Mike linebacker Raekwon McMillan is the lone returning starter from his position group in 2016 and one of only three returning starters (Gareon Conley , Tyquan Lewis) from Ohio State’s entire 2015 starting defense. The 6-foot-2 junior-to-be from Hinesville, GA, played a lot of snaps as a sophomore while still learning his position at the college level on the fly.
But 2016 is a season where much more will be expected of the former top-ranked linebacker prospect. His role and responsibilities will expand and, as a returning starter, he’ll be expected to make plays and take his game to the next level. Here are some areas of his game in which he should look to improve in 2016.
Leadership
Raekwon has already been named a captain for the 2016 Buckeyes. He’s got big shoes to fill with the likes of Josh Perry gone from his position group, as well as other on-field leaders such as Adolphus Washington, Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, Tyvis Powell, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa, and Tommy Schutt.
The best middle linebackers tend to be the team’s defensive field general. McMillan hasn’t displayed such qualities yet. With his third season in the program coming up, it’s time for that part of his game to show. In college football, players often become leaders simply by making plays. But there are off-the-field components to being a complete leader, which include spending more time in film study, taking younger players under their wings to correct errors, and picking guys up when they make mistakes. Not everyone needs to be vocal to be a leader, but that can help.
Creating Turnovers
McMillan led the Buckeyes with 119 tackles and 57 unassisted stops last year, so he was around the ball a lot. Despite that, he intercepted no passes in 2015 and failed to force a fumble. He did manage to recover one opposition fumble, however. He also broke up four passes, so it’s not as if he struggles to get his hands into passing lanes.
Players that log as many snaps as Raekwon at the position he plays should be counted on to create takeaways. When looking back at players like James Laurinaitis, A.J. Hawk, Chris Spielman and others, one sees guys who made game-changing plays at the position. Raekwon is a physical, athletic player. He’s got the tools to create turnovers and he needs to put those tools to good use.
Sacks
Only 1.5 of McMillan's 119 tackles in 2015 were sacks. Those 1.5 sacks were for a combined loss of five yards. Granted, this is a statistic that largely depends on the defense called, how offenses choose to pick up blitzes — and how adept they are at doing so — and other factors. However, a starting linebacker at Ohio State should expect more than a sack and a half over the course of a season.
Perry wasn’t exactly known as a great pass rusher for the Buckeyes but he managed 3.5 sacks in 2015. McMillan himself recorded 2.5 sacks in 2014 as a freshman and predecessor Curtis Grant notched 2.5 as a junior.
Getting to the passer is a learned skill, although some players do seem to have more of a feel for it than others. Raekwon can improve on technique and hand work rather than simply relying on speed and power, which has probably served him well to this point in his career. To take the next step, he can work with guys like defensive line coach Larry Johnson and his position coach Luke Fickell to add more tricks to his arsenal. Only Joey Bosa (14) and Darron Lee (7) finished with more than McMillan’s five quarterback hurries on the OSU defense a year ago, so he’s able to apply pressure. Some small tweaks to his game can turn those hurries into sacks.
Lateral Movement
McMillan can be a devastating attacker for Ohio State's defense when he attacks downhill. However, Raekwon has sometimes struggled with his side-to-side pursuit through two seasons, which has hindered the Buckeyes' run defense. As the man in the middle, it's imperative that he be able to get sideways to stop the run or to funnel ball carriers to his outside help. If there are any gaps, the opposing runner will squirt through, putting pressure on Ohio State's safeties and corners. If those safeties are outside the hash marks, a fast back can split them and take it to the house.
Recognition
McMillan would have received more playing time as a freshman had he been a bit quicker to diagnose plays. Because that was an area of concern, he was mostly sent in to spell Curtis Grant and tasked with attacking downhill as a blitzer. Raekwon got better at diagnosing plays during his sophomore season, particularly during the second half of the year. When he struggled to both recognize the play and move laterally to stop it, Ohio State allowed chunks of rushing yards on the ground. Here's an example of a play where he was a tick slow to recognize the runner had nowhere inside to go, and then struggled to move fast enough laterally to make a play when he bounced it.
Being a half step slow to the point of attack, McMillan was unable to get into an advantageous tackling stance and was brushed aside by Saquon Barkley. With fewer experienced players around him in 2016, both issues of lateral movement and recognition must be addressed to keep opposing teams from creating explosion plays in the running game.
McMillan is a talented, athletic linebacker with sufficient size and speed to dominate the college game. If he can improve the areas above, he can become one of Ohio State's all-time greats at a historically strong position. If not, the 2016 defense could have an inconsistent season.
