The question wasn’t even asked to Tommy Schutt. Instead, he brought it up himself.
“Losing a guy like Mike Bennett, I have big shoes to fill,” Schutt said Thursday following Ohio State’s 10th practice of the spring. “I understand that and I really need to have a big year to make up for where we lost Mike.”
He wasn’t lying.
Bennett was a key cog on the Buckeyes’ defense last year at defensive tackle as he was third on the team in both sacks (seven) and tackles for loss (14). He was a team captain and one of Ohio State's top leaders.
But Bennett is no longer at Ohio State. He’s a potential first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft — but will likely go somewhere in the second round — and left Columbus after a stellar career. It’s up to Schutt to step up on the interior of the Buckeyes’ defensive line.
“This offseason I really took pride in myself in trying to become more of a leader and getting myself more prepared for the fall,” Schutt said.
It’s not like Schutt is new to the program, either. He will be a senior next year, but, for the most part, has underachieved in this previous three seasons.
Schutt knows that, and head coach Urban Meyer knows it, too. Meyer has often criticized Ohio State’s lack of depth on the defensive line, specifically on the interior. The hope is that is no longer the case in 2015.
“I think I disappointed some people around here and myself,” Schutt said. “I took this offseason very seriously and tried to get myself the most prepared I can to make the biggest impact that I can.”
Schutt said he’s shed some weight — he’s down to 285 or 290 pounds, he said. It’s allowed him to become more agile and a little quicker on the interior.
“He’s had a great spring,” Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson said. “We look for great things from Tommy this year.”
Schutt won’t be replacing Bennett in position — Adolphus Washington will slide over to Bennett’s 3-technique position. But Schutt will fill Washington’s spot at nose guard. Washington and Bennett were dynamic together on the inside of Ohio State’s defensive line a year ago.
Washington will be one of the Buckeyes’ most steady defenders. It’s up to Schutt to make the two of them the same dominant force Washington and Bennett were last season.
“I feel like he’s been a lot more consistent this spring,” Washington said of Schutt.
It’s been a career filled with more downs than ups for Schutt; he’s battled a lot of injuries and inconsistencies. But he knows there’s still one more season for him to make a name for himself.
“I always put the team’s success before mine, that’s how I have always been. I’ve always been a team guy,” But it’s obviously frustrating for me and the coaches just that I haven’t performed up to the level that they want me to play.”
Schutt, and Ohio State, are hopeful that changes in 2015.
