2012 Statistics

ASST. COACHES

Off. Coordinator/QB Coach: Tom Herman (2nd season)
Previous: Iowa State Off. Coor./QB Coach

Co-Off. Coordinator/OL Coach: Ed Warinner (2nd season)
Previous: Notre Dame OL Coach

Def. Coordinator/LB Coach: Luke Fickell (12th season)
Previous: Akron DL Coach

Co-Def. Coordinator/Safeties Coach: Everett Withers (2nd season)
Previous: North Carolina Interim Head Coach

Running Backs: Stan Drayton (3rd season)
Previous: Florida RB Coach

Receivers: Zach Smith (2nd season)
Previous: Temple WR/Sp. Teams Coach

Tight Ends/Fullbacks: Tim Hinton (2nd season)
Previous: Notre Dame RB Coach

Defensive Line: Mike Vrabel (3rd season)
Previous: Ohio State LB Coach

CB/Special Teams: Kerry Coombs (2nd season)
Previous: Cincinnati DB/Sp. Teams Coach

    QUARTERBACK  

• Will the passing game improve? After working out with a quarterback specialist this off-season, Braxton Miller shined in a pass heavy spring looking much more comfortable throwing the deep ball successfully. The mechanics, which have been priority one, seem to have come a long way.
• Miller was the Big Ten Offensive Player of The Year last fall despite completing just 58.3 percent of his passes. This team will throw it more but Miller's legs will always continue to be a big part of what the nation's No. 10 ranked rushing offense tries to accomplish.
• Kenny Guiton is in his fourth year with the program and is a more than capable backup. He has been marvelous when stepping in for an injured Miller on multiple occasions including a masterful late game overtime win against Purdue last October. Guiton has the athleticism to do well in this spread offense when called upon.

    RUNNING BACK  

• Head coach Urban Meyer says that big 242-pound power back Carlos Hyde can be as good as any running back in the country. He is entrenched as the starter after rushing for 970 yards and a team leading 16 touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter in this spread offense.
• UPDATE: Carlos Hyde has been suspended the first three games due to an off-the-field incident this summer.
• An improved passing game and a pair of healthy knees make Hyde a more dangerous threat. There is also the matter of the increased role of the H-back in this offense...a hybrid receiver/running back. Defenses will need to account for that position while taking some of the defensive heat off of Hyde.
• Rod Smith has moved his way up to be the clear No. 2 on the depth chart ahead of Bri'onte Dunn and Warren Ball, showing that he can make a difference in the game when filling in for Hyde.
• Injuries to starters Hyde and Jordan Hall last season forced coaches to use the quarterback more than they would have liked in the rushing attack. With no proven depth there was no confidence in the other options. That won't be the case in 2013 as the depth factor is much more plentiful. This unit will also be bolstered by heralded incoming freshman recruit Ezekiel Elliott out of St. Louis.

    RECEIVER  

• The expectations for Corey "Philly" Brown are through the roof after a breakout season in 2012. The most reliable target in the passing game has worked to become a complete package and looks more comfortable now in the second year of coach Meyer's spread offense. Brown will move from playing the slot to outside flanker where he will be expected to make more plays.
• This unit came under much scrutiny last season but according to all spring reports the group has taken major strides and much like the running backs seems to boast more depth. The Buckeyes are expected to employ four or five wideouts in certain sets.
• Once again Michael Thomas dazzled in the spring game leading the team in catches just like he did the previous spring. But coaches say he is still in the developmental phase and is not yet where he needs to be. But Thomas is certainly capable of making highlight plays.
• The eye-catcher this off-season has been senior Chris Fields at the hybrid-slot position where he earned his way to being the starter after filling in for an injured Jordan Hall. His career hasn't been much to talk about thus far and Field's emergence this spring has been an encouraging sign.
• A freak summer accident and an injured knee in the third game prevented Jordan Hall from being the team's projected top playmaker last fall as a senior running back. He gets another chance with a medical redshirt and will man the hybrid slotback position. Early in the spring Hall was looking like the same super star. However injuries forced him to miss more spring ball and Chris Fields has played his way into this spot.
• Devin Smith is one of the fasted guys on the team and has scored 10 receiving touchdowns to his credit so far, including three that went for over 60 yards last season. He gives the Buckeyes a legit deep threat option.

    TIGHT END  

• Coach Meyer knows a thing a or two about the tight end position having coached former John Mackey Award winner Aaron Hernandez at Florida. Meyer claims this current tight end area is the best he has ever had. Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett are both good receivers and excellent blockers. Both will be considered co-starters although Heuerman is proving to be more of a playmaker.
• Meyer also praised his tight ends to some degree last year although they never translated into much success. Whether they live up to the lofty expectations this time around remains to be seen but all signs point to the tight ends finally emerging as a regular part of the Buckeye offense.

    OFFENSIVE LINE  

• Four senior starters return from an offensive line boasting a combined 80 cumulative starts while averaging 6'5 and 308 pounds per man. This unit was clicking on all cylinders at the end of last season.
• Look for left tackle Jack Mewhort to be the player to step up and be a leader of this football team. The senior has led by example on the field and with attitude.
• Maybe the biggest offensive question is who will replace Reid Fragel at right tackle. Taylor Decker and Chase Farris battled all spring for the spot, but Meyer declined to name either the definitive starter. At this point Decker currently holds the slight edge over the converted defensive lineman heading into fall camp but both have struggled.
• Under this coaching staff Corey Linsley has grown into arguably the best returning center in the Big Ten.
• Preseason All-American Andrew Norwell has the left guard spot down to a science. He is not going to lose many one-on-one matchups and continues to prove why he was a five-star recruit coming out of Cincinnati.
• Despite all the experience coaches surprisingly seem to think this unit is the one with the most concerns exiting spring practice. Mewhort and Linsley didn't play in the spring game for mostly precautionary reasons which made the offensive line struggle to protect the quarterback while giving up 11 sacks.

    DEFENSIVE LINE  

• For the first time in 28 years the Buckeyes will be replacing all four of their starters on the defensive line. Despite this fact don't expect much of a drop-off in production or depth levels. This unit has emerged as one of the team's strong points.
• Defensive ends Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence have been extremely impressive all spring and combined for seven sacks in the spring game. Washington stole the show with four sacks from his new position on the strong side. Not to be outdone, former five-star recruit Spence recorded three sacks on his own. This duo is a hot topic in Columbus due to their complete domination that has been taking place.
• At tackle Michael Bennett and Joel Hale emerged as the team's top replacements for Johnathan Hankins and Garrett Goebel, although Tommy Schutt missed a good portion of spring practice with an injury. Also, 340 pound converted offensive lineman Chris Carter is beginning to make some moves and will be a part of the rotation.

• Linebacker was a concern last year and three of the six linebackers on the two-deep are gone, including starters Zach Boren and Etienne Sabino.
• Plantation Florida native Ryan Shazier emerged as an All-Big Ten selection last year and is now ready to put his name on the national scene as yet another long tradition of great OSU linebackers continues to roll on. The team's returning leading tackler and sack producer is your typical hard-nosed Buckeye backer.
• Curtis Grant is locked into the middle linebacker spot. Once considered a can't-miss five-star All-American recruit out of Virginia, his career thus far just has not panned out. At present Curtis Grant has been labeled one of the top performers on defense this spring and will solidify one of the most significant spots on the Buckeye defense.
• David Perkins is a speedy linebacker out of South Bend, IN who filled in for Shazier this spring as he recovered from off season hernia surgery. Joshua Perry is also one of the new players coaches will be leaning on to fill one of the voids at linebacker.
• The Buckeyes are going to be in nickel two-thirds of the time so the top order of business will be to find the second-best linebacker outside of Shazier.

    DEFENSIVE BACK  

• This secondary is the one unit that possessed the least amount of question marks heading into the spring with three starters returning. This was still the Big Ten's second worst pass defense in 2012.
• Senior safeties C.J. Barnett and Christian Bryant, who will each return for their third season as starters, are being counted on as team leaders on and off the field.
• The corners have as much talent as any unit on the whole team. All-American Bradley Robey decided to bypass the NFL Draft to repeat a campaign that saw him average a nation-high 1.73 pass breakups per game. Robey is not considered a lock down corner, but he has that knack for finding the ball.
• Finding someone to fill the shoes of departed Travis Howard at the other corner was the top priority. Rarely did Howard come off the field. In steps Doran Grant who traded in a less impressive fall display for an impressive spring. The fact that he took a hold on this spot was a promising sign.
• The Buckeyes have been experimenting with some dime sets with two safeties at the inside "Star" position.
• Redshirt freshman Tyvis Powell was one of the biggest surprises this spring for a team that appears to be loaded in the secondary. With a tantalizing mix of athleticism and 6-foot-3 size, coaches plugged him in with the first-unit in the nickel package during the spring and haven't been disappointed in the results.
• Early enrollees Eli Appel and Cameron Burrows saw significant snaps this spring too. Burrows appears to have a leg up but both could become a mix in the cornerback rotation.