Ohio State’s kickoffs probably won’t look drastically different this season, but the Buckeyes are discussing whether they need to make adjustments.
Since Urban Meyer became Ohio State’s head coach before the 2012 season, the Buckeyes have had a clear and consistent kickoff strategy: Keeping the ball short of the end zone but as close to the goal line and sideline as possible, with the intent of pinning opponents inside their own 25-yard line on the return.
A wrench was thrown into that strategy in April, however, when the NCAA passed a new rule that allows teams to call for a fair catch on any kickoff inside the 25-yard line, resulting in a touchback if they do.
While meeting with the media at the football team’s annual job fair on Friday, Meyer said Ohio State’s coaching staff had a "long meeting" to discuss the ramifications of the new kickoff rule on Thursday. Taver Johnson, Ohio State’s new cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator, presented various options for how the Buckeyes could adjust their kickoff strategy.
As of now, Meyer said he doesn’t expect the Buckeyes to deviate from their coffin-corner style of kickoffs, but that’s still "to be determined."
Whatever adjustments the Buckeyes do end up making, though, could be contingent on who they play each week.
"I don’t want to get too technical, but obviously it depends on the team you’re playing," Meyer said. "If you can create an advantage, you’ll return it. If not, you’ll fair catch it."
Ohio State has thrived on pinning teams inside their own 25 in kickoff coverage, but the new kickoff rule could change that.
Because there have yet to be any games played under the new rule, it remains to be seen whether the fair catch option will actually lead to a dramatic decrease in kickoffs returned, or whether it will prove to be much ado about nothing. That makes it more difficult for coaches to prepare for the rule change going into the season, and will likely force teams to adjust on the fly once the season begins.
That could be particularly true for Ohio State because of the way it executes its kickoffs, which is different from most other college football teams, which means the Buckeyes might not have much tape to go off – even as the season progresses – to determine whether opponents will return kicks against them.
"It’s going to remain to be seen how people handle it, because we’re very unique on our kickoff style, so it’s going to be interesting to see teams’ philosophy against us," Meyer said.
Ohio State discussed making changes to its kickoff strategy last season, but that was only because their kickers – primarily Blake Haubeil, but at times replaced by Sean Nuernberger – were struggling to execute it properly. The Buckeyes stuck with their coffin-corner kickoffs, though, and Haubeil’s performance eventually improved by the end of the season.
Now, however, Meyer and his staff will have to determine whether their preferred kickoff style will still give them an advantage if executed properly, or whether they should try something different. And the answer to that question might not become clear until the season is already well underway.
