With spring football in the books, Eleven Warriors will look back over the next week at what we learned from each position group heading into the offseason.
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has said multiple times his 2014 Buckeyes were “the most improved team” he’s ever been around. When you think about that, two position groups instantly come to mind. One is the offensive line, and the other is wide receiver.
Meyer was critical of those two units early in the season, especially after Ohio State’s 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech in Week 2.
“I thought we’ve improved at wide receiver and we just didn’t get open enough,” Meyer said following that Sept. 6 loss to the Hokies.
By the end of the season, though, that certainly wasn’t the case. The Buckeyes’ wide receivers were dynamic, explosive and made big plays in some of the biggest games of the season.
There was Devin Smith, the speedy deep ball threat who caught 33 passes for 931 (an absurd 28.2 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns. There was Michael Thomas, the well-rounded, do-everything guy who had 54 catches for 799 yards and nine touchdowns. There was Jalin Marshall, the versatile H-back who had 38 catches for 399 yards and six touchdowns. And there was Evan Spencer, the possession receiver and exceptional blocker whose impact on the team went much deeper than his 15 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns.
There were others, too, of course. The point being Ohio State was simply loaded at the wide receiver position.
“We obviously have a mission at my position to be the best receiving corps in the country.”– Zach Smith
“We obviously have a mission at my position to be the best receiving corps in the country,” wide receivers coach Zach Smith said following the Buckeyes’ 49-37 win over Michigan State last November. “We took a step toward that against Michigan State.”
Smith and Spencer are gone from the 2014 team, but Ohio State certainly doesn’t lack depth at the wide receiver position.
Thomas returns and will no-doubt be the Buckeyes No. 1 wideout. He's likely to be an All-Big Ten performer and has his eyes set on a 1,000-yard season. Thomas sat out spring practice after undergoing sports hernia surgery, but the redshirt junior should be full go when fall camp rolls around.
Corey Smith seems like a strong candidate to fill Devin Smith’s role as the team’s deep threat. Corey Smith had six catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ spring game last Saturday. Consistency remains the biggest thing with Smith.
The guy who coaches and fellow players couldn’t stop raving about all spring, though, was sophomore Noah Brown. The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Sparta, N.J. native shed over 20 pounds since last season and has drawn rave reviews from nearly everyone around the program.
“Coming here, you know that’s what’s going to happen. You gotta fight to get on the field,” Brown said this spring. “That’s one of the things that enticed me to come here because I’m forced to get better or else I won’t see the field. I think that really played a role in my decision to be a better player.”
Ohio State loses quite a bit of its key players from the wide receiver room in Spencer and Devin Smith. But the talent behind those two is there and should allow the Buckeyes to be just fine no matter who is playing quarterback.
