In the first meeting between Mike Weber and Kevin Wilson, Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator dropped a name that quickly captured the attention of the Buckeyes’ running back.
Adrian Peterson.
“That was the first thing he said to me when I met him,” Weber said Sunday.
If Wilson was trying to get Weber to buy in, name-dropping a player like Peterson is a pretty good way to start things off.
Wilson was the Sooners’ offensive coordinator while Peterson was in Norman and under his direction, Peterson emerged as one of college football’s most dominant running backs in the modern era. Oklahoma’s offenses set all kinds of records, as well.
As Ohio State’s running back, that’s something Weber said he is definitely looking forward to.
“He knows I got the ball a little bit less than maybe I was supposed to and he likes to run the ball,” Weber said. “We’ll just go from there.”
Nobody is saying Weber will become Peterson under Wilson so let’s not get carried away. It was likely just a way for Wilson to get Weber to believe in his offensive philosophy which will surely be a bit different than Weber is used to.
In his first as a starter, Weber ran for 1,096 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
In Weber, Wilson has a pretty talented back to work with right from the get-go.
“I’ve talked to [Wilson] a couple times so far,” Weber said. “He seemed like a real energetic guy and I know he did a good job at Indiana and he did a good job running the ball with Adrian Peterson.”
“I know that’s something I look forward to so hopefully I get to meet him even more and get a good bond with him.”
Weber said he hasn’t done a ton of studying yet on Wilson’s offenses and the two have only spoken a handful of times as most of Ohio State’s coaches are on the road recruiting leading up to National Signing Day.
Right now, the Detroit native is focused on offseason conditioning and the upcoming spring season as the Buckeyes look to bounce back from their disappointing Fiesta Bowl performance against Clemson
“Just prepare, work harder than what I did last year,” Weber said. “Be more of a leader and help the younger guys and just be the best that I can be.”
Under the direction of Wilson, Ohio State’s offense figures to be a bit different than it was over the last couple of seasons. That’s something that has plenty of people around Columbus excited.
One of those is Weber, the Buckeyes’ talented redshirt-sophomore-to-be running back whose attention was captured during his very first meeting with his new offensive coordinator.
“I was excited. I know I wanted the ball a bit more and I feel like Coach Wilson did it at Indiana, did it with Adrian Peterson,” Weber said. “He’s shown that he can run the ball and I can’t wait to start working with him.”
