Now that we’ve had some time to digest what we’ve seen and heard regarding Ohio State football today, there are plenty of takeaways from the first day of spring training.
Now is not the time to overreact, but rather to take notes on what the Buckeyes are doing as they prepare for the season. Head coach Ryan Day is coming off a two-game losing streak, even though they were both on college football playoff teams.
Without being present at practice, there were still many observations about what happened today at the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility. Here are some things that came to mind.
Goodbye Jack?
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Last year’s defense faltered when the Buckeyes faced their best competition, and it could be Jim Knowles’ plan. Football is different in the Big Ten and College Football Playoffs than in the Big XII. Defense is a bonus when fighting for a championship. It could be that Knowles realized this too late and is now making the adjustment. If he didn’t have a player to fit the position, why use him? Nice to see Mitchell Melton healthy and…
Jack Sawyer back on the defensive end
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When word got out that Sawyer would be playing the “Jack” position, many thought it would be a seamless transition. That wasn’t the case as the former 5-star player struggled to assert himself on the field last season. Making the move back to the end just makes the most sense, especially with the vacancy left by Zach Harrison. If we finally see Sawyer breaking out, this line of defense could very well dominate the competition.
Marvin Harrison Jr. returns punts
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I don’t like that one bit, not at all. There are no questions around Harrison Jr. We all know what he’s capable of, and messing around on the punt team isn’t something we’d see in the regular season. Emeka Egbuka was the key returnee last year but misses spring through injury. Why not have a newbie back there? With Harrison Jr. you don’t have to risk anything this spring.
Devin Brown’s new number
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Brown changed his number to 33 in tribute to Hall of Famer quarterback Sammy Baugh. Brown, the first anchored in Canton, wore the number as a youngster, and even his Twitter name is part of the tribute, @dbbrownqb33. It’s pretty cool.
Sonny Style’s hype train begins
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This train has already left the building for me. Styles was just about to arrive, but he’s already entering his second season and is becoming a household name. He’s the size of a linebacker with safety speed, a combination that reminds me of former buckeye Darron Lee, and we all know what Lee achieved in Columbus in 2014 and 2015. All aboard!
Davison Igbinosun is also looking good
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The transfer is massive, the biggest corner for the Buckeyes in a long time. He already has a lot of experience and the transition from the SEC to the Big Ten shouldn’t be a big one at all. I can’t wait to really see what he can do in the fall.
Offensive line a big concern
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Could this be an even bigger problem than the quarterback? It could very well be, and it’s not good for Day to worry now. Three jobs are open and they are arguably the most important positions along the line, tackle and center. The Buckeyes desperately need players to line up here.
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Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire