Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and his staff have been waiting for Tommy Schutt to live up to expectations. They've been waiting for quite some time, actually.
"The clock has been ticking," Meyer says.
And now, as Schutt just wrapped up his fourth and final training camp at defensive tackle for the Buckeyes, it appears he's finally ready to make a solid contribution. Ohio State is going to need Schutt to do that, too, as it must replace the departed Michael Bennett on the defensive line.
"Schutt's had a good camp," Meyer said. "He's really handled himself the right way and he's had a really good camp."
A heralded high school prospect — Schutt was a nationally-ranked top-100 player and an Army All-American out of Glen Ellyn, Ill. — there were high expectations for Schutt to be a significant contributor from the moment he arrived on campus in Columbus. But for whatever reason, things just weren't what they expected to be throughout his first three seasons as a Buckeye.
Over three years serving primarily in a backup role on the interior of Ohio State's defensive line, Schutt has recorded just 17 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and .5 sacks in his career.
“To be honest, a little disappointing. I think I disappointed some people around here and myself," Schutt said this spring. "I took this offseason very seriously and tried to get myself the most prepared I can to make the biggest impact that I can.”
The Buckeyes will need Schutt to make an impact, too. Bennett, the guy Schutt is replacing, was a captain and a dominant force on the interior of the defensive line a year ago, recording 41 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Paired up with Adolphus Washington, the two were one of the best defensive tackle tandems in all of college football.
Now, with Bennett gone, that responsibility falls on Schutt.
"Losing a guy like Mike Bennett, I have big shoes to fill," Schutt said. "I understand that and I really need to have a big year to make up for where we lost Mike.”
It's probably not realistic to expect Schutt to step in and put up production similar to what Bennett did a year ago. After all, the current Jacksonville Jaguar was an All-Big Ten selection.
But if Schutt can at least be serviceable, make a few plays here and there, and allow Washington and defensive end Joey Bosa to be the superstar players they are, Ohio State should be just fine in trying to replace one of its best players from 2014.
All signs coming out of fall camp point in that direction.
"[Schutt] is one of our top-five most improved," Meyer said.
For Schutt, the time is now.
