When Urban Meyer first heard Curtis Samuel's name at his latest press conference, his eyebrows shot up to his forehead and a slight turn of his lips slipped across his face.
"I think he's our No. 1 player on offense right now," Meyer said Monday, grinning. "He's gotta stay healthy and he's gotta go. I just love his skill set.
"I have him ranked No. 1 as a playmaker on offense."
That is some high praise from the man at the head of the Ohio State football program. They obviously hold quite a bit of weight, but for Meyer to come out and say that Samuel is unequivocally the best playmaker on an offense with a horde of young talent and a star a quarterback in J.T. Barrett is telling about how much the Buckeyes plan to use him this year.
"There’s no doubt. He’s a special kid, special skill set, special talent and he’s really smart," wide receivers coach Zach Smith said Monday of Samuel. "He’s able to be kind of a hybrid guy and do multiple things, pick things up quick and he doesn’t forget anything."
It's Samuel's versatility, shiftiness, excellent feet and terrific hands that make him a lethal weapon for Meyer and offensive coordinator Ed Warinner. Expect them to try to get the ball in his hands often in 2016 if he stays healthy. Samuel essentially missed spring practice after foot surgery but is 100 percent now.
"He's fast, he's quick off the ball," Gareon Conley, Ohio State's top corner, said. "He has good moves. He runs good routes. Just overall a good receiver and he's explosive. He always makes plays."
“He’s able to be kind of a hybrid guy and do multiple things, pick things up quick and he doesn’t forget anything.”– Zach Smith on Curtis Samuel
Samuel served as Ezekiel Elliott's backup at running back in 2014, even getting a start against Illinois that season. He finished the year with 383 yards and six touchdowns on 58 carries before making the switch to wide receiver/H-back a year ago.
His role within the offense diminished with the arrival of Braxton Miller to that position in addition to the continued rise of Elliott, a horse that demanded touches any way Ohio State could get them to him.
Those guys now play in the NFL in addition to Jalin Marshall, another H-back on last year's team. With so much unproven talent around him, Samuel expects to get the ball often early.
"I'm one of the older guys on the team. I have (some) of the most experience in the receiver room," Samuel said Monday. "I feel like they're probably going to lean on me a little more just because I have that experience.
"We've talked about it, me and Coach Meyer," he continued. "Obviously going to spend time playing H-back and playing tailback. Even amount of catches, even amount of carries. I'll be doing both."
Samuel said he switched from tailback to wide receiver with each new day during camp. For example, Mondays he would be in the backfield with Tony Alford's group then Tuesday back on the outside with Smith and the receivers. That is quite the workload, but Samuel's willingness to do it plus experience at playing both positions during his first two years at Ohio State allow him to have success.
"When he was a running back two years ago, you’ll throw him in a situation and like he remembers everything that he did back then and you haven’t gone into detail reteaching," Smith said. "He just picks things up like, it’s unbelievable."
Samuel figures to play H-back alongside Dontre Wilson in 2016. Meyer said Mike Weber separated himself and should start at running back, though it is a pretty sure bet Samuel will be in the backfield often as well especially after the dismissal of fifth-year senior Bri'onte Dunn. It is clear Ohio State has options with those players and where they use them within the offense.
"I feel like we're great together. Mike can do both, he can run outside, he can run inside," Samuel said. "I feel like I can run outside, I can run inside. So if we're both out there at the same time, the defense can't decide who's going to run where because we both complement each other and do the same thing."
Samuel scored Ohio State's first touchdown during the 2015 season, hauling in a 24-yard pass from Cardale Jones as he fought off a Virginia Tech defender that was draped all over him. He only caught 21 more passes for 265 yards and one touchdown the rest of the season, pretty anemic numbers for someone considered his team's best option to make plays this year.
Fans and media wondered why Ohio State struggled to get Samuel, Miller, Marshall and others the ball in 2015. That shouldn't be the case this season at least for Samuel, a guy with the ability to turn heads and raise eyebrows with his speed, size and proclivity for making defenders look silly.
"Last year, if I'm worrying about when I'm going to get in and when I'm going to do this and do that then when it's time for me to go in I don't perform it makes me look bad," Samuel said. "I was just worried about when my time comes and coach is going to give me that chance to go out there and show what I got."
