Ohio State Football: 5 Burning Questions On Kickoff Eve
By Chris Bruns
Can Ohio State’s linebackers get back to being Ohio State linebackers?
With respect to Penn State, it’s Ohio State that should be known as the Big Ten’s Linebacker U. This century has brought us AJ Hawk, James Laurinitis, Ryan Shazier, Darron Lee, Raekwon McMillan, and a bevy of other tackling machines who’ve patroled the middle of the Silver Bullets defense.
So what happened last year?
The linebacker crew was a weak link in Greg Schiano’s defense, and it was hard to understand why. OLB Jerome Baker was listed by many experts as one of the best in the country, but at times looked lost — particularly in coverage. The rest of the unit appeared less aggressive than in years past.
It wasn’t until Tuf Borland hit the field in the middle of the season that the ‘backers regained some semblance of the fearsome units we’ve come to expect.
2018 marks LB coach Billy Davis’s second year running the unit, and his seat is starting to warm up. Without marked improvement, he could find himself looking for a new job — regardless of his status as an FOU (Friend of Urban).
Davis will be tasked with molding a relatively inexperienced group. Malik Harrison was expected to win a starting job, and sophomore Baron Browning was the top high school linebacker in the country in 2017’s class.
Third started Pete Werner is the surprise of the group. Meyer has raved about Werner in the past, but his inclusion in the starting lineup over the more experienced Keandre Jones and Dante Booker still caught many off guard.
Meanwhile Borland, last year’s savior of the linebacker crew, remains sidelined. The newly minted captain is still recovering from an Achilles injury that most believed would keep him from playing at all for at least several games.
He was seen flying around at practice, and is listed on the two-deep roster. But his relegation to second string means that either his recovery isn’t complete — or that he was simply beaten out for the job by Browning.
The performance of the LB crew and its newest starters will go a long way toward determining how this season goes for the Bucks.