Ohio State won't have many familiar names on its defense next season outside of starting middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan, a result of waving goodbye to nine stalwarts (if you count Joel Hale and Tommy Schutt, both were listed as co-starters) from the unit following a victory against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes have recruited well under Urban Meyer at most every position, and the head coach dubbed the portion of the calendar ahead of spring practice "the winter of development" last week. Hardly any members of the 2015 recruiting class cut their teeth on special teams this past season, but one who did is linebacker Jerome Baker.
Baker is sitting behind soon-to-be juniors Dante Booker and Chris Worley at outside linebacker next to McMillan, but Meyer and his position coach Luke Fickell didn't mince words about his opportunity to make a splash once spring practice commences.
"On defense, you got a guy by the name of Jerome Baker with incredible talent," Meyer said Thursday. "He's gotta really step up."
Baker, who is listed at just 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds on Ohio State's official roster, became a blazer on the kickoff team in the latter portion of 2015. He tallied three solo tackles over his team's final seven games, proving that Meyer saw him as a freshman ready to contribute. There were only four in that did last season (Eric Glover-Williams, Isaiah Prince, Denzel Ward and Baker.)
Other freshmen linebacker Justin Hilliard (bicep) and Nick Conner (knee) both suffered injuries at different points of the season, leaving their status for spring practice up in the air, Fickell said.
"Justin had an injury too, so he'll be a little shy for spring ball. Nick will obviously be shy for spring ball," Fickell said Thursday. "That's what makes it most difficult. Not having those guys. Obviously, Nick had an opportunity to play spring ball last year, showed a lot of what he can do. Justin will probably miss a bit of spring ball this year."
Still, Ohio State's linebackers coach is anxious to see what the young guys can do with the opportunity to push Worley and Booker this spring. That starts with Baker.
"Jerome's a young guy that's going to probably get 1,000 reps," Fickell said. "He'll be a guy that to me will bounce from position to position. He'll be a SAM, he'll be a WILL."
Whether or not Baker fits into the mold as a strong-side or weak-side linebacker is sure to be discovered this spring and summer, but that timeframe is also crucial for him to add weight to his frame. Conner and Hilliard both have 15 pounds on him, but lest we forget how Darron Lee came to Ohio State undersized before morphing into a player that left two years of eligibility on the table to enter the NFL Draft.
Baker's body type led to a reporter keenly asking Fickell if the linebacker could move to safety, a spot that lost both starters from 2015. It's an intriguing proposition, but one the defensive coordinator shot down pretty quickly.
"Sure, he could. He's got enough speed, but the reality is — you look at the same thing with Darron Lee, did he have the ability to do that?" Fickell said. "You like to have those linebackers that either could play safety or could play tailback. We've got a few guys that you could hand them the ball and they could play tailback at the next level."
Lee played quarterback at New Albany High School. Baker showed his versatility at Benedictine High School in Cleveland, where he also played running back. The comparisons between him and Lee are obvious.
The only difference is Lee didn't play his first year on campus, before storming onto the scene in spring 2014. Two years later, Baker is facing the same chance with more seasoned candidates Booker and Worley trying to keep him at arm's length. Fickell said if Ohio State had to play a game right now, those two would start alongside McMillan at linebacker.
But with so many vacant starting spots residing on Ohio State's defense ahead of spring practice, Fickell and new co-coordinator Greg Schiano will do their best to find the best players available to put on the field.
"Try and find a way to get our best 11, best three guys out there," Fickell said.
