Ohio State Football: Is the coaching staff at odds over the ‘Jack’ position?
The Ohio State football team coaches might be at odds over who plays the hybrid linebacker/defensive end position.
The Ohio State football team is preparing for spring practices that begin on March 7th. There is a lot to decide between now and then for coaches in regard to personal and positional groupings. But at the top of that list is what are the defensive coaches doing at the ‘Jack’ position.
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson spoke last week about wanting to have his guys get settled in at playing defensive end before making a switch to the stand-up edge rushing role. He specifically mentioned Jack Sawyer and Caden Curry, both of whom he’d like to have at defensive end next season.
Johnson seemed to be pressing for his guys to stay put and to put the ‘Jack’ position in with the linebacking unit. Here’s what he had to say last week, via Eleven Warriors:
"“That’s long-term. I can say that right now, yes I would like to see (Sawyer’s full development at DE) happen,” Johnson said, later adding: “It can come from the linebacker position, that’s what I’m saying, it’s hard to say exactly what is going to happen right now because we haven’t sat down and said, ‘Here’s what we’re gonna do.’ But it doesn’t have to be from the defensive end position, it could come from the linebacker position.”"
I honestly don’t like what I see here. It seems to me that Johnson is fighting back against having his guys that he recruited to be defensive ends play out of position. This is at odds with what defensive coordinator Jim Knowles likes implementing schematically. Johnson is pretty much telling Knowles that if he wants this position to be on the field, then take it out of your linebacker’s room.
Next. Buckeyes have decisions at running back. dark
Hopefully, these two can hash this out and get on the same page. Jack Sawyer saw most of his game reps at the ‘Jack’ position last season and he never seemed to be quite comfortable out on the field. I would love to see Sawyer stick at one position and flourish. He’s too talented to get caught in between two positions. Pick one and let the kid roll.