Ohio State Football: How Creative Will Coach Johnson Be With the D Line?

Twists and turns in the Ohio State defensive line.

It has been widely reported that Ohio State may go to a five man defensive line at times next season. That only makes sense with the number of talented players in the unit, but I just wonder if defensive line coach Larry Johnson will be even more creative than that.

As of now, the only thing that’s been discussed is Sam Hubbard becoming a standup DE/LB at times to go along with four other down linemen. The coach is saying very little about the situation though.

In an article by Steve Helwagon of 247Sports, coach Johnson spoke quite a bit about his line, and this is what he had to say about the potential of using a five man front:

"“Wink, wink,” Johnson said with a smile. “We aren’t talking about the five-man package yet. It’s too early for that. We haven’t even thought about it. We have a plan for it but it’s too early to talk about it in the spring.“It’s on the drawing board right now. It’s not something we are doing (this spring). We just want to get fundamentally better. That is something down the road if we see fit to do it we will do it. Right now, it’s just something on the table.”"

Sure sounds like something is in the works.

Coach Johnson could definitely use the 6’5 265 pound Hubbard on the field in a hybrid role to utilize his special skill set as often as possible. Not only is Hubbard an outstanding pass rusher, he was an All-Ohio safety in high school, so he certainly knows how to defend the pass.

However, with the amount of talent coach Johnson has at his disposal, there are even more options to get talented linemen on the field more often. Other athletic defensive ends, Jalyn Holmes, Rashod Berry, Jonathon Cooper etc., may be able to play the hybrid position as well. And there are a number of tackles just begging for more playing time, especially those who play the three technique. That opens up another possibility

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Once the coaching staff starts drawing schemes for a five man front on the board, will the coaching staff consider a 3-4 defense that would be loaded with potential NFL players up front? Can you imagine what a QB would think when he saw two of Ohio State’s talented ends playing as standup edge players, with Dre’mont Jones on one side of the nose tackle and either Tracy Sprinkle or Nick Bosa on the other. He could have a ton of pressure coming from the inside and out.

The alignment of the 3-4 defense also makes it hard for offensive linemen to get clean blocks on linebackers playing between the tackles. That would allow Chris Worley and Jerome Baker to roam more freely and max out their speed and athleticism.

The 3-4 defense could very well just be speculation on my part. But if the coaching staff is considering a five man front, only slight adjustments would have to be made in the alignment, and with certain responsibilities of the players, to change it to a true 3-4 set.

The 4 man front may very well be the standard again next season with an occasional fifth lineman, and of course the Rush Men package will be used again. But once the defensive staff starts kicking ideas around, who knows?

Next: Urban Meyer Calls Out 2015 Ohio State Class, Needs to Add 2014

There is one thing for sure, Ohio State is as talented and deep on the defensive line as any team in the country. And Larry Johnson utilizes the talent he has at his disposal as well as any coach in America. He and Urban Meyer have amassed the talent they have with the intent on using it, so who knows just how creative coach Johnson will be with his line during the 2017 season?

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