Over the last few seasons, Ohio State’s defense found some success on obvious passing downs by deploying a look that features its four best pass-rushers.
It’s called the ‘Rushmen’ package — and it has wreaked havoc on opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. Last year, it consisted of Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis at defensive end with Jalyn Holmes and Nick Bosa inside. Four natural defensive ends on the field at the same time. It’s a nightmare to try and block.
Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson is able to utilize such a package because of the depth built up inside his meeting room over the years. Ohio State consistently uses an 8-to-10 man rotation along its defensive line and the ‘Rushmen’ look is just one of the many creative ways Johnson uses all of that talent.
So far, the package has been wildly successful. So much so that Johnson and Co. have taken it to the recruiting trail to use as a pitch to try and sell to prospects across the country.
“It has been attractive, let’s just say that,” Johnson said with a smile at the end of Ohio State’s spring practice.
Why, though?
“It helps some guys and they know how they are going to get on the field,” Johnson said. “They ask, we have a situation and a package, if you have a really special skill set then we are going to find a way to use that.”
“That might be in the ‘Rushmen’ package,” he continued. “You may not be able to play first and second down, but we will give you reps on third down. That can get you like 10 or 15 plays a game.”
“If you're running a system where they have a lot of athletic D-line guys to go make plays, that's exciting to me because that's what I do.”– Four-Star DT Aeneas Hawkins
With an absolutely loaded defensive line expected in 2017, Ohio State will need to find a way to replace a crazy amount of talent come season’s end. Lewis, Holmes and defensive tackle Michael Hill are all in their final go-round while Hubbard and Dre’Mont Jones will also be draft-eligible with the option to declare early for the NFL.
That means the Buckeyes are going to need a rather large defensive line haul in their 2018 recruiting class. Ohio State already has two players committed there in Taron Vincent and Brenton Cox and the Buckeyes have quite a few more targets in mind they’d like to add.
A big selling point? The ‘Rushmen’ package. Ohio State can sell to these recruits they can all play together at the same time no matter their position because, well, it’s worked on the field in the past.
“For a guy like me, I appreciate it because some recruiting sites see me as a 'tweener' or whatever," 2018 four-star defensive line prospect Aeneas Hawkins, who has an offer from Ohio State, told Eleven Warriors. "But [Johnson] sees me as a Swiss Army knife. I can play whatever they need me to play and if you're running a system where they have a lot of athletic D-line guys to go make plays, that's exciting to me because that's what I do."
When it comes to 2019 recruiting, the state of Ohio is loaded on the defensive line. The state’s top-four players — Zach Harrison, Cade Stover, Jowon Briggs and Steven Faucheux — all project to play up front (Stover is listed as an outside linebacker, but already at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds a move to defensive end is possible).
You can bet Johnson and the rest of the Buckeyes’ staff will use a similar pitch with that group. It’d be relatively unwise not to do so.
Urban Meyer and his staff often preach “testimony over theory.” And because there is proof Ohio State’s ‘Rushmen’ package actually works and can be utilized, top prospects are are a bit more willing to jump on board because they've seen the results on the field.
It's just another reason why the Buckeyes are recruiting at such a high level.
