team in the Big Ten..."
Spring Practice '07: Big Ten priorities February 28, 2007 Source: SportingNews.com - "Here are the offensive and defensive priorities for each Big Ten team this spring..."
OSU Keeps Truckin March 1, 2007 Source: CoachTressel.com - " Ohio State unveiled its new equipment trailer this fall. The trailer received a new paint job and features the Ohio State more..."
2007 Spring Questions March 1, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - Pete Fiutak writes, in a series of columns, these things that reference tOSU, "Ten things to pay attention to this spring: The Ohio State quarterback situation...And so begins the Todd Boeckman era. Maybe. He's a big 6-5, 235 passer with a little bit of experience and the inside line on the job. Sophomore Rob Schoenhoft is even bigger at around 6-6 and 240 with a big arm. Now he just needs time to work. Antonio Henton is the wild-card in the mix as the only mobile option of the three. He has a nice arm, but if he's starting this season, it's because Boeckman and Schoenhoft fell flat on their faces. It doesn't help the situation that the receiving corps is also in a state of flux."
Top Non-Conf. Games: 30 non-conference games to get really, really excited about..."Ohio State at Washington, Sept. 15. It's not OSU at Texas, but it's a long trip for the rebuilding Buckeyes and a chance for the Ty Willingham era to take off."
Ranking the Leagues: Which conference will be the best in 2006? "#5 Big Ten - After one of the league's worst years in a long, long time, with Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, and a bunch of garbage, things should bounce back. Wisconsin is loaded with one of its best teams since the Rose Bowl years, Michigan's offense will be unstoppable, and Ohio State's defense should be phenomenal. Penn State will be in the mix for the Big Ten title if all the holes can be filled and if QB Anthony Morelli can improve. Just about everyone else should be improved with Iowa certain to bounce back, Purdue, Michigan State and Minnesota good enough to go to bowls, and the projected also-rans, Illinois, Indiana and Northwestern, all appearing to be far, far better. The best team should be...Wisconsin."
Have you seen the new March 5th Sports Illustrated with Ohio State on the cover?
"In the new Gilded Age of college sports, no school has done more with its money -- or leaned more from painful scandal -- than mighty Ohio State."
(Click on image for full size)
Three players to battle for Buckeyes' QB job February 27, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is bracing himself for the question that will come up every day until the Sept. 1 season opener. He already seems to be agonizing about the time he might need to answer, 'Who's the quarterback?'..."
Tressel's talk helped spur Ohio State hoops February 27, 2007 Source: USA Today - "A turning point for the Ohio State men's basketball team came in mid-January after OSU football coach Jim Tressel addressed the team at coach Thad Matta's request. 'Tressel delivered a heck of a message about everyone staying on the same page,' Matta said Monday. 'When coach speaks, no eyes come off him.'..."
Tressel: Team lost momentum, sharpness February 27, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "The day we were supposed to be good, Jan. 8, we weren’t as good as we were supposed to be. That's not taking anything away from Florida. I'm not saying our guys weren't ready to play. For the first 12 seconds, we looked real ready..."
Bruce, Cooper to have 'coaches emeritus' office at Woody Hayes center February 27, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "When the Ohio State football coaches move into their new digs at the renovated Woody Hayes Athletic Center next month, it won't be only members of the current staff who'll have offices. 'There's going to be a 'coaches emeritus' office,' head coach Jim Tressel said today, 'where (former) coaches (Earle) Bruce and (John) Cooper will have desks..."
Cooper, Bruce could be Tressel’s new brain trust March 1, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "I’ll say this for Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. He’s a man of his word. When he says he’ll do whatever it takes to make the Buckeyes better, he means it. Even if that requires rubbing a couple of old salts — Earle Bruce and John Cooper — into the wound..."
Scouts giving Smith short shrift February 26, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "General consensus among experts at the NFL Scouting Combine is that Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith might not go very high but he could go far. Most analysts predict the Heisman Trophy winner and Cleveland Glenville High product will go in the third or fourth round of the draft primarily because of his height (6-0), but that he has what it takes to be a starter in the NFL.'He's probably a third-round pick,' said NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock. 'But I think that two to three years from now, he's so athletic and smart and tough, he'll have an opportunity to play.'..."
Scouts foolish to ignore QB Smith's college success February 27, 2007 Source: SI.com - "For all that Troy Smith accomplished the past two-plus years at Ohio State, I don't think I've ever been more impressed with him than I am right now. After I read the various reports out of last weekend's NFL combine in Indianapolis, it's become apparent that Smith managed to win a Heisman Trophy, rack up ridiculous passing stats and lead his team to 20 straight victories in spite of the fact he's a crappy quarterback..."
Torrence On the Football/Baseball Fence February 20, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Defensive back prospect Devon Torrence signed a letter of intent this month to play football at Ohio State beginning next fall, but Torrence faces some tough decisions this summer that may prevent him from ever playing football at OSU..."
Receiver spots up for grabs February 18, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "...It means juniors-to-be Brian Robiskie and Albert Dukes, and sophomores Brian Hartline and Ray Small, among others, have to step up a year early. But Gonzalez believes he and Ginn are leaving the receiving corps in good hands. 'At Ohio State, there are so many people that are just as good if not better than people that have been here before,' Gonzalez said. 'Our receiver position is loaded as far as I’m concerned. Between Robo, Hartline, Ray Small, Dukes - you name the guys. Whoever we bring in, I'm sure those people will be tremendous as well. In no way do I think I’m kind of leaving people out to dry. This is Ohio State.'..."
Beckman To Oklahoma State As Defensive Coordinator February 16, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - Coach Tressel on Beckman: "Tim Beckman did a tremendous job for the Buckeyes and truly deserves this opportunity to be the new defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. Tim and his family have made an impact at Ohio State, and we wish him every success in the future. Ohio State football is better for having had Tim here, and we know he appreciates all he learned and enjoyed here..."
Note: Beckman replaces two-year defensive coordinator Vance Bedford, who Gundy fired in January and who was then hired as cornerbacks coach at TSUN. Bedford was hired by Les Miles, who moved on to LSU..,and yes Miles graduated from TSUN and was an assistant coach there in 1980 and 81 and 1988 thru 1994.
2007 Big Ten Recruiting - What It All Means February 12, 2007 Source: College Football News - "How does this year's recruiting class affect the real world of college football? What did each team do and what positions did they go after? Going beyond players who are just names to many...here's what it all means..."
Big Ten News And Information (All Teams) Source: USA Today - "With only five returning scholarship seniors, the Buckeyes had to be conservative with their offers...Had coach Jim Tressel filled all of his open slots, next year's class would have been less than 10 recruits, a risk OSU was unwilling to take..."
Coaches move forward but seek lesson in loss February 11, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "In one respect, Jim Heacock and Jim Bollman were lucky after Ohio State’s decisive loss to Florida in the national championship game. Ohio State’s two top assistant coaches had an immediate month’s worth of recruiting to serve as a psychological diversion..."
Eugene Clifford 5 star safety from Cincinnati Colerain
Nate Oliver the 1st commit of '07 signs his NLOI
Devon Torrence is the #12 DB in the nation, runs a 4.4 40-yard dash
Dane Sanzenbacher had 61 receptions for 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns
Brian Rolle of FL Immokalee High top LB runs a 4.45 forty
Buckeyes Sign Fifteen To National Letter of Intent February 7, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "Fifteen of the nation's top high school football players have signed on the dotted line to attend Ohio State. 'We lost a significant amount of speed this past year, but we feel as though we were able to replace that speed with this class,' said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. 'That was a high priority for us.'..."
Tressel, Coaches Welcome New Class February 7, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "We have comments from OSU head football coach Jim Tressel and his assistants on their 2007 football recruiting class. The Buckeyes signed 15 athletes to letters-of-intent on Wednesday. Tressel and his assistants took turns discussing the class. Click this free link for some of their comments as well as OSU's bios on this class..."
OSU's speedy athletes not in highest ranks; Tressel isn't worried February 8, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Ohio State University's recruiting class of 2007 adds so much speed and athleticism to the Buckeyes that Butch Reynolds is already putting together his dream 400-meter relay team..."
Buckeye recruits look impressive February 8, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "Ohio State had to out-recruit a few major powers to land Piqua running back Brandon Saine. And once he suits up for the team this fall, the jostling for his services may begin again..." And, Ranking the Buckeyes recruiting classes
Quick reinforcements on the way February 8, 2007 Source: The Morning Journal - "By losing Antonio Pittman, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez early to the NFL, Ohio State lost one of the most productive tailbacks in school history and half of a formidable 4x100 track team..."
Sanzenbacher's dream: Central star always wanted to play at OSU February 8, 2007 Source: Toledo Blade - "The all-state wide receiver and two-time City League player of the year from Central Catholic will soon change his address, change his area code, and change his playbook. But his colors will remain the same. The Fighting Irish go to battle in scarlet and gray, just like the Buckeyes..."
Running backs come to Ohio State expecting to play, but circumstances can ruin their plans February 8, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Daniel Herron’s attitude is admirable yet naïve. The Warren Harding High School running back was one of 15 football recruits to sign letters of intent with Ohio State yesterday. Herron faces stiff competition for playing time from incumbents Chris Wells and Maurice Wells, assuming he doesn’t transfer, and fellow freshman Brandon Saine of Piqua, Ohio’s Mr. Football..."
Two cornerback recruits to enroll for spring quarter February 8, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Donnie Evege and James Scott are going to get a head start on fellow members of the Ohio State football recruiting class, but just by one term..."
OSU shows rankings for recruits overrated February 9, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Here's what we know about Ohio State University's football recruiting class: It's ranked No. 15 by SI/Rivals.com and No. 16 by Scout.com. Both respected scouting services have Florida with the nation's top recruiting class, and both have OSU second in the Big Ten behind a school up North -- and we're not talking about Ferris State. Here's what all that means: nothing..."
College football rankings always are off February 11, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "Every February, college football recruiting services make a big deal out of grading which schools hauled in the best high school seniors. Almost every year, those rankings are off..."
WHO SIGNED WHERE...every team in the country's signees, team, conference and position rankings plus much more. From: Scout and from Rivals.
Football Rules Committee talks change February 14, 2007 Source: NCAA Official Site - "The NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed several rules items intended to restore the number of plays while limiting the amount of elapsed time needed to play a college contest. The committee voted to eliminate provisions used last year that helped shave 14 minutes off of game times. All rules proposals will be considered by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel March 12 before taking effect..."
Division I prepares to live without APR safety net February 12, 2007 Source: NCAA Official Site"Starting in spring 2008, potentially hundreds of teams that had previously avoided penalties in the academic-reform system will be forced to pay the piper when the statistical adjustment that gave them the temporary pass is eliminated..."
The Buckeyes' Top Prospects for 2008 - February Edition February, 2007 Source: Buckeye Planet - "Although Signing Day for the class of 2007 has just passed, the class of 2008 has already generated a lot of talk on Buckeye Planet. If early indicators can be trusted, Ohio State should sign a tremendous group of athletes in 2008, with several outstanding offensive line prospects headlining the class..."
Buckeyes' Prospects for 2008 February, 2007 Source: Scout - Here's a list of some of the prospects the Buckeyes are looking at for the class of '08 from Scout.
Future Buckeyes In North-South Classic February 8, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "Eight of OSU’s signees from Ohio will play in the 62nd annual North-South Classic, which is set for June 16 at Columbus Crew Stadium..."
Recruiting Class Shaped by Numbers and Need February 8, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Ohio State signed a recruiting class of 15 players yesterday, a class that would be described as small by most standards and most analysts...The Buckeyes actually had around 20 scholarships available this year, but according to OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel, elected to take less-than 20 players in anticipation of a far smaller availability of scholarships next year because of an unusually small class of rising seniors..."
OSU's recruiting class small but four-midable February 7, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "The 15-player recruiting class expected to be signed by Ohio State today is small by design but deep with highly rated players, according to recruiting analysts..."
Click on the 'Recruiting' link in the site navigation for more information on this class and the players.
Ohio State Football: Recruiting Class Of 2007 February 7, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "Here are bios of the players who have officially signed letters of intent to play football at Ohio State..."
OSU's smallish class won’t crack top 10 February 7, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "As if the woeful showing by the Big Ten’s two top dogs in the bowl games wasn’t bad enough, the league will have to deal with a little more ignominy today on national letter of intent signing day..."
OSU on the fast track February 7, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "OSU's latest running back recruit Brandon Saine could split time with Chris Wells..."
Recruit is playing for ‘Joylisa’ February 7, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Rolle trying to deal with recent death of his girlfriend in car crash..."
Big Ten Conference Recruits February 6, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - A listing of each team's 2007 signings with player profiles and more
The lowdown February 7, 2007 Source: USA Today - "Complete signing day coverage, including school lists..."
SEC powers to prosper February 7, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "Six teams expected to land top 10 recruiting classes in 2007..."
Recruiting 101 ... One Way to Build a Team February 6, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "How would you build a team? Pete Fiutak gives his thoughts on his recruiting plan and what he'd do to put together a program. Build on the lines, get top defensive backs and..."
Recruiting gurus become celebrities February 7, 2007 Source: Washington Post - "Bob Lichtenfels, a former steelworker who is now a recruiting analyst for Scout.com, says he can project a high school football player’s future in 30 seconds..."
OSU shows rankings for recruits overrated February 9, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Here's what we know about Ohio State University's football recruiting class: It's ranked No. 15 by SI/Rivals.com and No. 16 by Scout.com. Both respected scouting services have Florida with the nation's top recruiting class, and both have OSU second in the Big Ten behind a school up North -- and we're not talking about Ferris State. Here's what all that means: nothing..."
Preseason Lookaheads - Big Ten January 19, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "Before spring ball and before the recruiting madness fully kicks in, we look ahead at what every team needs to work on along with the big hopes, concerns, and key losses..."
and 2007 pre-preseason top 25 rankings
OSU TSUN Not The Last Game of The Season? February 8, 2007 Source: Ann Arbor News - "It was your usual recruiting news conference right up until the end. Lloyd Carr praised the 20 kids who accepted football scholarships...and revealed the Ohio State game might not be the season finale for much longer..."
February 7, 2007 Source: Buckeye Commentary - "...The class is talented and it addresses areas of need fairly well. What it does not have is numbers. This greatly skews the national recruiting rankings but you won't hear much about that from your mainstream Buckeye news outlet..."
Peachtree Ridge All-State defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, with his mother Charlotte Heyward-Blackwell, announced Wednesday that he has chosen to play college football at Ohio State.
Cameron Heyward is a Buckeye January 31, 2007 Source: Bucknuts Scout - "The Ohio State football recruiting efforts got a shot in the arm today when mammoth defensive lineman Cameron Heyward announced that he would indeed be signing a National Letter of Intent with the Buckeyes...Heyward racked up offers (in addition to OSU) from major programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, USC, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Maryland and Auburn..." Welcome, Cameron!
OSU adds recruit Heyward January 31, 2007 Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution - "Peachtree Ridge’s Super 11 defensive tackle announced at an afternoon news conference he’d sign a week today with Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes..."
Can Cameron Heyward play two sports in Columbus? February 1, 2007 Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution - "Peachtree Ridge’s Cameron Heyward hopes to join that exclusive club of two-sport stars when enrolls at Ohio State this fall..."
Cleveland Glenville’s star linebacker Jermale Hines is the 14th commitment for Ohio State. The 4 star player, ranked # 16 at his position in the nation, had scholarship offers from Michigan, Iowa, West Virginia and Wisconsin among others. Welcome, Jermale!
1. Eugene Clifford Cincinnati Colerain Ohio State 2. Ben Martin Cincinnati LaSalle Tennessee 3. Brandon Saine Piqua Ohio State 4. Nate Oliver Lakewood St. Ed's Ohio State 5. Antonio Jeremiah Hillard Darby Michigan State 6. Andrew Daily Massillon Penn State State 7. Devon Torrence Canton South Ohio State 8. Daniel Herron Warren Harding Ohio State 9. Jermale Hines Cleveland Glenville Ohio State 10. Donnie Evege Huber Heights Wayne Ohio State
Can Wells deliver big for OSU in '07? "It's my duty" January 17, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "'I'm going to have to work a lot harder,' Wells said, smiling as usual. 'I'm going to have to step it up big time. I feel it's my duty to become a leader on the team.'..."
OHIO STATE FOOTBALL: A LOOK AHEAD
The defense January 15, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "They know they'll miss the odd props he used in his captain's speeches, the way he'd sometimes pick out his hair into a huge afro and how he brought his grandmother to an interview session before the national title game. But defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said the Ohio State Buckeyes won't really know how much they'll miss graduating All-American defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock until the games start next fall..."
The offense - Boeckman early favorite to be QB January 14, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Todd Boeckman is older than Troy Smith. Born June 8, 1984, he came into the world 42 days ahead of the Heisman Trophy winner. So if Boeckman is Ohio State's starting quarterback on Sept. 1 against Youngstown State as a 23-year old junior, maturity shouldn't be a problem..."
Redshirts of '06 eager to make an '07 impact January 12, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Gibson, a linebacker from Euclid High, spoke before Ohio State's 41-14 loss to Florida. Though that game went wrong in every way, the nine days before the game served as an opportunity for the Buckeyes' redshirt freshmen to soak up a championship atmosphere..."
New look for sobered Bucks January 10, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Departing veterans pose challenge for 2007 season..."
OSU D-Line Vacancy January 11, 2007 Source: CoachTressel.com - "Who will fill the big shoes up front for the Ohio State Defensive line? The Buckeyes graduate four seniors up front who more..."
