Two Hours, And Freshmen, Can Impact The Ohio State Passing Game?

Two hours of instruction, as well as the incoming freshmen, could make a big difference for Ohio State next season.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is going to take full advantage of an NCAA rule allowing two hours of football instruction every week by the position coaches. This will be primarily be film study, as a part of the eight hours a week allotted to the coaches developing leadership skills, working on academics etc. This could be very important to the Buckeyes success in the 2016 season.

Ohio State lost 16 starters who either graduated or opted to leave early for the NFL, and from every position group on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Many of the incoming freshmen have a chance to make an impact in the 2016 season. The quicker they are up to speed the better, especially with the team the Buckeyes will have to face the third game of the season in Norman, Oklahoma.

The extra instruction during the summer is so valued by Urban Meyer, he is pulling his assistant coaches off the recruiting trail on Thursdays so they can spend time with their units on Friday. And everyone knows the importance coach Meyer puts on recruiting.

In a series of articles, I will explore the impact the rule change could have on the season, as well as the impact incoming freshman may have on the different units. 18 recruits are getting ready to be indoctrinated into the world of college football in the next few days to go along with the 7 who are already enrolled. The fun is just about to begin.

Let’s first take a look at what this will mean to the passing game which Urban says he wants to emphasize more next season. There is plenty of work to do and extra film sessions should help quite a bit.

J.T. Barrett is in total command this season and he could have an outstanding season. But only if the inexperienced wide receivers get on the same page. Anybody who has ever played quarterback will tell you there is nothing more frustrating than a receiver who doesn’t run a precise route. An incompletion or an interception usually occurs and the quarterback takes the blame.

J.T. Barrett had a talk with Johnnie Dixon in this year’s spring game after an interception. That’s to be expected because Dixon has battled injuries his entire time at Ohio State and has seen very little playing time as a result.

That could be said about most of the Ohio State wide receivers. Senior Corey Smith and Sophomore Noah Brown were expected to be key contributors last season, but both players suffered leg injuries early on and were out for the year. Parris Campbell was limited by a nagging injury as well.

The wide receiver corps is loaded with young talent. There is Terry McLaurin, Torrance Gibson and others, but they will have to learn to run pass routes correctly in order for J.J. Barrett to be effective next season. The receivers will spend a significant amount of time during the summer with Barrett away from the coaches, and it’s extremely important that they do so.

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But having wide receivers coach Zach Smith show the players how he wants them to run pass routes on film will only enhance their progress. He will also point out what he doesn’t want them to do as well. I am sure the wideouts will be tired of watching the mistakes they made during the spring game, long before fall camp arrives.

They will probably also be sick of seeing Michael Thomas on film, and hearing about how efficient he was at running pass routes. But then they will understand that Thomas is now playing in the NFL and it will be okay.

Most people who have played the game will tell you that film study is the most boring part of football, but it is one of the most important. Many NFL players credit the time and effort they spent in film study as the reason they are playing professionally.

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This summer, the extra film sessions could really make a difference in the Ohio State passing game, especially early in the season. There is only so much time to watch film during fall camp with the many things that need to be worked on.

In the next article, we will look at incoming freshmen who could make an impact on the passing game, before moving on to the next position group.