Mike Weber is Ohio State's starting running back. But a true freshman named J.K. Dobbins continues to rise in Tony Alford's position room.
“J.K. is going to play in the fall,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said on the Big Ten teleconference Wednesday. “He's had a very good spring.”
Meyer also said offensive lineman Demetrius Knox returned to practice on Wednesday. He missed Saturday's Student Appreciation Day due to what Meyer described as an "academic issue."
Additional Meyer notes:
- Meyer said the No. 1 emphasis for the offense with Kevin Wilson this spring was protection, No. 2 was accuracy on deep balls and No. 3 was finishing plays.
- Meyer said Kendall Sheffield is ahead of the freshmen cornerbacks right now, mainly because he has played college football before. Denzel Ward is Ohio State's top corner, Damon Arnette has had a "terrific" spring.
- Meyer added he has been very impressed with the three true freshmen corners, Shaun Wade, Marcus Williamson and Jeffrey Okudah: "They're getting better each day."
- Meyer talked with a San Francisco 49ers executive who told him the three defensive backs from Ohio State in the draft this year — Malik Hooker, Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley — are among the best he's interviewed.
- "Damon Webb's gone from a decent player to a very good player this spring."
- Meyer added Weber to the same group as Webb in terms of improvement through the spring. Also mentioned Dre'Mont Jones as most improved on the defense.
- On inviting Bill Belichick to the coaches clinic this weekend: "We wanted to swing for the fences and he's arguably one of, if not the best, coach in all of professional sports." Also mentioned Greg Schiano's relationship with Belichick.
- Meyer said he thinks the offensive tackles have improved, Michael Jordan is "solid" but the right guard spot is not solidified yet. He added that the offensive line overall remains a question mark.
Here are updates from the other 13 Big Ten head coaches from Wednesday's teleconference.
Jeff Brohm — Purdue
- "It was a productive spring. We learned a lot about our team."
- Brohm's call then dropped from the conference for roughly a minute.
- Brohm said Indiana is "obviously" Purdue's most important recruiting area. He added he and his staff plans to extend its reach to "a 3-4 hour radius" from campus and then also wanting to extend nationally when applicable: "I think we are off to a solid start but have a long, long way to go."
- On Purdue's wide receivers: "I like our guys, saw some improvement but still have concerns at that position. We have a lot of room to improve there." Brohm said the Boilermakers plan to add two junior college transfers and a graduate transfer this summer at wide receiver.
- Brohm said the challenge of rebooting a Big Ten program stood out to him when he received the offer to be Purdue's coach: "I think the appeal of being a difference maker appealed to me. The timing was good for me ... and I also think this town and this campus is hungry for change and for winning."
- Brohm noted that fans are showing that desire in multiple ways, but one huge way is the fact money came in for new facilities.
Jim Harbaugh — Michigan
- Harbaugh said he "loves them all" when asked what states he considers are Michigan's top priorities for recruiting: "The United States of America ... As Johnny Cash would say, 'Everywhere, man.'"
- More on recruiting: "We're miners looking for nuggets."
- Harbaugh said quarterback Wilton Speight has progressed well this spring: "He's ratcheting up his game as you'd expect in terms of the mental process."
- Harbaugh said new assistant Pep Hamilton is an "11 on a scale of 10" with his energy and enthusiasm.
- Harbaugh wouldn't confirm or deny if Grant Perry is with Michigan's team this spring. But did say the wide receiver is not practicing.
Mark Dantonio — Michigan State
- A reporter asked Dantonio if Michigan State has suspended and player since the end of its spring game that participated in the scrimmage: "That's a tough one to evaluate right now for me ... we 'Red Lock' people from time to time. There's constant people in and out of situations like that, 'Red Lock,' so yes we have. I think that's typical."
- Dantonio said Ohio is a huge state for Michigan State in recruiting: "My background is in Ohio so we are there often."
- Dantonio said he cannot put a number of any sort of roster attrition he expects the rest of spring and into summer be it for suspension or transfer: "That's hard to evaluate right now because people make decisions after spring ball."
- On moving on from a 3-9 season: "When you're young, you improve. It's a daily learning curve. But I think we can have a good football team. Very impressed with our quarterback, Brian Lewerke, there's some other guys that are trending upward. They're just young players."
- Dantonio added that Lewerke is clearly the starter right now: "He throws the ball."
- "Obviously there is a concern off the field for us right now, but I addressed that earlier at an earlier press conference ... but for now, we have to focus on finding who are leaders are. If we're not all going in the same direction than those others will be left behind."
Pat Fitzgerald — Northwestern
- On the quality of coaches in the Big Ten, after Purdue hired Brohm and Minnesota hired P.J. Fleck: "I think it's outstanding and it's a huge commitment from all of our teams to be successful ... Those two guys will do a great job. It's a special time to be a part of the Big Ten, there's no doubt about that."
- Fitzgerald said Northwestern has "a little bit of a depth issue" at linebacker after Anthony Walker left for the NFL. He does not have a starter in mind yet as a replacement for Walker.
- Fitzgerald hopes his team eventually gets consideration to play on Friday nights in the future: "Anytime you shorten a week, though, I get big-time concerned about recovery and missed class opportunities ... Very thankful for the Big Ten and where they've gone with that. Looking forward to it being an asset moving forward."
- Fitzgerald said quarterback Clayton Thorson has really upped his leadership prowess and increased his development as a player this spring: "There's that old saying out there that if you have a quarterback, you have a chance. And we have a chance."
James Franklin — Penn State
- Franklin did not provide an update when asked about the status of starting cornerback John Reid's health, who reportedly hurt his knee in practice: “I'm happy to talk about the spring and moving forward but I'm not going to get into things like that at this time."
- Asked about Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley's approach being the faces of the program after leading Penn State to a Big Ten Championship last year: "Those guys have always been team guys. We're not blind to that attention but for us, it's about getting better and trying to find out the way to be the best team we can be."
- "We've got a lot of heavy lifting to do yet. Elite programs have had the types of year we did last year every year."
Chris Ash — Rutgers
- On the spring: "I really like where we're at. We gotta stay healthy. Don't have a lot of depth."
- Ash said junior Giovanni Rescigno is currently Rutgers's starting quarterback: "I think Gio has really been a pleasant surprise. He's developed in a lot of areas ... he is our clear No. 1." Rutgers only has two scholarship quarterbacks on its roster, Rescigno, and fifth-year senior Zach Allen.
- On getting former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill into coaching: "I have a lot of strong feelings and respect for Coach Kill ... we just started talking, not about Xs and Os but philosophies and it didn't take long for me to realize he could be a great fit us and our program."
- On playing Friday night games: "We strongly believe high school football is for Friday night and college football is for Saturday ... but starting our season on a Friday against Washington, there is a lot of positives in it."
P.J. Fleck — Minnesota
- Fleck said he wasn't really looking for outcomes and results in spring practice, but instead getting to know his team player by player and implementing the scheme: "I thought the kids have been absolutely spectacular in being able to do that."
- Fleck said Minnesota's roster has had 22 offseason surgeries. The shortage in available bodies will, as a result, shorten and modify the spring game.
- On his hiring process: "I'm not for everybody. So the last thing I'm going to do is hire somebody that doesn't work with me well and I don't work well with them because if you do that, you have to adjust later on." Fleck hired former Ohio State offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Ed Warinner this winter.
- Fleck said there were nearly two weeks of spring practice where Minnesota only had four offensive linemen healthy enough to play. That resulted in the Golden Gophers having to just to 7-on-7 drills during team periods of practice.
- "When you talk about where games are won and lost up front, we really have to do better to recruit that area in 2018, 2019 and beyond."
Paul Chryst — Wisconsin
- On his decision to stay with a 3-4 defense: "I think it sticks with our recruiting and the kids we get from our state, you can kind of find a niche with the 3-4." Wisconsin ran the 4-3 with J.J. Watt and Chris Borland and recently swapped to a 3-4 with defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. Chryst promoted Jim Leonhard from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator after Aranda left for LSU, and the Badgers will still work with the 3-4.
- Chryst said he has known Leonhard a long time and noted that he was always with the safeties and other defensive backs when he was playing in the NFL: "The big thing I was impressed with with Jim is his communication and his teaching ability."
Lovie Smith — Illinois
- Smith said Illinois focused on developing its young players in the spring, partly due to injury. The Fighting Illini had three early enrollees: "We have a lot to get better at. Three wins last year is obviously not good enough."
- Smith called quarterback Chayce Crouch "the undisputed leader of our football team." Crouch had season-ending surgery in October and was limited this spring.
- Wide receiver Mikey Dudek is medically cleared after missing back-to-back seasons with torn ACLs, Smith said.
- Smith said this year he and his staff have had more time to plan where they intend to spend time recruiting, as well as identify which players they are interested in. He said they felt behind last year since Illinois did not hire him until March 7.
D.J. Durkin — Maryland
- Durkin called Maryland's quarterback battle "very competitive right now." Said in terms of game experience there isn't much difference between them.
- Durkin said Maryland's battle at quarterback will continue through the spring, summer and into fall camp.
- On Big Ten Friday night games: "There's a nice atmosphere for playing night games, whatever night it is. But on the other hand you could be dealing with a short week of preparation. There's a lot of give and take."
Mike Riley — Nebraska
- On what states are most important for Nebraska in recruiting other than its own one: "We are America's team here."
- Nebraska has not made a decision on its quarterback situation.
Tom Allen — Indiana
- On quarterback Richard Lagow: "I feel like he's made some strong strides in the areas of his execution ... he's increased his poise and his confidence. And his leadership, being comfortable, having guys look to him."
- On inviting Jon Gruden and Gruden's father Jim to Indiana's spring game on Thursday night: "It's pretty special. John's just got a presence about him and a personality."
Kirk Ferentz — Iowa
- On the return of running back Akrum Wadley: "He's a guy that was under-recruited and has done some good things for us throughout the course of his career. We've seen him grow right in front of our eyes ... I thought all of that hoopla about the NFL was a little bit premature, I don't think the decision was as big for him as it was for Desmond King and Brandon Scherff before him."
- Ferentz said he's been getting along well with new offensive coordinator, his son Brian, but "right now we haven't lost yet and we haven't been stopped on a third down."
- "As a team we are who we are."
